February 22 | Matthew 8:23-27

DAILY READING

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Matthew 8:23-27

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REFLECTION

Jesus Can Always Calm the Storm Inside of You

By Michael Guastella

It is incredibly easy to forget who is large and in charge. We get caught up in the pressure of everyday life; work, grocery shopping, kid’s soccer practice. We get pressure from every crevice of what we involve ourselves in, and sometimes it can be overwhelming. Sometimes the problems are big and sometimes the problems are small, but even the small ones have a way of building up into a storm inside of us. 

In this passage, we see a literal storm bow down to the Kings of Kings. Verse 23 shows us that it’s easy to follow Jesus in the calm moments–the disciples followed him onto the boat like it was nothing! But things quickly get out of hand by Verse 24, with waves crashing down on the fishing boat all around the men. 

The disciples decided it was too much; too late to do anything other than to accept their fate of drowning. They cry out to Jesus “Help us, we’re going to drown!” and Jesus reminds them that He was there all along with one of the most quoted phrases from Scripture: “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”

What a beautiful and challenging reminder…Jesus is telling us “I was here the whole time! You’re all good!” He knew that this challenge to his disciples would echo throughout humanity for all of history. He knew that we’d need the same reminder as His closest followers: that God is the one who is large and in charge…always!

It’s almost comforting to see that the men who followed and lived with Jesus so closely even had their fears. (As Charles Spurgeon reminds us: even the best of men are men at best!) But their experience should stay with us as we navigate the storms in our lives.  When the waves crash down all around us, and we are certain we are going to drown…turn to Jesus and He’ll remind us exactly who He is.

We are blessed to already know the answer to the question “What kind of man is this?” and we will all watch as the winds obey Him.

PRAYER

Jesus, may we never fail to remember who You are. But if we do, we know You’ll still help us. We fear your strength and are in constant awe of your grasp on every facet of each of our lives. Give us the patience and foresight to give our stress, anxiety, fear, and doubt all to You. Remind us that no matter what, you are the one who is in charge. Be with us always as we navigate the waves. We pray this in Your mighty name…Amen.  

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MICHAEL GUASTELLA

I have been a Hilliard resident since 2022, and have lived in Columbus about 11 years. I am orginially from the Cleveland area, where I attended Parkside Church as a boy under the teachings of Allistair Begg and was baptized at 16 years old. I work in downtown Columbus as a government affairs consultant. My wife and I have been attending UALC since early 2024.

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February 21 | Mark 4:35-41

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DAILY READING

Mark 4:35-41

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REFLECTION

Fear

By Todd Marti

This week’s readings have discussed the overriding importance of staying close to God. We’ve seen how vital it is to not let fear, preoccupation with worldly things, and even otherwise legitimate things get between us and what God desires of us. Today’s reading gives additional insights into one of those potentially distracting things—fear—and illustrates several encouraging things about it.

One is that even godly, faithful, folks experience fear and that it does not disqualify them from relationship with God. Here we see that the disciples—people who literally dedicated their lives to following Jesus—experienced great fear. We see that elsewhere in the gospels, during other storms and in connection with Jesus' passion.  But Jesus did not give up on them; He still loved and used them. So do not despair when you experience fear; fear does not equal failure and doubt does not equal disqualification.  

Another thing this reading shows us is to bring our fears to God; prayer is a powerful response to fear. Here, the disciples brought their fears to Jesus, prayer in its most direct form, and received peace. That is consistent with what we see in Philippians 4:6-7  and  1 Peter 5:7; those verses tell us that we receive peace when we bring our fears to God. So go to God when you are scared, you will experience peace from the very process of sharing your fear with Him. The fear causing circumstances may not be immediately changed, but your ability to deal with them will be.

 Finally, this reading shows that we do not have to be shy about bringing our fears to God; we can express our fear without inhibition.  The Greek word translated in a very understated way as “said” in verse 38 actually connotes a much stronger communication. It describes commanding, exhorting and speaking emphatically. Jesus didn’t reject the disciples or their plea because of that. In fact, he later instructed them to be bold in presenting their concerns to God. Luke 11:5-8, Luke 18:1-8. We see that elsewhere in scripture, God’s faithful servants presented raw emotion to Him and did so with great intensity, but God was not offended. 1 Samuel 1:4-28, Psalm 55:1-8, Psalm 42:2-4.   Relatedly, Romans 8:26-27 assures us that we can bring our raw emotions to God even if we are so upset that we cannot clearly articulate them. So do not pull your punches with God, pour your heart out to Him.

PRAYER

Lord, draw us to you when we are afraid. Do not let our fear separate us from you, but help us boldly cast our cares on you. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TODD MARTI

I have been connected to UALC since 2000 in various small groups and as a co-manager of the UALC Community Garden. I’m married to Kelly Marti, and the proud father of Sarah Marti. I am happy to be writing these devotions.

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FEBRUARY 20 | LUKE 8:22-25

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DAILY READING

Luke 8:22-25

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REFLECTION

 At The Mercy Of The Storm

by Judy Webb

“Suddenly the storm stopped, and all was calm.” V 24b (NLT)

The entirety of verse 24 reads: “The disciples went and woke Him up shouting, Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped, and all was calm.

The last sentence in this text drew my attention, because I realize I am fearful just as the disciples were. My boat is often shaking in a storm of one sort or another. I am learning we all move from one fear, to another, until we stop and call out, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” Those days when the water is rising, the boat is dipping dangerously, and we are fearing the worst is about to happen, it is then when we must call out.

When life spins out of control like this, we only need to remember how good our God is. Recall that time in the hospice waiting room when you called out to God because if felt like you were about to capsize. And He said these words to your Spirit: “Do not be afraid or discouraged…for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:15 (NIV)

Or that time the mailman delivered that foreclosure notice, or the morning the car wouldn’t start yet again, and it was windy and cold outside. Maybe the fear is from something as simple as the anxiety of slipping and falling on the ice. Fear is real, but how Jesus can help us overcome this fear is also real. Call out, "Master, Master, and He will be at your side and suddenly the storm will quiet".

It is times like this when God moves purposefully on your behalf when you ask, as the disciples did, “Who is this man? That even the wind and the waves obey Him” (v.25) As N.T. Wright said, "Either we trust Jesus or we are left at the mercy of the storm. (N.T. Wright)

PRAYER

Jesus,

You are so good to us. Your word speaks to our insecurities and fears when we turn to it. It is time we realize you are right here in the boat with us. You calm the seas as you calm our hearts. You address our fears as you addressed the waves. Give us eyes to see how the storm has stopped, and all was returned to calm. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JUDY WEBB

I have been a member of UALC for 26 years and have been writing devotions for this site for about 17 of them. Writing is my passion. As retired staff I still love everything about UALC and its members including my small group.

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