Take Jesus With You

Photo by Torsten Dederichs on Unsplash

On the evening of that same day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side of the Lake.” So they left the crowd; the disciples got into the boat in which Jesus was already sitting in, and they took him with them. Other boats were there too. -Mark 4:35-36

I was encouraged to see that the disciples took Jesus with them into that storm. In fact, I checked several different translations thinking it was just one interpretation, but they all made a point to state that they took Jesus with them. It’s important for us to not focus on the end of this story, when the storms come and the disciples freak out, but at the beginning when its clear that the disciples weren’t alone. There were many boats to choose but they chose the boat Jesus was in and the disciples took him along with them as they traveled to the other side of that lake. And when they awoke in the middle of the night to a strong wind and storm they panicked, just like we would. But in the midst of their panic they called on Jesus. And, had they not taken him along, they would have had no way of making it out of their storm.

This forces us to stop and think about our travels, especially through the rough seas and the storms of life, do we take Jesus with us? When we are headed into new territory or difficult situations where there is bound to be troubles and confusion do we first jump in Jesus’ boat and make sure to take him with us so that we have someone to calm the storms that arise? And like the disciples, do we go straight to Jesus when the storm hits, or do we try to fix it on our own, with little to no success, before we call on Him? Jesus may have questioned their faith in that moment of panic, but at least they went to Him first! At least they took Him with them! Where are you going today? What are you heading into? Are you packed? Are you ready to go?