Revised Conclusions

Revised Conclusions

Mark 4:41, NLT

The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

Luke 8:25, NLT

The disciples were terrified and amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “When he gives a command, even the wind and waves obey him!”

Setting the Scene

Jesus’ disciples went from terror over almost certain death one moment to stunned awe the next as the boat drifted in the suddenly still waters. There’s no indication in this account that the disciples expected Jesus to do something about their predicament other than share it with them. The last thing they anticipated was to hear him address the elements and command them into submission. The significant miracles they had already witnessed had not prepared them for his exercise of power on such a grand scale. No wonder they murmured, “Who is this man?” They had observed Jesus teaching and healing people of diseases and demon possession, but their understanding of the Lord was still stuck at seeing him as a human being with special powers rather than as God of the universe. Their exposure to the power that the wind and waves obeyed left them “terrified and amazed.”

We who are used to sin-hobbled efforts and mixed results find it hard to comprehend the wonder of an encounter with a limitless being. We always expect complications and disappointments—not fully accepting that with God all things are possible. So when God answers our prayers, we pinch ourselves in wonder. We want to believe God could do something, but we often stop short of trusting that God will do something. And so we find ourselves in the sandals of the disciples, continually surprised by God’s faithfulness and power. Fortunately, God is not limited by our faith. He is able “to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20, NLT).

Getting Personal

When has God worked in your life or answered a prayer beyond your expectations?

How would your prayer life be different if, rather than affirming that God could do something about a situation in your life, you began to affirm that God will do something?

We can be so intent on giving God a way out that we don’t fully trust him to provide a way through for us. Instead of just thinking about leaving things in God’s hands, we need to actually leave things in his hands!

Talking to God

Anticipate God’s powerful work in your future by thanking him, in advance, for the resolution of problems you are facing today.