And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? (Mark 4:38)
At this very moment, I can understand the frustration that Jesus must have felt when his disciples woke him with regard to the storm. They were terrified and felt it was of the gravest importance to wake Him up. I can see Him sitting there uttering the words "you woke me up for that???" With a wave of His hand, the sea was calmed and if He's anything like me, He probably couldn't go back to sleep.
The difference that lies between us is quite simple - He is God - I am not. With a patience that surpasses all, He calmed the storm, quieted the sea and reminded His disciples that they had nothing to fear. He quiets the storms still, in our hearts and in our minds.
Knowing that the Lord is ever present, carefully watching over us and guiding us is a great comfort. We know that so long as we follow the plan and trust in Him, there is nothing to fear. What we often see as a major problem, turns out to have a very simple solution. The storms that come into our lives are nothing compared to the hurricanes we once experienced before we surrendered to the Lord. The waves that crash around us do not pull us under - in fact, they lift us up.
We also know that God's blessings come to us in many forms. For what ever reason, I was awakened earlier than I had planned. That gives me another hour or so in the day to honor and praise Him! That is a blessing at any time! Things don't often go as we had planned, but they go as God has planned. To say "rejoice" is probably an understatement. We are told to "rejoice in all things".
Getting angry at things we have no control over is Satan's way in. Take all unexpected occurrences that might tend to upset you and turn them into something to thank the Lord for!!! It not only puts a positive spin on your day, but it upsets the enemy immensely. Even if you don't feel like offering it as a "praise", do it anyway -- eventually, you will be doing it and meaning it! Praise Him in the storm and it will be so much easier to praise Him in the sunshine!
