A teaching by Rev. Barbara Williams, President of the Ministry of the Watchman International
Week of February 27-March 3, 2023
MONDAY
So the men marveled, saying,
“Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Matthew 8:27
And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
Mark 4:41
He said to them, “Where is your faith?”
And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”
Luke 8:25
Jesus rebuked the wind and there was a great calm. The magnitude of the miracle was such that the disciples marveled. They marveled even though they had walked with Him and seen Him perform many miracles in the past.
Why were they in awe of this sight? Weren’t miracles fairly commonplace for them by now? What caused them to ask, “What manner of man is this?” Perhaps the answer can be found in the context of the miracle. Jesus is asleep in the bottom of the boat, and the storm arises. In your storm, remember that Jesus is very much interested in your safety, just as He was in the safety of His disciples. You may feel that He is not concerned, but He is.
Cry out to Him and He always hears and always responds.
If you are in need of healing, there is good news! Proverbs 4:20-22 SAYS:
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
So there is life and health in God’s word. Since God’s word is medicine, we must take it like we would a prescription. I suggest three times a day, like you would your food. Remember, healing is the children’s bread. Consider this your “dose” for today. Remember, read, and meditate three times a day the following:
Rx: 1 Peter 2:24 ~ He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15
If you’ve never studied the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we invite you to join us as we read through the Bible in a year. Read and meditate on these chapters this week:
February 27: Exodus 10, Luke 13, Job 28, 1 Corinthians 14
February 28: Exodus 11:1-12:21, Luke 14, Job 29, 1 Corinthians 15
March 1: Exodus 12:22-51, Luke 15, Job 30, 1 Corinthians 16
March 2: Exodus 13, Luke 16, Job 31, 2 Corinthians 1
March 3: Exodus 14, Luke 17, Job 32, 2 Corinthians 2
March 4: Exodus 15, Luke 18, Job 33, 2 Corinthians 3
March 5: Exodus 16, Luke 19, Job 34, 2 Corinthians 4
TUESDAY
So the men marveled, saying,
“Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Matthew 8:27
And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
Mark 4:41
He said to them, “Where is your faith?”
And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”
Luke 8:25
The disciples get the attention of the Master. Once we have His attention, we may wonder how He will respond to our need. Will he rebuke us? Will he lovingly deliver us? Will He be effective in His response?
These questions must have gone through the disciples’ heads because they were shocked at the Master’s response and how effective it was. When we are the beneficiaries of a miracle, we respond differently than when we are merely onlookers. Because this miracle affected their welfare, the disciples were more awestruck than if they had not been.
One minute they were in fear of dying a horrible death, and the next minute, because of the words of Jesus, they were safe…there was a great calm. His word still has the same power.
WEDNESDAY
So the men marveled, saying,
“Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Matthew 8:27
And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
Mark 4:41
He said to them, “Where is your faith?”
And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”
Luke 8:25
The term “great calm” pertains to the effect Jesus’ words had not only on the sea but on the onlookers, also. His words are able to cause His peace to be perceived by all. It is a pervasive peace. It causes awe to fall upon the hearts of men and has the added benefit of causing the obedience of God to come upon the sea. God’s power is like that.
He always manifests Himself as “El Shaddai,” the God who is more than enough. No other deity can make this claim. All other gods are stingy in comparison. The overflow of peace that comes from Jesus’ words controlled the sea, the air, and the people. He is the God of all creation, and this was demonstrated in Jesus’ words.
THURSDAY
So the men marveled, saying,
“Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Matthew 8:27
And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
Mark 4:41
He said to them, “Where is your faith?”
And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”
Luke 8:25
What kind of man is able to command the atmosphere in the way Jesus commanded it? Only a man totally possessed with the power of God. Can we as Christian believers do the same thing?
Yes, we can. It appears that Jesus expected the disciples to be able to do the same thing because He rebuked them for not using their faith. The word of God says that we can move mountains and they will be cast into the sea if we do not doubt in our hearts that what we say will happen. We must believe in the power of our own words in order to accomplish this.
This may be difficult, but it is doable…Jesus will not lie. He even promises that we will do greater works (quantity) than He has done. Christians worldwide have the ability to do the mighty works of God.
FRIDAY
So the men marveled, saying,
“Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Matthew 8:27
And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
Mark 4:41
He said to them, “Where is your faith?”
And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”
Luke 8:25
What is Jesus looking for in believers? He is looking for faith. He is expecting us, just as He expected the disciples to use our faith, or show Him our faith. We will never please God without using our faith. We must have faith in God.
We must use our faith as God would. How liberating to know that God trusts us so much that He allows us to use our God-kind of faith to move mountains and see them cast into the sea. God gave Jesus to the earth to restore His faith to our hearts. What manner of man would do this? Lay down His life for His friends and lead us into eternal life?
The man Christ Jesus in all His glory would do this. Only Jesus would do such a great thing for us. Only Jesus.