Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor
Matthew 8:23-27
23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
One of my new favorite songs currently out on the radio is the song Famous For sung by Tauren Wells. The song is a declaration of the power and greatness of the Lord and the plea for Him to work in the ways in which He is famous for working. The song has a catchy tune but more importantly holds a powerful message that is found within the scripture: The Lord is ABLE!
Did you know that the bible is replete with scriptures pertaining to the Lord being famous? Many times in God’s word when He is at work and does the impossible, many who were around at that time (pagan or believer) would marvel at the greatness of the Lord and what He had just done. We see another example here with the calming of the sea. Jesus is on the boat with the disciples at this point and they are fearful for their life as a mighty storm was blowing through and tossing their ship to and fro. In the midst of the storm Jesus was asleep. Awaken by the disciples, Jesus commanded the winds and the waves to cease and the storm stopped. At that moment, the disciples who were in the boat with Him couldn’t help but to see that Jesus was different. They marvelled at His greatness!
The Lord is famous for quite a bit of things but perhaps what He is famous for the most is the fact that He is still in the miracle-working business. He is still changing hearts and lives, stilling storms, and saving souls! He is still in the miracle working business. As followers of Jesus today, how can we share and celebrate what He is famous for?
- Remember What He Has Done: What is interesting is Jesus’ response to the disciples when they woke Him up frightened for their lives. He shared with them that they were men of little faith. Perhaps it’s because their fear of the storm in their life was rooted in the fact that they had forgotten about what all Jesus could do. The passage before we see Jesus heal many who were sick by simply touching folks or speaking to them. Now they are on the boat and the raging winds have them frightened beyond belief. Jesus reminded them that His words have power. Listen friend, when the rain falls in your life, remember what the Lord has done for you in the past. He has not changed. He is able to meet you where you are as He did back then.
- Run to the Lord because of What He is Able to Do: Ephesians 3:20 tells us that the Lord is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ever ask or think. He is more than able! So rest in that today. As mentioned before He is famous for doing the impossible. That person you know that is far from the Lord, they aren’t too far gone to return home, choose to take them to the Lord in prayer. The family member who is sick- they aren’t too sick to be healed in the name of Jesus so take them to Jesus in prayer. Your marriage that seems too broken to fix- God is still in the business of reconciliation so take the marriage to the Lord. The Lord is famous for doing these things, so run to Him.
Today, let’s choose to remember and worship the One who is famous for changing hearts and lives. The God of all power is on our side. Choose to run to Him today for He is an ever present help in time of need. Great is His Faithfulness!
SONG OF WORSHIP FOR TODAY: Famous For- Tauren Wells
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for your love for me! Help me to remember that you are still a miracle-working God whom I can run to in time of need! In Jesus’ name, Amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Psalm 96:4- For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.