God with us.

Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Mark 4:35-41 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 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? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

God with us. What an amazing, powerful statement. A statement of love, devotion, and power. That God almighty, the creator of all things would desire to be with us. And God was with them in the boat, on the sea, in the storm. Not only was God with them but God was sleeping. He wasn't sleeping because he was indifferent and didn't care about them as they first thought when they came to him saying, "Don't you care that we are perishing in this storm?" I suspect that Jesus slept because he was tired. Being 100% God and 100% man he had physical limitations just as we all do. I know he slept because he understood that there was nothing to fear, he was in complete peace because he was in complete control.

Had those men understood that the prophesy of Isaiah (7:14) had come true and God was with them right there in their boat then they wouldn't have been afraid. God had indeed come down to be with men and he was with them in the midst of their storm, in the midst of their fear God was there. The waves crashed into the boat and the wind roared across the sea but God was in the boat. He wasn't a far off distant God who observed from his high and lofty throne with disinterest the plight of men. He wasn't a mean, cruel God who thrust them into a raging storm and laughed at their fear. He was a real, loving God, who was with them in the storm. his very presence should have brought peace and victory. The fact that he was sleeping in the boat should have given the men strength, courage and power. God was there and he was not afraid, he was peaceful. But they did not understand that "God with us" meant that God was truly, physcially, with them.

How often do we go through life and fail to understand that God is with us every day. That the Holy Spirit has been sent to live with us and in us and we can live in Him and through Him. Our storms rage and we cower in fear, we cry out "God don't you see my pain, can't hear the raging wind of the storm that threatens to destroy me?" And we forget that God truly is with us, day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment He is here and He loves us. God does not delight in our storms nor ignore us during them but He does understand why we must go through them and how we can grow and gain strength because of them. He also knows what awaits us on the other side. Mark 5 tells us that after they came to the other side of the sea Christ performed some of His greatest miracles by delivering the the demoiac of Gadara. They were to witness the power, and the glory, and the majesty of the eternal God right before their very eyes but they had to go through the storm first.

What manner of man is this that even the winds and the waves obey Him? He is Jesus Christ, the Holy God, who died on a cross for your sins and mine. He came from Heaven to make a way for me to get to Heaven and the way is through His shed blood. If you are going through the storms and trails of life don't give up, trust in God. He truly is with you and He will lead and guide you safely to the other side


If you have never had a born again experience with Jesus I encourage you to go to this link http://arkansascityfwbc.com/are-you-ready.php and seriously consider making Christ your Lord and Savior. There is contact information on the web site to get ahold of me and there are plenty of other churches and Christians who will help live for Jesus.