Carest Thou Not That We Perish?

TEXT: MARK: 4:35-41

You call it a question of unbelief? Of course, it is what it is, a question of unbelief born out of fear. The Disciples of Christ while sailing to the Gadarenes developed a spirit of fear; unaware of the nature, power and personality of whom they had as Master and Lord.

In the above text, it was shocking to see the disciples who had dined and wined and seen all that the Master was capable of develop such a thing as fear in their bowels even when Jesus was with them.

“And there arose a great storm of wind and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full… and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?” Sometimes and often times, all we ask the Saviour originates from these same words of the disciples. A little challenge comes our way and we ask: Lord, carest thou not that we perish?

God expects us to get to a point in our walk with Him where fear, panic and anxiety no longer wield control over our lives. He wants to be the captain of our ship, to be the anchor of our lives and declare: “Peace, be still” every time the devil strikes to weigh us down. But without faith this is impossible.

Hebrews 11:6 says “But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Without faith it is impossible for God to intervene in your battles and calm the storm of your life. That was why Jesus had to rebuke the disciples, “And he said unto them, why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?”

How is it that you have no faith in God to fix your home and marriage? How is it that you have no faith in God to provide your needs, wipe your tears and bring joy your way? How is it that you have no faith that God can bless your womb, provide a suitable helpmate and give you the desired job you want? For it is written “that whosoever cometh to God must believe that He is… able, capable and abundantly able to deliver and to save.

As believers we must know that “God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of a sound mind. According to His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promise: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Timothy 1:7; 2 Peter 1:3-4).

Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? God can still your storm and bring peace into your life. I was unemployed in March, 2015, at the end of my contract job with a multinational firm; I became fatherless in May, 2015, to have lost my dad to illness; my mum, a full housewife, had no business of her own; and I have three siblings in the university and two in primary school. Being the first child, responsibility pressed so hard on me as a hammer to a nail and at a point, I questioned my faith. Really, I did. Little assistance came from friends and relatives but could solve nothing.

I had to put my kneels to use, called on the Lord to prove to me that I wasn’t serving Him in vain and guess what He showed me: “Psalm 100:1-5.” Reading this Bible passage totally calmed my soul and brought life and unexplainable vigor to my heart that people around me did not understand. They didn’t understand the secret was God; it was Jesus Christ that blessed me with peace as a river and told me not to fear what tomorrow holds. He said to me: have faith and that was all.

With all these challenges beckoning, it wasn’t easy to strengthen my mum and encourage my siblings to go on living with God’s grace but then, my kneels and mouth weren’t dormant. I kept pleading with heaven and through it all, God responded with a job offer in August, 2015, where I am currently. Although, there are still tons of responsibilities to cater for but I just want to believe and keep believing that God is able.

My testimonies leave me no room to ask God: carest thou not that I perish because I know He cares (1 Peter 5:7). If God doesn’t really care, you won’t be reading this piece right now. I would be dead or somewhere unimaginable, unable to write and share this living and continuous testimonies with you.

Consider carefully what God told me in the book of Psalms, my experience, the disposition of the disciples on their way to Gadarenes and the aftermath, and measure these things with what you are going through presently. Then answer the Lord: “why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?”

Remember He said “…whatever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it…I will not leave you comfortless…Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:13-14, 18, 27).

“And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, what manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41). He is called “Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus Christ is his name.

Whenever you are tempted to ask again: ‘carest thou not that I perish’, bring to thoughts His loving responses: ‘Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’…‘cast all your care upon me, for I care about you’…‘and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.’

*** Written by Jacobs Adewale (Admin) ***

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