Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” Matthew 14: 31-33

Jesus sends the disciples on a boat to go ahead of Him to the other side. A long distance away from land, waves and strong winds begin to batter the boat. They are so consumed with the act of boating and navigating, they’ve forgotten about the Lord, which is evident when they mistake Him for a ghost. When the Lord steps into the boat, the wind stops. We are all on boats crossing the river to the other side. Some days, the water and wind are peaceful and still. On other days, they are rough and choppy. As we ride on our boats through the river called life, we find peace and rest when Jesus climbs into our boat.

When we hit rocky waters and strong winds, we can lose focus and be consumed by the contents of the hardships right in front of us. Instead of focusing on how to solve or avoid harships, we must delve into the Bible. It may seem irrational, even ignorant, to throw yourself into the Bible when the hardships you face seem to demand immediate action. But read the Bible! Immerse yourself in Scripture! Listen to a sermon! Disregard what is going on outside of your “boat” and read the Bible. Meditate on His words. Look for answers in His word. If we read the Bible, slowly but surely, our hearts and mind will find peace. We may not resolve the problems going on outside of the boat, but we are resolved. In other words, we find peace. Our despair is gone. The complaining, resentment, jealousy, envy, and hatred… all gone. Remember, when our boats hit rocky water, first throw yourself into the Bible and the Word of God.

What happens when we read the Bible and meditate on His word? We meet the Lord. And what happens when the Lord steps into our boat? The winds die down. The Lord is always with us, but we can’t see Him because we’ve become so focused on rowing our boats and figuring a way out of trouble. When we hunker down with the Bible, we meet the Lord. And when we see the Lord and He’s in our presence, we change for the better. Because the Lord sees us, there are things we can’t do anymore because we know He’s watching, and there are things we have to do because He is watching. Whatever the case, reading the Bible and meditating bring us closer to the Lord. And when He steps in our boat, the troubled waters die down. It’s smooth sailing.

How many of you are experiencing some form of hardship in your life? Do you find yourself looking for solutions that only make matters worse? We’re all on our boats. If you’ve hit rocky waters, stop everything and pick up your Bible. Read and read. Meditate and think about His word. Do it as if your life depends on it. Then, you meet the Lord. He steps into your boat. The winds die down. It’s the perfect solution to life, which has no set pattern. We can’t predict our ups and downs, but we can always have the Lord by our side!

https://soundcloud.com/yhpaik/1985-2-3-sunday-pm

English reading: https://youtu.be/Cub-M1L1lBY