Faith Transfer
Mark 4:35-41 (NLT) 35 As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
What Jesus did in the storm was give the Disciples a faith transfer. Listen. He gave the Disciples a faith transfer. In the storm, the Disciples realized that they had more faith in the storm and the circumstances of the storm than they had in Jesus, who was with them.
They had more faith in what they could see and feel than they had in the power and authority of Jesus, who was with them. The Disciples believed more in the power of the storm than they believed in the power of the Savior. They had more confidence in what the storm could do than they had confidence in what Jesus could do in the midst of the storm. They had more faith in the storm than they had in Jesus.
How about us? When the storm hits in our lives, do we have more faith in the storm, or do we have more faith in what Jesus can do in the midst of the storm? It’s not IF we have faith it’s WHAT is our faith IN? Because we, church-attending, bible-carrying Christians, when the storm hits, what our faith is in is revealed. Too often, our faith is in the storm and in the circumstances of the storm.
And so, the storm is a gift from God. Can you hear it, please? The storm is a gift from God. It was a gift from God to the Disciples because they experienced the true power and authority of Jesus Christ OVER the storm, and experiencing THAT transferred their faith from the storm to Jesus. It transferred what they were consumed by. From being consumed by the circumstances of the storm to being consumed by the power and authority of Jesus. Get it? They had a faith transfer in response to the storm.
So, was it good that Jesus left them in the storm? Say yes, even if you wish it weren’t true. It was for their good. Because we need to understand what our faith is truly in. And I promise you, these Disciples will never look at a storm the same way. And they will never look at Jesus the same way because they met Jesus in the storm in a way they could not meet him any other way. And they knew him at a level in the storm that they could not know him any other way. These Disciples were eternally grateful for the storm, and it wasn’t their last because they learn like we do… slowly.
Ultimately, by Acts Chapter 2, the Day of Pentecost, these Disciples had such an unshakable, immovable faith that they could no longer see the circumstances of the storm. They could only see what Jesus might be doing WITHIN the circumstances of the storm. They no longer said, “We’re jailed. We’re beaten. We’re persecuted.” They said, “Jesus is work. Jesus is at work. Jesus is at work.” They were still in the storm, but they never viewed the storm the same again because they met Jesus in this storm.
Journal: You may want to reread Mark 4:35-41. And then, in the Apply section of your Alone With God Journal, think about what storms you have been through or might be in now. How have you reacted? Where was your faith? Did you see the circumstances more, or could you say, “Jesus is at work”? Write down how or where these verses apply to your life today. Then, in the Respond section, write how you will specifically respond to the truth in these verses. Open your heart and listen and respond to God. What will you do today now that you are armed with this truth? And then, in the Pray section, write your prayer to God, aligning your heart with his on the truth he revealed to you today.
Prayer: Lord, you are amazing. When our circumstances look big, and we focus on them and how to try to get through them, please shift our eyes back to you. Allow us to gaze at you and know that you alone have power and authority in this storm. When we are in a storm, grant us the opportunity to meet you in a way that we could never meet you any way else. Give us, we pray, the unshakable faith to no longer see the circumstances of a storm but instead see what you are doing within the circumstance of it. For your glory, Jesus, and in your name we pray, amen.
To get a copy of the Alone With God Journal for you or someone you know, order it at: wordbymail.com.
Watch this entire message from our Mark series titled When The Storm Hits.
You can also search in your Word By Mail phone app or at wordbymail.com for this full message by title: When The Storm Hits. It’s message number 15 in our Mark series.
38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
What Jesus did in the storm was give the Disciples a faith transfer. Listen. He gave the Disciples a faith transfer. In the storm, the Disciples realized that they had more faith in the storm and the circumstances of the storm than they had in Jesus, who was with them.
They had more faith in what they could see and feel than they had in the power and authority of Jesus, who was with them. The Disciples believed more in the power of the storm than they believed in the power of the Savior. They had more confidence in what the storm could do than they had confidence in what Jesus could do in the midst of the storm. They had more faith in the storm than they had in Jesus.
How about us? When the storm hits in our lives, do we have more faith in the storm, or do we have more faith in what Jesus can do in the midst of the storm? It’s not IF we have faith it’s WHAT is our faith IN? Because we, church-attending, bible-carrying Christians, when the storm hits, what our faith is in is revealed. Too often, our faith is in the storm and in the circumstances of the storm.
And so, the storm is a gift from God. Can you hear it, please? The storm is a gift from God. It was a gift from God to the Disciples because they experienced the true power and authority of Jesus Christ OVER the storm, and experiencing THAT transferred their faith from the storm to Jesus. It transferred what they were consumed by. From being consumed by the circumstances of the storm to being consumed by the power and authority of Jesus. Get it? They had a faith transfer in response to the storm.
So, was it good that Jesus left them in the storm? Say yes, even if you wish it weren’t true. It was for their good. Because we need to understand what our faith is truly in. And I promise you, these Disciples will never look at a storm the same way. And they will never look at Jesus the same way because they met Jesus in the storm in a way they could not meet him any other way. And they knew him at a level in the storm that they could not know him any other way. These Disciples were eternally grateful for the storm, and it wasn’t their last because they learn like we do… slowly.
Ultimately, by Acts Chapter 2, the Day of Pentecost, these Disciples had such an unshakable, immovable faith that they could no longer see the circumstances of the storm. They could only see what Jesus might be doing WITHIN the circumstances of the storm. They no longer said, “We’re jailed. We’re beaten. We’re persecuted.” They said, “Jesus is work. Jesus is at work. Jesus is at work.” They were still in the storm, but they never viewed the storm the same again because they met Jesus in this storm.
Journal: You may want to reread Mark 4:35-41. And then, in the Apply section of your Alone With God Journal, think about what storms you have been through or might be in now. How have you reacted? Where was your faith? Did you see the circumstances more, or could you say, “Jesus is at work”? Write down how or where these verses apply to your life today. Then, in the Respond section, write how you will specifically respond to the truth in these verses. Open your heart and listen and respond to God. What will you do today now that you are armed with this truth? And then, in the Pray section, write your prayer to God, aligning your heart with his on the truth he revealed to you today.
Prayer: Lord, you are amazing. When our circumstances look big, and we focus on them and how to try to get through them, please shift our eyes back to you. Allow us to gaze at you and know that you alone have power and authority in this storm. When we are in a storm, grant us the opportunity to meet you in a way that we could never meet you any way else. Give us, we pray, the unshakable faith to no longer see the circumstances of a storm but instead see what you are doing within the circumstance of it. For your glory, Jesus, and in your name we pray, amen.
To get a copy of the Alone With God Journal for you or someone you know, order it at: wordbymail.com.
Watch this entire message from our Mark series titled When The Storm Hits.
You can also search in your Word By Mail phone app or at wordbymail.com for this full message by title: When The Storm Hits. It’s message number 15 in our Mark series.
Posted in Devotions, Journal Guides
Tagged with Daily Journal, Journal Guide, Devotions, Faith, Power, Authority, Knowing God, circumstances
Tagged with Daily Journal, Journal Guide, Devotions, Faith, Power, Authority, Knowing God, circumstances
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