Police Devotion 1-19-2017
“And when he [Jesus] was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” (Matthew 8:23-27)
Jesus entered into a ship at the Sea of Galilee with His disciples. In this group were four fishermen: Peter, Andrew, James and John. When the storm started, they probably knew what needed to be done because of their experience with storms on the Sea of Galilee. However, they soon realized that all their efforts weren’t doing any good so they called on Jesus, “Lord, save us: we perish.”
Imagine this scene: The disciples are scared to death while the sky is dark, the ship lurches, and water pours in over the sides of the ship. Yet the Lord calmly chides them for their lack of faith. In a way, the scene is almost funny—unless you’re one of the disciples. Then Jesus does what only God can do—He orders the wind and the sea to stop raging. Mark 4:39 records His words to the sea: “Peace, be still.” The wind and sea obeyed their Master “and there was a great calm.” The disciples looked at one another, and exclaimed, “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” They got a fresh lesson on just how powerful their Saviour was to help in time of trouble.
If you’re saved, you’ll go through storms at times. They may be financial, family-related, emotional, or even job-related. As a cop, you’ll likely go through storms that most people don’t understand because they don’t do what you do. You may have an idea of how to handle them, just as the disciples probably had an idea how to respond to the storm on the sea. It’s not wrong to try to solve problems in a practical way. Faith in God doesn’t preclude common sense. Yet whatever else you do, you need to pray and ask, “Lord, I need help with this problem” and tell Him what the problem is. He was only a prayer away from helping the disciples during the storm, and He’s also just a prayer away from helping you. There is no problem, not even in police work, that your Saviour can’t understand or handle.
If you know Jesus as Savior, there was a time in your life when you realized that you were a hell-deserving sinner and that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose again to pay your sin-debt. You called on Him to forgive your sins, you received Him as your personal Savior, and He saved you. You know He did because God’s Word says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Your Saviour also wants to help you in your time of trouble: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). He wants you to pray when trouble comes so you can see Him work on the storms in your life: “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me” (Psalm 50:15). Just like the disciples, you’ll see Him work in a powerful way you may never have seen before, and your faith in Him will be strengthened.
If you’ve not seen in the Bible how to know for sure that you have a home in heaven, please click “Helpful Links” on the top menu and then “How Do I Go to Heaven?” on the dropdown.
Brian Miller 1/19/2017
Cleveland Baptist Church | 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 | 216.671.2822