When the cruise ship pulled into port, the passengers got off as quickly as possible. They had spent the last few days enduring an outbreak of a virus, and hundreds of people had been sickened. One passenger, interviewed as he disembarked, said: "Well, I don't mean to complain so much. I mean I know everybody was in the same boat". His seemingly unintentional pun made the reporter smile.
In Matthew 8, we can read about another trip on the water (vv. 23-27). Jesus got into the boat and the disciples followed Him (v. 23). Then a terrible storm arose, and Jesus' disciples feared for their lives. They awakened a sleeping Jesus, who they assumed was unaware of the crisis. While Jesus was literally in the same boat as His followers, He was unconcerned about the weather. As the all-powerful Creator, He had no fear of a storm. "He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm" (v. 26).
But we are not all-powerful, and we are oh-so-prone to fear. So what are we to do when the storms of life rage around us? Whether they quickly blow over or last for a long time, we can be confident in this: We are in the same boat with the One whom even the winds and the sea obey. No danger can come so near the Christian that God is not nearer.
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