Today’s’ Truth
“I will never leave you or forsake you” (
Friend To Friend
She was among an eager group of four-year-old children crowded around my feet as I taught their Sunday school lesson. I was the teacher and they were the students – or at least that is how it started out. The pint-sized audience listened intently as I tried to create a mental image of Jesus and His disciples trapped in a thunderstorm on the Sea of Galilee.
“The winds bleeeeeeew and rocked the little boat back and forth, back and forth. The waves were soooooo big; they splashed over the wooden sides and got the men all wet. Then water started filling up the boat – and do you know what happens when a boat gets full of water?”
“It sinks,” they chimed together.
“That’s right.” I continued with a wrinkled brow and concerned look on my face. “That’s not all. The lightening was sooooo bright; it looked like fire in the sky. And the claps of thunder were sooooo loud; they could feel them vibrate in their chests.”
After painting this picture of impending doom and thinking I would have my “congregation” just a little worried about the fate of these men trapped in a storm, I asked the question. “Now if you were in a tiny boat like this, caught in a terrible storm like this, would you be afraid?”
Then one precious little girl, confident and unshaken by the entire scenario, shrugged her shoulders and replied, “Not if Jesus was in the boat with me.”
I will never forget that answer. I have come to realize that this answer calms all our worries and fears. Just as the disciples had the storm raging all around them, many times the storms of life rage around us. A friend discovers she has cancer, a husband loses his job, and a child is born with birth defects. These are storms with waves of emotions so high that our lifeboat fills with tears and appears that it could sink at any moment. Waves of fear rock our boat and threaten to spill us into despair without even a life jacket to keep us afloat. Storms cause us to doubt who we are, what we have, and where we are as a child of God. Waves of emotions rock our faith.
“Tell me, would you be afraid?”
“Not if Jesus was in the boat with me.”
And guess what. He is. God said, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV), and Jesus said, “Surely I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 26:20). Although the pain may be great, we do not need to be afraid that the storms of life will destroy us, because Jesus is in the boat with us. His power can calm the seas and still the storms of life that threaten to pull us under.
After the children filed out and scattered to Sunday lunches throughout the city, I sat in the room to digest the words of the real teacher that day. It was childlike faith in its purest form. The little girl believed God.
Let’s Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, I will admit, sometimes I get so scared when the storms of life rock my boat. Thank You that You are in the boat with me, that You will never leave me and that You are always right by my side. That is what You promised. That is what I know to be true.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Go back and read the story of Jesus calming the storm in Luke 8:19-25. How would you answer the disciples’ question in verse 25…”Who is this? Â He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”
What life situations are rocking your boat today?
Do you have the sense that Jesus is in the boat with you?
What reassurance does that give you?
I would love to hear your answer! Let’s chat at www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes or www.localhost/sjold/blog
More From The Girlfriends
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I just need a “faith lift.” If that is where you find yourself today, let’s go to God’s spa together. Join me on the journey of a lifetime in Becoming Spiritually Beautiful and discover the inner glow you have always longed for!
Comments 15
What perfect timing for this devotion today! Our family leaves tomorrow morning to look for a house in another city hundreds of miles away as our oldest child contemplates where he should go to college this fall (here, there, or somewhere in between?), and we struggle through these major life changes while dealing with my husband’s post traumatic stress disorder. Sometimes my tears could literally fill a boat! But as you reminded me through your precious story, Jesus is in the boat with me – with us – and He won’t let us sink! Lord, help me not to be afraid, for You are always with me.
One of my biggest struggles is letting go with the past and leading a stronger christian life style. I have children who I teach about God but don’t always practice myself. I know Jesus is with me, this is shown by the people who enter my life at the right time. However I don’t always feel strong enough to break through to the full commitment of walking a confident walk with God.This devotion was a great way for me to be reminded that Jesus is with me and to rest assure he will not leave me.
I needed this devotional today! God saw I was looking for reassurance that He was with me. My life is very sad right now, and this sadness will last through out my whole life because of the decisions that I have made in the past. These selfish wants that happened in the past have affected my husband and my two year old son. I know Jesus has forgiven me;however, knowing my husband hasn’t and has stopped loving me is unbearable without God in my boat. Knowing the pain that I have caused him is one of the most unbearable burdens I have ever experienced. I have confidence that if God can change the heart of a king (Paul), he can change my husband’s heart towards my past. Even though it is very difficult, I will praise God and have confidence that no matter what comes out of this, God is right there beside me through this storm my sin has formed.
If God wasn’t in the boat with me I would have sunk a long time ago. I have two sons who are addicted to pain medicine. One is married and the other one who is 27 still lives at home. Doesn’t work, steals from us, lies to us. Everything that an addict does. But he has seizures and that is one reason we don’t kick him out. Everyday is a roller coaster, but I know that God is right there with me. He knows the pain we are going through. I just have to rely on Him each day for strength. And knowing that He will never leave me puts me at ease each day. Thank you for your wonderful devotions. They are such an inspiration. Pray for our family, please. My husband is not a Christian so this is much harder for him.
I try to be an example for my two, 3 and 4 year grandsons who I love so much. They are allowed to attend church with me at times. Not long ago one of the boys got very scared of something and came to me. I try to let the Spirit lead me and said to him,” Jesus is in your heart sweatheart, nothing can hurt you because HE is with you”.. A couple of days later I overheard the boys talking and one of them said to the other…”don’t be afraid grandma said Jesus lives in our hearts and HE is always with us”…..amazing the faith of a child……..
