A Word about Praying in the Storm: What Did Jesus Say?
On Saturday, I heard a word about storms:
We, the church, are called to rise up, now, and step into the faith we possess as children of God. In the authority of Jesus' name, we should speak as He did.
There are 2 scriptural examples that support this call. The first is recounted in Luke 8, Matthew 8, and Mark 4 in the story of Jesus calming a storm. In this account, a severe storm arose as the disciples were crossing a sea with Jesus who was asleep at the stern. Terrified, the disciples woke him, and in fear, asked Jesus if he cared that they were about to die.
Jesus rebuked the storm commanding, "Peace. Be still." The note in The Passion Translation, a translation based on the Aramaic, says that it was akin to saying: "Peace. Be still. Submit to the will of God."
The storm immediately subsided to the disciples' amazement. Jesus reprimanded the disciples, Matthew 8:26, asking them... where was their faith? The implication is that they could have done the same if they had faith.
The storm appears to be demonic in source, given that Jesus was on the way to expel a demon from a man, actually a mob of demons, who were terrorizing a community. When Jesus asked the demon's name, it replied, Legion, because of the number of demons possessing the man. Jesus sent the demons into a nearby herd of pigs, who rushed into the sea and drowned. The man, now delivered, went on to Jordan and parts of Syria to tell many about his encounter with God's Son.
The second instance occurred after the account of the Mount of Transfiguration. In Matthew 17, the disciples were unable to expel a demon from a boy. Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith, implying that they too should rise in faith and authority:
"Oh, faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you?" Matthew 17:17 ESV
These examples show that when in the physical presence of Jesus, the disciples could have rebuked evil as Jesus did. In the examples here, we saw Jesus rebuking evil in the form of storms and demonic possessions.
Maybe you are thinking, well, we aren't physically with Jesus like the disciples were.
However, before his arrest and death, Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17. It is one of the most beautiful sections of Scripture, and definitely one of my favorites. In the hours before his betrayal, arrest and ultimate death and resurrection, Jesus choose to pray for us, declaring that we are united in him and he in the father.He specifically mentioned that this included not just the disciples who were present then, but also future believers. This unity means that, like the disciples in the storm, we are in Him, and Jesus is in the Father, even in our present storms.
The name of Jesus promised brings bring us exousia and dunamis, authority and power. As believers, covered by Jesus' blood and adopted into his family, we possess the right to call on his Name to cast out the demonic. (Mark 16 17.)
Now, considering the recurring storms, both physical and cultural, particularly in Western North Carolina, and Tennessee, and Georgia where the devastation is severe, it seems we are facing continuous challenges. Attacks. These might be similar to the demonic opposition that Jesus faced, as he set out to deliver a demon possessed man who had taken over an entire community.
Consider this: Are we also moving towards a significant victory or divine work ahead, one that the enemy opposes? Isn't it now the time for the church to unite and assert our authority in Christ, following Jesus's example?
We should stand firm commanding peace and submission to God's will over these storms in Jesus' name.
Let's pray together: Father God, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for adopting us into the body of Christ, and thank you for your Son, who reconciled us to you by forgiving our sins.
We, the body, speak in the authority and power of the name of Jesus, commanding:
"Peace. Be still. Submit to the will of God."
May You be glorified, Father, and may Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Photo from Pixabay
