Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
— Hebrews 10:23
How quickly we forget what God has said. Before the disciples took Jesus and boarded the boat shoving off for the Gerasenes (see Mark 4:35–41), the Master had told them, “Let us go across to the other side.” Although we are not told how far out the men had rowed before a great wind began to pitch, they were at a place where turning back wouldn’t help even if they could. Gripped with fear, certain the vessel was about to capsize, they did what most do when peace becomes panic: in terror, they cried out to a sleeping Jesus, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
How many times have I found myself in dire straits? Another dead-end with no way out. An impenetrable wall. You can’t go around it, no getting under or over it, and you can’t go through it. Heart racing. Knees are knocking. You cry out, “Oh God, please…”
Clearly, the paralyzing moments passed, and I am still here. So are you. Made it, didn’t we? In hindsight, I look back and remember Jesus saying nothing about smooth sailing. What he did say, however, was this: “Let us go across to the other side.” And we did.
Worthwhile are the thoughts of Dr. Burk Parsons who writes:
“Life is not always good, but God is good, and He is in control. One way He shows us He is in control is by showing us we’re not. Our loving Father often gives us trials, not so we might run from the trial, but in order to get us to run to the One who gave us the trial. For we don’t always run to Him when we feel like we have everything under control.”
— Tabletalk Magazine, October 2018