Sharon this is a beautiful devotional. So beautiful I am going to forward to friends/acquaintances. I did not realize that things I am going through could be considered as in the boat. I trouble with anger and easily get upset with my children when they do things that irritates me. I pray for a makeover from the inside and this just reassures me that God is with me and he has not forsaken me. At times it seems like he has done so. Thank you and may you be deeply blessed and highly favored throughout the day.
WOW! Jesus was in my boat last night when my husband told me the truth in his past affair & how he’d taken her to “our city” for an entire weekend. I knew of the act itself, but not that it had been over an entire 48 hours! I was rocked & rolled, then I prayed, and Jesus calmed the sea and we are on our way to the shore. Praise the Lord and you for your timely messages.
The bible says we need to be more childlike in our relationship to God. This was a perfect example of how simple it is for a child to love and trust. I have been struggling to look for a job with meaning for the past 8 months and also dealing with family issues. I have been battling sadness and disappoint and feel as my life is “sinking”. I am praying for a closer relationship to God and to be more childlike and trust in God.
Good Morning Sharon & other girlfriends of God!
This devotion really hit home with me this morning! My family and I are in some major struggles (personal & financial) and there are a lot of times when I’m not sure where God is; but, then I remember that He is in my boat and he WILL NOT leave me or my family! We are just about to lose our home (we are in the middle of a modification), my oldest son (16 years old) is having a hard time finding a job,my husband is the only income that we have because I am disabled, I am trying to find a job where I can work from home (slow going and hard to find), and just the day to day struggles. I would like to share a time in my family life that shows just how God is in our boats each and every day. A couple of years ago my husband was hit head on by a drunk driver while he was riding his motorcycle. He sustained multiple injuries that kept him out of work for 10 months. When I first heard the news I just didn’t know what to do and just kept thinking, “What are we going to do?” My heart, mind, soul, and body were so heavy with doubt and scared of the unknown! The first night he was in the hospital I sat there in the chair beside him listening to him snoring (which most of the time gets on my nerves) but not that night! It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard and a sound that I almost lost forever! I reached over and put my hand on his bed, put my head down and started praying! I prayed all night!!!! I knew that if we were going to get through this that I had to give EVERYTHING over to God and I knew that I had to trust in Him! When I opened my eyes it was the next morning, the sun was bright, and it was a brand new day! When I saw the bright sun, I knew that we were going to be just fine; I knew that God was in our boat! My husband came home 5 days later with a hospital bed (which he slept in for almost 4 months and I slept on a blow up bed in our living room). God answered my prayers; we had churches bringing us food and helping to pay our bills, people giving us money or paying our bills, friends and family coming over to help, friends would come over and grill food for us, and He gave me the strength to get through each and every day! When I look at our struggles now I try to remind myself of that time in 2007 – 2008! God was with us then and He is with us now! Thank you Sharon for this lovely devotion because it’s just what I needed today!!!
Praise our Lord for the work He is doing for others through you Sharon.
I realize by reading the replies that others are going through trying times also(God is teaching us, and forming us in His image). I know who my councillor is, but to interact with spirit-filled people(with skin)is surely God’s blessing.
Thank you
Dore
I needed this reminder that “Jesus will never leave or forsake us” today so much. I repeat this verse to myself so often, especially in the past two years. I lost my mother and two other close family members in less than two years and have been almost overwhelmed with grief. I was a caregiver for my mother; I cherish every minute that God gave me with her, but at the same time that she was dying, one of my doctors told me that I might have pancreatic tumors. I handled that pretty well at the time because I concentrated on taking care of mom; but since I’ve had a hesitancy to face my own possible diagnosis. There’s so much more, too, finances and all that goes along with it. I got my computer during this time and found the daily devotions by “Girlfriends in God” and what a blessing. I appreciate you all so very much. Thanks for the time you take to help us incorporate our time with God every day. It seems some days that you’ve written just for me; they’ve hit home so often. Tomorrow would have been my mom’s 92’nd birthday and I’m having an especially hard time right now. Please keep me in your prayers.
Today’s devotion was priceless. What faith this little girl had. I am reminded that “out of the mouth of babes”. I needed that devotion today. Thank you so much for sharing. May God bless you as you continue to work for Him.
Thanks, Sharon. My boat is overflowing. I’m overwhelmed, pushed to my limits, and on my knees looking up. Today,it feels like the water is splashing so heavily against my face that I can’t seem to see what’s in front of me. Thank you for reminding me that Jesus is Master of the wind and waves. Yup, I believe He is in the boat with me. Love ya, Bonnie
Sharon, What a timely devotional for me and so many women right now. I started fasting on Tuesdays for my daughter several weeks ago with the Famclub and the last few days have really been a trying time. Sometimes God blesses me with a glimps of hope that she might be moving back slowly into a relationship with him and softening in her attitude towards me, and then POW! Satan sends a tital wave over the boat to try and drown out my faith. I am going to perservere in my fasting and prayers for my daughter’s salvation, she is 29, married and pregnant with her first child. Thank you for the reminder from that precious child that Jesus is in the boat with me, and He is throwing a lifeline to my daughter and one day she will catch it. Bless you and all the women reading this today! I’m praying for each one of you now.
Thank you for this timely reminder, life often becomes that raging storm. We need these reminders that God is in control and always with us. May God Bless you for your faithfulness.