Scripture: Mark 4:35-41 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Devotion: There are times where God takes us into the storm not to discipline us, but to disciple us. That was one of the main takeaways from the message this past Sunday. Though it is catchy to say and sounds nice on paper, it doesn’t always feel this way, does it?
It is hard to see why God would bring us into a difficult season. Whether you are grieving the loss of a loved one, struggling with depression, freshly off of a divorce, or even just simply in a season where it seems as though God is absent, it can feel much more like discipline from Him than discipleship. But, even when we don’t see it, He is teaching us through it.
I remember a season like this. All at once, multiple things culminated for me. I was questioning my ability and worth in my job, I felt as though many of my friends were becoming distant, and I couldn’t tell what God had next for me. What once felt like a season of abundance now felt like a season of pruning and loss. What I know now is that God was using that season to show me that I was misplacing my identity. I was putting my identity in my work, what people thought of me, and my perceived value of myself to others rather than putting my identity in Christ. I needed to first and foremost find myself as a child of the King, loved and chosen by Him. From there, everything else would overflow. But until I truly was placing my worth in the Lord instead of the world, I was going to be disappointed time and time again.
Though this was a long season (longer than I would have liked), the Lord did indeed use it to disciple me. How is He using the season that you are currently in? What is He trying to teach you? Perhaps He has led you into this very moment so that you will seek Him, listen for His voice, and trust that He alone will carry us through.
Reflect:
- Reflect on some past struggles that you have been through. What did God teach you through those times?
- Knowing that He has brought you through storms to disciple you before, how can you better recognize what He is teaching you in the middle of one right now?
