ICS Daily Devotions
Don’t Let the Word Be Stolen
Mark 4:35-39 (NKJV) On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him,“Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,“Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
In this passage, Jesus told the disciples that they were crossing over to the other side. It was a Word given by Jesus regarding His decision on the destination. This incident happened on the same day after Jesus had taught them about the parable of the sower, in which Jesus explained to the disciples the importance of receiving the Word with the right attitude of the heart.
Out of nowhere, a great windstorm arose. Even though some of the disciples were fishermen by trade, they had not noticed anything unusual in the weather—these winds took them unexpectedly. Immediately, peace was stolen from their hearts as they looked at the circumstances even though Jesus was in the boat with them.
Similarly, many things will happen suddenly in our lives which will catch us off guard, and fear can begin to grip us if we are not careful. Our first reaction might also resemble the disciples’, which is to ask Jesus, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”.
Praise be to God that not only is there an anchor for our soul (our emotions and our thoughts) that will hold us in place and give us peace in the midst of the storm, which is the Word of God, but Jesus has also given us advance warning of the devil’s scheme of trying to steal the Word as soon as it has been sown. Therefore, next time we encounter a sudden storm in our lives, let us not fall into the trap by looking at the circumstances, because we know that this is a time when the devil wants us to doubt God’s love and promises for our lives.
Mark 4:14-15 (NKJV) The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Sermon Series: Free from Anxiety
