Devotional:

Cross Over-Mark 4:35-40

On the same day, when evening had come, Jesus said to His disciples,

“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 Jesus 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 Jesus arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,

“Peace be still!”

and the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

But Jesus said to them,

“Why are you fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another,

“Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” NKJV

There are so many amazing things in this passage that truly reveal the Lord’s ways are higher than ours. First, the Lord’s command to cross over to the other side also came with the promise that they would get there. Immediately after the promise came the problem. The problem in this case was in the form of a storm.

We all know Jesus calls us out of life styles of sin and negativity. But there are times when our lives may not be negative and yet the Lord calls us to something different. See in this passage the disciples that were in the boat with Jesus were fishermen, they earned an honest living on the sea. They knew the sea; they had strong emotional ties to the sea. The sea provided for them; the sea was their trusted friend and they loved it. However, their life on the sea and their trust in it was exactly what Jesus was calling them away from. Yet the sea was the very thing Satan used against them to over throw their faith through doubt and fear.

Remember the Lord’s promise to you and do not fret the problem that follows. When the devil can not make you fall by way of temptation, or through an enemy, he will use who or whatever is close to you to create circumstances of stumbling. Even when the lion roars; without worry or fear we must rest in faith according to God’s word. He cares deeply for us, but it is not our circumstances that concern the Lord, it is our unbelief.

Crossing over to the other side is a change of life. It is not always a change from bad to good and holy, but at times from good and moral to righteous. Crossing over to the other side is recognizing that Jesus is far more than a good teacher of good things. It is accepting that He is Lord over all things.

When the Lord makes a promise, be sure to hang your body on it!

Daryl Kyle