“And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him (Jesus) even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he (Jesus) was in the hinder part pf the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace be still, and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, WHY ARE YOU SO FEARFUL? HOW IS IT THAT YE HAVE NO FAITH (capitals mine)?”

Mark 4:36-40

One of my daughters recently posted on Facebook the article below written by an unknown author. Immediately upon reading it I was struck by the Scripture above. As it was in the time of Jesus, even amongst His own disciples, there was fear for many of the things they witnessed, not understanding He had total control over everything. I hope it impresses you as much as it did me with its eerie relevancy to today:

“I heard that we are all in the same boat, but it’s not like that. We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat. Your ship could be shipwrecked and mine might not be. Or vice versa. For some, quarantine is optimal. A moment of reflection, of re-connection, easy in flip flops, with a cocktail or coffee. For others, this is a desperate financial & family crisis. For some that live alone, they’re facing endless loneliness. While for others it is peace, rest & time with their mother, father, sons & daughters.

With the $600 weekly increase in unemployment some are bringing in more money to their households than when they were working. Others are working more hours for less money, due to pay cuts or loss in sales. Some families of 4 just received $3400 from the stimulus, while other families of 4 saw $0.

Some were concerned about getting a certain candy for Easter, while others were concerned if there would be enough bread, milk and eggs for the weekend.

Some want to go back to work because they don’t qualify for unemployment, and are running out of money. Others want to kill those who break the quarantine. Some are home spending 2-3 hours/day helping their child with online schooling, while others are spending 2-3 hours/day to educate their children, on top of a 10-12 hour workday.

Some have experienced the near death of the virus, some have already lost someone from it, and some are not sure if their loved ones are going to make it. Others don’t believe this is a big deal.

Some have faith in God and expect miracles during this 2020. Others say the worst is yet to come.

So, friends, we are NOT in the same boat. We are going through a time when our perceptions and needs are different. Each of us will emerge, in our own way, from this storm. It is very important to see beyond what is seen at first glance. Not just looking, actually seeing.

We are all on different ships during this storm experiencing a very different journey.”

If any of the readers know who the unknown author who wrote this, I would love to know so I can give them proper credit for a wonderful message. But even more, I hope you are all comforted by His message to all of us, each and every one of us:

“Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.”

Psalm 107:28-29

God loves us and wants to comfort us! All we need to do is place our fears in His hands and ask for forgiveness of our sins and we will know He will see us through this time of “storms”. If this message was comforting to you, please share it with others so we can all do what He has asked us to do and that is to “…therefore comfort one another with these words.”

May God Bless you!