Day Five || After All You’ve Seen

Mark 4:40-41 (The Voice)
Jesus: How can you be so afraid? After all you’ve seen, where is your faith? 41 The disciples were still afraid, slowly coming to grips with what they had seen.

At this point in Mark, the disciples had been with Jesus for some time. They had already witnessed miracles, signs and wonders. They had already seen Jesus heal Peter’s mom from sickness, the demon-possessed, the man with leprosy, the paralyzed man and the man with the shriveled hand on the sabbath. Yet here they are not days later, in the middle of the storm, and immediately filled with fear. Jesus is quick to point this out. Not to shame them, but correct them. To remind them that in the midst of scary things, we must choose faith over fear.

It’s so easy to read this passage and pass judgment. To say to ourselves, “I can’t believe that they thought they were gonna drown. Jesus was with them. Jesus had just performed miracles. Obviously, they are going be ok.” But how many times, do we found ourselves in the middle of difficult situations…a job loss, a death, a disappointment, a sobering doctors report and immediately begin to think the worst is going to happen. We start to doubt whether or not God will come through on our behalf. This is the history of mankind - the Israelites, the disciples, and us - witnessing God do the impossible, only to doubt that it’s possible for Him to do it again.

Joshua 4:1-3, 21-24 (ESV)
When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’”…21 And he said to the people of Israel, When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

Just like the Israelites, we must remember what we’ve seen, not just what we are seeing. We must remember what God has done, so that we can declare that He will do it again. Our God is a miracle working God. He always has been and He always will be. His promise of provision and protection never changes. We have to be living memorial stones. We must not forget His great works.

When I moved to Nashville, I was a poor college drop-out. I was working several odd jobs to make ends meet. I remember one month, after I had worked 60hrs a week, I looked at all my bills and realized I still couldn’t pay them. I wanted to panic, but instead I wrote down what I needed, to the penny and prayed over it. I remember saying, “God, I have been faithful to tithe and You have been faithful to provide. You see what I need. I am asking You to make a way and help me pay my bills.” The very next day, I went to my mailbox and there was a letter from a family I had known for years that felt like they were supposed to send me a check. You better believe it was exactly what I had written down and prayed over. They had mailed the check before I ever prayed that prayer. God had already gone before me. That is just one of the countless times God has done the impossible in my life. And every time, I am faced with a new challenge, trial or hard thing…I go back to those moments. I remind myself that God has never failed me and He won’t start now.

We are going to be tested. We are going to face trials that the enemy will want to use to make us doubt the goodness of God. As a matter of fact, Jesus told us to expect trouble in John 16:33. However, He has promised that we will never be alone. So when the wind and waves start blowing, don’t focus on the storm, focus on the One who calms the storm. Remember what you have seen. Remember His miracles and great works. Remember He will do it again.

PRAYER
Dear God, thank you for never changing. Thank you for being faithful. Thank you for showing up in my life and doing the impossible. I chose to today to focus on You, to remind my soul once again that You have never failed me and You never will. You heal the sick, save the lost, set captives free, redeem what is lost and provide where there is lack. You calm storms, move mountains, destroy graves and reign forever. Forgive me for any doubt that has snuck in my heart and my mind. Today, I chose to pick up faith and set fear down. I chose to speak to winds and waves of worry and tell them to be still. I will remember who You are and who You will always be - the Great I Am, the one who even the winds and waves obey. Amen!

DAILY SCRIPTURES
Psalm 103:2 (NASB)
…Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;

Psalm 96 (TPT)
Go ahead—sing your new song to the Lord! Let everyone in every language sing him a new song. 2–3 Don’t stop! Keep on singing! Make his name famous! Tell everyone every day how wonderful he is. Give them the good news of our great Savior. Take the message of his glory and miracles to every nation. Tell them about all the amazing things he has done. 4 For the Lord’s greatness is beyond description and he deserves all the praise that comes to him. He is our King-God and it’s right to be in holy awe of him. 5 Other gods are absolutely worthless. For the Lord God is Creator-God, who spread the splendor of the skies! 6 Breathtaking brilliance and awe-inspiring majesty radiate from his shining presence. His stunning beauty overwhelms all who come before him. 7 Surrender to the Lord Yahweh, all you nations and peoples. Surrender to him all your pride and strength. 8 Confess that Jehovah alone deserves all the glory and honor. Bring an offering and come celebrate in his courts. 9 Come worship the Lord God wearing the splendor of holiness. Let everyone wait in wonder as they tremble in awe before him. 10 Tell the nations plainly that Yahweh rules over all! He is doing a great job, and nothing will disrupt him, for he treats everyone fair and square. 11–12 Let the skies sing for joy! Let the earth join in the chorus. Let oceans thunder and fields echo this ecstatic praise until every swaying tree of every forest joins in, lifting up their songs of joyous praise to him! 13 For here he comes, the Lord God, and he’s ready to judge the world. He will do what’s right and can be trusted to always do what’s fair.