Jesus Spoke Calm to the Wind and the Waves

“Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the sea, and they obey Him?” Luke 8:25 AMP

As I read Luke 8 this week, I am blown away by the quiet, bold confidence and AUTHORITY that our Savior walked in. Part of it is my mind trying to reconcile “fully God and yet fully man”! I hear it; I know it, and yet sometimes, I am consumed with one or the other… But, BOTH!?

A storm arose amidst a quiet, peaceful day. A fierce wind, a violent squall THREATENED to capsize the boat. In desperate fear, they cried out to their Master/Teacher/Rabbi.

‘We are sinking, we are drowning – don’t you care?’

He does a work before He even speaks – as if to help their ears to hear the truth through what their eyes have seen.

He rebukes the wind and the waves.

He is not absent or silent or sleeping (i.e. unreachable in the storm).

“Why are you fearful? Have you lost faith in me?” (truth spoken in the restored quietness) Luke 8:25 TPT™

The winds and waves obey.

EVEN the Demons Obey

As soon as Jesus and His disciples reached the other side of the lake, a legion of demons – a single man possessed by many, awaited Jesus – the enemy was ready to pick a fight and yet was overcome simply by HIS presence coming ashore.

When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet and screamed out, “What are you doing here? You are Jesus, the Son of the Most High God!” Luke 8:28 TPT™

The man was COMPLETELY delivered, set free, liberated – because even the demons can’t stay silent in His presence – and the name above all others names spoke LIFE into the chaos.

Sadly, the freedom of that man came at a cost the community was unwilling to embrace. The ruckus, the show, the fear of their continued “normal” being overturned (even though it was setting captives free and offering LIFE abundantly) – led them to ask the ONE, the Son of God, the Almighty, majestic master of truth and power – to leave.

What is it about being uncomfortable that leads many to reject signs, wonders and miracles? Why is experience elevated over the Word? Status-quo, not rocking the boat, lukewarm faith come at a cost – a lack, a passivity, a settling – rather than calling on the God that can call dead things back to LIFE! He is the God of the RESURRECTION! He defeated death! He defeated sin! He defeated brokenness and addiction and shame! There is no CANNOT in Jesus! In fact, He is the God who does immeasurably more than all we could ask for or imagine! I would far rather err on the side of being disappointed (often times why we don’t pray big prayers) than to not call on the God who is more than able!

As Jesus sat up in the boat and listened to the terror in His disciple’s voices, He spoke with power to the winds and sea – it was that loud and powerful – and He carried on that that day…

[convertkit form=2008501]

HE calmed the wind and sea. He sent demons into a herd of pigs and set a demonized man completely FREE (Luke 8:26-39). A woman with an incurable blood disease TOUCHED but the hem of His garment and in an INSTANT her bleeding stopped, as tangible power left Him (Luke 8:43-48). Jesus simply SPOKE the Word and Jairus’ dead daughter was called back to LIFE (Luke 8:41-42, 49-56)!

All impossible — but God!

You jealously want what others have so you begin to see yourself as better than others. You scheme with envy and harm[a] others to selfishly obtain what you crave—that’s why you quarrel and fight. And all the time you don’t obtain what you want because you won’t ask God for it! And if you ask, you won’t receive it for you’re asking with corrupt motives,[b] seeking only to fulfill your own selfish desires. James 4:2-3 TPT™

We somehow feel we RISK in asking, but in reality we risk far more by not asking. We have not because we ask not!

How easily is it to forget this truth? Some of the things that we desire the most are some of the very things that we have stopped asking and believing for. Can you relate to that? Is there a dream that you let die because you thought it was taking too long to happen? Is there something that was really important to you, but that you stopped praying about?
Remember, what you pray reflects what you believe about God. Meaning, if you pray big bold prayers, it’s because you have had a revelation that you have a big God, but if you pray tiny, teeny prayers, it’s probably because you don’t realize who Father is and what he is capable of blessing you with. But not praying at all? Well you can’t expect to get anything if you don’t even ask.
-Caroline, “You Have Not Because You Ask Not”, In Due Time

Let’s be a people who are not moved by man but MOVED by the Word of God! Let’s PRAY BIG and expect great things! Our God is MORE than able!