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QOTW

What subject is the most difficult for you in school? Which one is the most fun?

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As students, we have our favorite subjects, and sometimes, those might be the ones that are easy for us.

At the same time, there are classes we take that cause great amounts of stress.

Life can bring us difficulties as well. Our hardships in life may even leave us feeling fearful, discouraged, and lonely.

Sometimes, the hard things we face feel like they have no solutions.

Tonight we are going to look at how Jesus and His closest disciples handled a situation they faced.

Together, we can learn how to handle challenges from the disciples’ encounter with a storm. But first, who likes cookies?

Group Activity: Face the Cookie

Today, we’ll play a game that might seem impossible for some of you.

We’re going to see what happens when we face a hard situation and then try to solve it. Instead of a serious problem, our challenge will involve a cookie.

The goal of this activity is to get your cookie from your forehead to your mouth without touching it with your hands or dropping it. You aren’t allowed to use any body parts. You have to move the cookie from your forehead to your mouth using only your facial movements.

Was this challenge harder or easier than you thought it would be?

Life can be a bit difficult at times. It can even seem frustrating—just like this cookie challenge.

Some of us may have felt like giving up quickly, while others kept pressing through.

That’s how we may feel when we face a hard situation, too.

But the good news is that when God helps, things can change quickly.

Jesus had just been teaching crowds of people.

When He finished, He told the disciples that He wanted to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

Little did the disciples know that after they got in the boat, Jesus would fall asleep, and then a fierce storm would come up.

Life is like this sometimes. One moment we’re experiencing good times, and the next, we encounter a hard situation.

Just like the disciples discovered, we can’t expect every moment in life to be an easy one.

There are times when we’ll encounter difficult situations, even as followers of Jesus. Let’s find out what happened in this Bible story.

The Unexpected Storm

Mark 4:35–38 NIV

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

Life will be difficult at times—whether we follow Jesus or not.

The difference for followers of Jesus is that we can turn to God for help. As you can imagine, Jesus was probably tired from all the ministry He had done.

As a result, He went to sleep when He got in the boat.

Everyone else was caught off guard when the storm hit their boat.

The disciples suddenly found themselves full of fear and worry, even though some of them had been sailing on this sea for much of their lives. But Jesus kept on sleeping.

The lake Jesus and His disciples were on, also known as the Sea of Galilee, was and is known for generating quick and violent storms. Continue reading …

The Unexpected Miracle

Mark 4:38–39 NIV

Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

In times of hardship, we might begin to question Jesus’ intentions.

Sometimes, hardship can make us question our trust in Jesus, and we might start to wonder if He is even here with us.

The disciples thought they were going to drown.

They rushed to wake Jesus up. Perhaps they felt like Jesus wasn’t concerned about their lives.

During some of our hardest times, we might feel unseen or even unloved by our Savior, too.

The good news is that the disciples knew who to turn to in this problem.

Jesus woke and told the storm to calm down, and it did. In an instant, the situation turned to peace and calm.

The Unexpected Question

Mark 4:40–41 NIV

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Jesus may have asked the disciples this question because He wanted them to put their situation in perspective.

Yes, He was with them in the storm, but their focus was on the storm and not on Him.

Sometimes we must ask ourself why we’re afraid. Answering this honestly can challenge us to realize that Jesus is always with us through the Holy Spirit, and then, we can have greater faith.

These disciples had been walking with Jesus. He was right there with them in the boat, and yet they still wondered if He cared for them.

Then they witnessed the miracle of Jesus calming the storm. The disciples went from an intense fear of dying to being in complete shock at Jesus’ power and authority.

Knowing and trusting that Jesus is with us in every situation can give us confidence that He can deal with any storm in our life.

Conclusion - Go to the piano

Jesus’ miracle of calming the storm was about more than showing His power to the disciples. In that moment, Jesus reassured His disciples that He was with them and always aware of their situation. They didn’t need to be afraid. Through this encounter, Jesus shows us that He will always be with us, too.

But Jesus also had two questions for His disciples: “Why are you afraid?” and “Do you still have no faith?” These two questions were heart checks for the disciples. They can be heart checks for us too. As we navigate hardships, let’s remember to trust God and allow Him to give us His perspective.

Believe that God is always close, even during life’s hardships.

Hardships will come, and most will be unexpected. We may feel shocked and possibly afraid when they happen. Remembering that nothing is a surprise for Jesus, and that He is always with us, can help us navigate these hardships.

Hardships can cause us to question our faith if all we focus on is the problem in front of us. Remember, the disciples were with Jesus every day, and most had probably seen Him do miraculous things. But like us at times, they were focused on their problem rather than Jesus at first. Yes, Jesus is always with us through the Holy Spirit, but we still have to choose to see and trust Him with eyes of faith. Doing so will help us face the storms in life.

As we pray on today’s topic, let’s also think about the current situations we’re going through. Hardships will come, so we must decide if we will trust Jesus and go to Him for help.

Salvation Opportunity

Trusting in Jesus starts with us having a relationship with Him.

The reason we can know Him and feel His presence is because God sent Jesus to die for us.

By putting our faith in Jesus and what He did, we can have access to God at any point in our life. He sees us and knows us. He chooses to be in relationship with us. He is just waiting for us to have a personal relationship with Him.

Is anyone here that we can pray for who doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus or wants to renew their relationship with Him?

Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank You for always being with us. Thank You for choosing to walk with us in our hardships because You love us. Thank You for Your presence, even when we don’t recognize You are there. Help us to continue to seek You, especially in the hard times. Amen.