Journal - Jesus is in Our Boat - wk01
Jesus is in Our Boat
Mark 4:35-41
Week 1/Day 5
Hello everyone. My name is Daisy. Today we are going to be reading a little passage in Mark 4:35-41 (NIV). We are going to get some good quality Alone With God time today. So, to follow along, all you need is your Bible, something to write with, and hopefully, our Alone With God Journal. But if you don’t have one, you can use a piece of paper, a different journal, or download a journal page.
If you don’t have our Alone With God Journal, please reach out to us so that a team member can share how to get a copy. This journal has been so intentionally created to help you get the most out of your alone time with God. And it is such an important tool for growing your relationship with God. It is really, really well done. You can order a copy at wordbymail.com.
Let’s open our Bibles and spend some time in scripture together. I will read this passage, and then we will talk about it before sending you off to do your own work. And then we will close in prayer at the end.
Mark 4:35-41 (NIV)
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”
36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.
37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.
38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
“Do not be afraid.” We see this verse repeatedly throughout scripture. The Disciples in the boat were terrified. I mean, their boat was about to go under. That is scary. To be stuck in a boat in a storm is terrifying. And yet Jesus asked, “Why are you so afraid? Don’t be afraid.”
That sounds so easy. Yet when it comes time to implement it, many of us fail miserably. And Jesus, he wasn’t shaming them. It wasn’t to point out their fear and make them look bad. It’s so much deeper. Jesus is saying, “Don’t you know who I am? Don’t you know that I am God? That this doesn’t scare me? That I am not intimidated by a storm? That I have authority over the storm?”
They had been spending all of this time with the Son of God, and yet they were still afraid. And there are so many times when I think, well, if I could just have Jesus come and talk to me for a little bit and comfort me, if I could just know Jesus a little better, just if I could see him in person and maybe he could just tell me everything is going to be okay. But he gave us our Holy Spirit that lives inside of us. He is with us. He is in our boat.
We are prone to panic. And we health, and marriages, and finances, and children, and basic survival to worry about. Politics, the government, what our friends think of us, what our families think of us. There’s always something to worry about. And for some of us, fear is just this constant thing that’s robbing us of all of our joy. There are people on medication that are just trying to get a break from anxiety.
Jesus came to calm our storms, and in this passage, he shows his power over the storms. He shows us he is truly God. So why are we afraid? If God is not afraid of what scares us, why are we? Jesus wants to stand with us in our storms. He wants to calm our fears and remind us that his power is what brings us peace. That he is with us, and he is just as real today as he was in that boat. He is still with us. Even when we are scared. Even when we have doubts because he loves us and because God is not intimidated by anything.
Take some time, and in the Meditate section of your journal, write what God's Word is saying. What are the spiritual principles here?
Now, I want you to take out your pen and your journal or piece of paper and Apply this message to your life. What is God trying to teach you about fear? Personally. In your life, in your situation, and your circumstances, what is God trying to show you? Take a moment, pause, and just reflect and write.
Now, I’d like you to Respond to God. What can you do? What intentional action can you take to apply this truth to your life? How is God asking you to respond to your fear? So again, take some time, pause, and write in your journal.
Finally, I’d like you to Pray. Ask God to help you trust him, and align yourself with the courage and hope that comes with living through Christ. When you are done writing your prayer, let’s come back together, and I will close.
Okay. Let’s end this time in prayer together.
Lord, sometimes we get so afraid that we don’t know where to turn or what to do, and we just want relief from our anxiety. In those moments, please help us to turn to you and remind us you have power over all things. Over all of our storms. You are here to rescue us. Help us to trust you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
If you don’t have our Alone With God Journal, please reach out to us so that a team member can share how to get a copy. This journal has been so intentionally created to help you get the most out of your alone time with God. And it is such an important tool for growing your relationship with God. It is really, really well done. You can order a copy at wordbymail.com.
Let’s open our Bibles and spend some time in scripture together. I will read this passage, and then we will talk about it before sending you off to do your own work. And then we will close in prayer at the end.
Mark 4:35-41 (NIV)
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”
36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.
37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.
38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
“Do not be afraid.” We see this verse repeatedly throughout scripture. The Disciples in the boat were terrified. I mean, their boat was about to go under. That is scary. To be stuck in a boat in a storm is terrifying. And yet Jesus asked, “Why are you so afraid? Don’t be afraid.”
That sounds so easy. Yet when it comes time to implement it, many of us fail miserably. And Jesus, he wasn’t shaming them. It wasn’t to point out their fear and make them look bad. It’s so much deeper. Jesus is saying, “Don’t you know who I am? Don’t you know that I am God? That this doesn’t scare me? That I am not intimidated by a storm? That I have authority over the storm?”
They had been spending all of this time with the Son of God, and yet they were still afraid. And there are so many times when I think, well, if I could just have Jesus come and talk to me for a little bit and comfort me, if I could just know Jesus a little better, just if I could see him in person and maybe he could just tell me everything is going to be okay. But he gave us our Holy Spirit that lives inside of us. He is with us. He is in our boat.
We are prone to panic. And we health, and marriages, and finances, and children, and basic survival to worry about. Politics, the government, what our friends think of us, what our families think of us. There’s always something to worry about. And for some of us, fear is just this constant thing that’s robbing us of all of our joy. There are people on medication that are just trying to get a break from anxiety.
Jesus came to calm our storms, and in this passage, he shows his power over the storms. He shows us he is truly God. So why are we afraid? If God is not afraid of what scares us, why are we? Jesus wants to stand with us in our storms. He wants to calm our fears and remind us that his power is what brings us peace. That he is with us, and he is just as real today as he was in that boat. He is still with us. Even when we are scared. Even when we have doubts because he loves us and because God is not intimidated by anything.
Take some time, and in the Meditate section of your journal, write what God's Word is saying. What are the spiritual principles here?
Now, I want you to take out your pen and your journal or piece of paper and Apply this message to your life. What is God trying to teach you about fear? Personally. In your life, in your situation, and your circumstances, what is God trying to show you? Take a moment, pause, and just reflect and write.
Now, I’d like you to Respond to God. What can you do? What intentional action can you take to apply this truth to your life? How is God asking you to respond to your fear? So again, take some time, pause, and write in your journal.
Finally, I’d like you to Pray. Ask God to help you trust him, and align yourself with the courage and hope that comes with living through Christ. When you are done writing your prayer, let’s come back together, and I will close.
Okay. Let’s end this time in prayer together.
Lord, sometimes we get so afraid that we don’t know where to turn or what to do, and we just want relief from our anxiety. In those moments, please help us to turn to you and remind us you have power over all things. Over all of our storms. You are here to rescue us. Help us to trust you. In Jesus’ name, amen.