Luke 8:24-25 (NIV) The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."

It’s amazing to me that the disciples continued to be astonished at the things that Jesus did. Don’t get me wrong, the miracles were and still are astonishing. But what amazes me is that they were not just astonished at the miracles themselves, but were astonished that He could do them in the first place. I don’t blame them, really. Jesus appeared to be a human being and a man just like them. But of course He wasn’t just a man but was also God in the flesh. That’s astonishing by itself. But at some point, you would think that they would have had enough evidence to figure out that He was Almighty God. It they believed that, then they wouldn’t have been so afraid about so many things.

It’s hard for many people today to look at Jesus as what He truly is. Many people know in their mind that He was a man yet that He was God. But when it comes to believing it at the heart level, they have the same problem that the disciples had. That’s why as Christians, we still worry, we still get afraid and we still are concerned about our future. It’s because we still have doubts, not in our minds but in our hearts. We are convinced that He is God and God alone, but when it comes to life’s troubles and challenges, we have a tough time believing that He can and will do for us the same kind of things that He did for the disciples and the people of that day. Even though most Christians have experienced Jesus do a miracle in their lives, the next time He does one we think, “Who is this?”

One of the issues is the way that Jesus has been portrayed by many, especially in our day and age. Take the Super Bowl commercial about Jesus, for example. It’s best known under the title, “He gets us.” In other words, we don’t have to be perfect and we don’t have to change really, because Jesus gets us. He knows our challenges. So He just loves us. We can be who we want to be (continue in our sin) and it’s all good to Jesus because He gets us. He’s our buddy. The truth is that He does get us. That’s why He came to earth to pay the price for our sins so that we can be forgiven and live a life that is free from the power of sin. Jesus is not just our buddy, He is our God who we should worship with reverence and awe. If you do that and see Him for who He is, you will be less worrisome, less fearful, and confident about your future with Him in eternity. Know who Jesus is in your mind and your heart so that you can be that shining light to a lost world that He meant for you to be. Know it for perfect peace in your life. Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, our great Redeemer, the God of miracles and the lover of our souls. Know it and live!

Pastor Joey Vazquez