Resting in our Sovereign Christ

WHEN YOUR SHIP IS FULL

And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?  Mark 4:35-41

Here Jesus especially exhibits His sovereign rule.

       He was not shocked by the storm.

       He was not controlled by the storm.

       He was sovereign over that which seemed to be overwhelming and about to destroy.

The disciples exhibit fear in the face of uncontrollable circumstances. Jesus acted in a way that demonstrated to His disciples that He was more than a mere man. The very elements of nature were subject to His word, and still are!

Are you in the midst of a storm? Is your ship filling up? What will you do? What are you doing? Are you afraid? Jesus calls you to trust Him.

      He is not shaken by the events of your life.

      He is not shocked. He is not overpowered. He is not defeated.

      He is asleep – calm, resting, in full control!

There is no better sense in the soul than the sense of confidence that Jesus is present.

      Don’t you know that the latest wave filling your boat is under His rule? 

      Don’t you know that He is just as able to calm the sea as He is to stir it up? 

      Look to Him! Trust Him! Lay down on His pillow and rest!

One great problem that faces every Christian is truly believing and resting in our sovereign Christ. We are more interested in selective sovereignty: Christ doing our will for what we consider our greatest comfort and best interest. We want His sovereign rule to be at our beckoned command.

When we embrace by faith the absolute sovereignty of Christ we demonstrate our greatest concern to be His interest and glory. Living by faith, we really do trust Him and really do believe that He will do what is best, and we are satisfied.

Be clear on this: Christ never presents His sovereignty in order to excuse our irresponsibility. But, as we fulfill His revealed will and make choices in life that demonstrate submission to Him, He calls us to find comfort and encouragement in His sovereignty. What manner of man is this that even the wind and the sea obey Him? With Him in our midst and on our side, what have we to fear?

So, fill up the ship with the waves of life’s trials, discouragements, unexplained or explained difficulties…so long as He is with us, we can be assured that the ship will not sink! He knows how much our ship can take, and will not permit one wave more than we can bear!