THINK TOGETHER.
What is the worst storm you’ve ever seen? Did it scare you?
READ TOGETHER.
Mark 4:35-41. 35On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Storms can be pretty scary can’t they? Maybe you’ve had to take shelter during a bad storm, or you’ve seen things that were broken by strong wind or flooding rains.
Imagine being on a boat during a really bad storm. That’s where the disciples were in our story. Jesus got on a boat and invited his twelve disciples to sail with him across the sea to the other side. But along the way a terrible windstorm arose. But where was Jesus? He was sleeping.
Sleeping?
The disciples are panicking and Jesus is sleeping. They even question if Jesus cares about them. They said, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?
Have you ever wondered if Jesus really cares about you? He does! So much so that he will make the scary storms stop. So much so that he would even die on the cross for us.
But Jesus also wants us to learn to trust him in the middle of the scary storms. He wants us to have faith. Do you know what faith is? Faith is believing that what God says is true. Jesus told the disciples that they would sail across the sea to the other side. So when the storm came they needed to trust that what Jesus said would happen – they will make it to the other side of the sea!
We can always trust what Jesus says too. We can have faith in his promises to us. Jesus promises to always love us and be with us. He promises to bring us to Heaven to live with him. He promises that he will forgive all of our sins if we ask him to.
Life can get pretty scary, like a storm on the sea. But Jesus can always be trusted. With Jesus we can be brave and have courage even in scary times. We can always have faith in him and in his promises to us. With Jesus we never have to wonder if God cares about us. He cares enough to die for us and he cares enough to live with us forever.
Because of Jesus we don’t have to be afraid in the storm.
With Jesus we can trust in God’s promises and have courage in scary times.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Go around and have everyone name a promise that God has made to us. Which promise helps you to brave?
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, with you I can have faith and be brave in the scary storms of life. Amen.
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