January 1, 2020
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I've never been in a storm at sea and that's fine! I've heard the stories. You remember the ship, some years ago, that was making this transatlantic voyage from Liverpool to New York. One night, at a time when most of the passengers were asleep, the ship was hit by this "mega" Atlantic storm. The wind and the waves were so violent at one point they actually tipped the ship almost on its side, and down below, the passengers were thrown out of their beds. They're freaking out! I mean, this is a rude awakening! Now in this one cabin, a little girl was thrown out of her bed like everybody else and her mother was already awake from the intensity of the storm. But there was one thing different about this particular passenger. See, her daddy was the captain! While she was all bleary eyed, she asked her mom the only thing she really wanted to know about the situation, "Is daddy on deck?" Her mom said, "Well yes he is, honey." The little girl's response was right to the point, "Then I'm going back to bed."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When Daddy's On Deck."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 8, beginning in verse 5. "When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him asking for help. 'Lord, he said, my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.' Jesus said to him, 'I will go and heal him.' The centurion replied, 'Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof, but just say the word and my servant will be healed, for I, myself, am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, "Go!", and he goes, and that one, "Come!", and he comes. I say to my servant, "Do this", and he does it.' When Jesus heard this He was astonished, and said to those following Him, 'I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.'"
Verse 13 tells us the conclusion of it all: "Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go! It will be done just as you believed it would,' and his servant was healed at that very hour." Now in this story there is a powerful insight into the kind of faith that Jesus loves - and it gets things done! It says He was astonished. I mean, this is the faith that amazes Jesus! He calls it great faith.
Now further on in the chapter, He says to the men who are with Him constantly, "You of little faith!" During the storm when they were freaking out, just before He "Got up and rebuked the wind and the waves, and it was completely calm." Astonished! Why? Because he finally found a man who understood the connection between faith and authority. The centurion said, "I say something to my servants and they do it. I have total authority over them. But Jesus, someone I care about is in a crisis I can't handle but you have total authority over this illness. Whatever You say to this illness, it will do." Wow!
You see, faith is acknowledging the total authority of Jesus over this situation. That's what the disciples could not do in their storm. They acted as if Jesus didn't have authority over the storm, but He did! He spoke to it like a parent would speak to a child ... and "it was calm."
So the faith issue for you right now may very well be "who or what you believe" has the final authority in your situation. Will the company decide it? The economy? Is this disease going to have the final word? Your mate? Your kids? Your feelings? Or is everything in this situation totally under the authority of your Savior, Jesus Christ? Yes or no!
If it is, then you can make that your bottom line and the panic is over. The peace that defies logic is kicking in. There's an unexplainable sense of well-being and calm that comes when you settle where the final authority is in your situation. And the shield of faith will extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, because Satan cannot touch something that you've completely given to Jesus.
Like that little girl blown around by a dangerous storm, all you need to know is if your "Father's On Deck." Because there's nothing He can't handle, so you might as well go back to bed. Your Lord is in charge!