September 2, 2022
Friday
Refusal to Panic
Matthew 8: 23-27
26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the windsand the sea; and there was a great calm.”
Many of the storms in the Bible were occasions for God to teach us about faith. Just as the weather changes from sunny to stormy, so some of our days are bright and happy; while others are dark and tempestuous. Our Lord is the same in every condition, and all the winds and waves are under His control. In Matthew 8, the disciples woke Jesus during a storm on the Sea of Galilee. They were terrified. After rebuking the storm, Jesus rebuked His disciples, saying, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “Faith is the refusal to panic. Do you like that sort of definition of faith? Does that seem to be too earthly and not sufficiently spiritual? It is of the very essence of faith. Faith is the refusal to panic, come what may.” 1
If you’re in a boat and the waters are raging, remember—the Savior is aboard. He wants you to trust Him, and faith is the refusal to panic.
A point to ponder…
This agitation and alarm always carries with it a lack of implicit trust and confidence in Him.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Read the Bible through in a year
I love you!!!
1 Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965), 143.
© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich