Devotional for Today 01 September 2023

Topic: Peace in the midst of storm

"On that [same] day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee].” So leaving the crowd, they took Him with them, just as He was, in the boat. And other boats were with Him. And a fierce windstorm began to blow, and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already being swamped. But Jesus was in the stern, asleep [with His head] on the [sailor’s leather] cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are about to die?” And He got up and [sternly] rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still (muzzled)!” And the wind died down [as if it had grown weary] and there was [at once] a great calm [a perfect peacefulness]. Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith and confidence [in Me]?” They were filled with great fear, and said to each other, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” Mark 4:35‭-‬41 AMP

Sometimes, I'd go so far as to say often, we really do experience temptations in our lives that can shake us up: a sick child, lack of money, a sick parent, worries at work, unemployment, accidents, and so on. But just as in the boat, Jesus is always there.

 As Christians, we must always have the assurance that God is with us whatever the circumstances, and have faith that he will always get us out of whatever trouble we may be in, no matter how unimaginably deep those troubles may be.

Our human nature, as well as the enemy, will always try to cause us stress, fear and anxiety. At any given moment, we may doubt that God is really with us, because the situations we are living through can really be difficult ones. But being a Christian doesn't mean being spared difficult situations; being a Christian means having the assurance that God is with us in our difficult situations. To be a Christian is to have the assurance that God will always reach out to us.

Also: Devotional for August 31, 2023

Prayer of the day:

Father, at the beginning of September, I would like to recommend this month to you. Whatever storms I'm going through or will go through, I pray that you can help me to always have peace, and to always trust in You. Strengthen me and help me to be more anchored in You, for You are the God who calms all storms. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.