Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

Matthew 8:23-25

The word for “save us” in the Greek here is “sozo”, the same word meaning to save from sin and hell, to heal, and to deliver.  The disciples were asking Jesus to rescue them from death.  What the disciples couldn’t see, beyond the clouds, beyond the winds and storm, was the real realm of God and destiny, over both their Teacher and themselves.

Jesus passed through crowds unharmed, simply because it was not his time to die.  Jesus found ways to hide himself at other times.  Other times, the Spirit would not permit Him to go up to Jerusalem, simply because it wasn’t His time.

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Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Matthew 14:31

John wrote in his first epistle that perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment (1 John 4:18).  John explained that it is when we abide in love that we abide in God.

Nearly all of the gospel, and hence life, revolves around fear in some way in another.  From the first time in the garden, when Adam and Eve knew they were naked, covered themselves, and hid from the presence of Almighty God.  To the first murder, when Cain offered an unacceptable sacrifice, God warned him, and  slew Abel out of jealousy.

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