God Promises You Won't Drown

​Psalms 69:1-3 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. 2 I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. 3 I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.
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Mark 4:38-39 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?” 39 Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
 
PSALM 69 is one of David’s anguished laments over his sins and the many who oppose him. His guilt, his enemies and it seems God’s silence had become as rising water that threatened to spiritually drown him. He believed his endless cries for help had no response.
   The storm was real for Jesus’ disciples one night on the Sea of Galilee. That furious squall was more than the experienced boatmen could defend against. Their hope was to awaken Jesus with the desperate cry, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” With three words, “Quiet! Be still!” the LORD of the universe answered their plea for mercy.
   Consider how quiet the disciples’ hearts also became in that moment, too. But then Jesus’ question sparked a different type of unrest, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40) Too little faith causes many furious squalls in our hearts, doesn’t it?
   Was “no faith” also David’s problem? Despite his many victories for the LORD, David felt the furious squall of relentless guilt and accusations flood his heart. He apparently was praying and possibly even singing to God in confession. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. But apparently God was not responding. Was the LORD sleeping, trusting David could manage the storm?  
   The disciples knew Jesus personally, and they had seen him perform nature-changing miracles. David had witnessed God transform his life from a small-town shepherd to become the king of Israel. But then the disciples and David found themselves in the midst of raging storms. In very different circumstances and generations apart, these especially appointed men of God suddenly could no longer see God in the storm.
   How about you? If you’re a Christian you are an especially appointed person of God. God has called you to see and know his life-transforming ways. You may not have killed a giant, seen a leper healed or heard God speak, “Be quiet!” But if you speak faith in Jesus, you have heard Jesus speak through the Spirit, “Come, follow me.” (Mark 1:17)
   That means you sometimes need to follow Jesus into the storm. We all encounter spiritual attacks and physical storms. It’s easy to feel our throats are dry when we pray, and we wonder why God isn’t answering. It’s fearful to face physical harm when we see no means of protection.
   But your confidence in God’s protection should always look to one place: the cross. The cross is the evidence God has very specific, personal interest in your life. He hasn’t entirely given himself to you, so you will be alone. He has given himself to you, so you will be safe with him.