Throughout my young adult years, I struggled with perfectionism. One day, while preparing a message, I felt so overcome with frustration that I bit my Bible, leaving teeth marks on the front cover. I had to buy a new one to preach with that Sunday!
Thankfully, I’ve come a long way since then. It took time, but now I realize that when times are tough, it’s not pushing harder in my strength that will cause me to succeed. Instead, I find success when I trust God’s strength to carry me.
It’s the same for all of us. To experience God’s power at work in our lives, we must trust Him, no matter how tough the journey gets.
It reminds me of a story in Mark 4. After ministering to crowds of people, Jesus led His disciples into a boat, and they set sail across the Sea of Galilee. The disciples didn’t have any details. They didn’t know where or why they were going. They didn’t know how long it would take to get to there either. The disciples simply trusted Jesus’ plan.
On the journey across the water, an intense storm broke out. The disciples were terrified, thinking they all might die. They looked around for Jesus, and to their surprise, they found Him at the bottom of the boat taking a nap! After moments of frustration, unable to keep the boat secure in their own strength, the disciples woke Jesus up.
“Teacher! Teacher! Help us!” they cried. “Do you not care if we drown?”
Despite the disciples’ panic, Jesus remained unfazed. He simply got up, rebuked the wind and waves, and the storm stopped. The disciples were stunned.
Jesus then turned to them and asked: “Why were you so afraid? Do you not have any faith?”
Friends, we all face storms. Though we may not get caught in an actual deadly downpour, we all face tempests in life. Amid them, I believe Jesus wants us to consider the same question. Are we allowing frustration to take the place of faith? Are we letting terror triumph over trust?
Like the disciples, Jesus is always calling us to go to “the other side”—to advance into the best life He has for us. But to get there, we’ve got to set sail and trust through every storm.
Proverbs 3:5-6 encourages us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
So, here’s how we trust God for a miracle: First, we trust wholeheartedly—without doubt. This becomes much easier when we spend time with Him. When we treasure His presence, we more naturally trust His leadership.
Next, we must focus not on what we think will bring our miracle, but on what God knows will. Then, we must submit to Him continually, in the good and hard times. What a privilege to put our trust in One who never fails!
