Led into the storm?

One of my Bible study leaders made a comment recently that in Mark chapter 4 the disciples were led out onto the lake right before the storm.

And I can't stop reflecting on that idea.

The water was probably calm when Jesus said to them, "Let's go over to the other side." They were all, "Sure" and then right as they get to the middle of the lake suddenly there are waves crashing over them and their boat's filling up with water.

I imagine they must have wondered why in the world Jesus would have led them out to the middle of the lake right before the storm.

Maybe they even said, "We obeyed, we did what he said, and look where it got us!"

or "We are doing what He wanted us to, why is it so hard?"

"Why the storm?"

I've asked the same questions.

"God, we feel like you led us to start up this ministry, why then are we getting push-back from some leadership?"

"God, we know you led us to adopt a child from Ethiopia, why then has the wait time and number of trips required to do it doubled since we began the process?"

"God, I felt you leading me to take on this case with my volunteer job, why did you have to add the latest drama where to serve the children in the way I see best I had to put my own personal safety at risk? And why if that were to be the situation, did you feel the need to publish the danger of the place I'd been going on the front page of the newspaper?"

But when the disciples questioned Jesus, "do You not care that we are perishing?" He calmed the storm and replied, "Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?"

And so He says the same to me.

I must trust Him.

And yes, He does occasionally lead us right into the storm, so we can see him calm it,

or maybe so we learn to trust Him more.

One thing I know, next time my boat starts taking on water I'm following the example of Jesus -- I'm gonna take a nap!

Find more Thankful Thursday here.