Over the course of six weeks, I’m posting a series of devotional reflections for children on Matthew 8. This is the fifth devotional. Here are links to the first, second, third, and fourth These are free for your use as devotionals for your family.
In our broken world, both children and adults face great fears. In the face of these fears, we need the stories of Jesus’s miracles. These accounts remind us that there is a good and powerful Creator at work in the world as well. The Christian worldview we learn from the Gospel accounts helps us to take comfort when we’re looking into the darker corners of the universe. With the miracles as our frame of reference, we can trust that there is a God of mystery behind the storms who is holding the world together by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3).
Read Matthew 8:23–27
Retreating from the crowds, Jesus and his disciples got into a boat and ventured out on the lake. Jesus—with his human body tired from a long day of ministry—immediately went to sleep. While he was napping, a furious storm—a great squall—came upon the lake so that the waves swept over the boat (v. 24).
The men who followed Jesus were fishermen by trade. They knew how to handle a fishing boat in a storm. But this was no ordinary storm. In fact, the waves were so high and dangerous that even these seasoned fishermen feared for their lives. They ran to the back of the vessel where Jesus was sleeping and shouted, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” (v. 25).
Jesus got up and he spoke to his disciples. “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Whenever we’re crippled with fear and anxiety, Jesus speaks gently with us. He knows when our faith is faltering, and he speaks words of comfort.
Recently, I heard Daniel Emery Price compare the way Jesus speaks to his followers with the way he addressed the storm. He speaks to his disciples—correcting them with an observation about their faith and a gentle question. By contrast, he rebukes the storm (v. 26). He’s angry with the elements for threatening his children. And with his rebuke, the wind and waves are immediately stilled.
At that moment, the disciples’ fear changes. They are no longer afraid of the elements. Instead, they fear and reverence God: “The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (v. 27).
Think, Pray, and Apply
Take a few minutes with your family to talk and reflect on the Bible passage:
Tell a story about a time when you felt really afraid.
When bad things are happening in your life, what emotions do you feel toward God?
How would remembering that Jesus is the true God who has power over nature change the way you feel when you are afraid?
How would remembering that Jesus came to save his people from perishing change the way you feel when bad things are happening in your life?
How does the church show reverent and worshipful fear for Jesus? How can you know Christ deeper through reverence and worship today?
Pray: Father, help us to know you as our Creator and as the God who stills our fears. Amen.
Gospel-Centered Family’s mission is to help parents and church leaders share Jesus with the next generation. Below you’ll find a link to Jesus Is Bigger Than Me: True Stories of His Miracles, my new board book that was recently released. You’ll also find a link to two resources—one great new resource for volunteer recruiting from David C. Cook and a helpful download from my friend Josh Cooley that he helped to create for K! Magazine.
If you ever want to ask a question or give me feedback, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you. And if you’re loving the newsletter, please forward it to your friends.
Thanks again for subscribing and reading!
Jared Kennedy
Jesus Is Bigger Than Me
Kids live in the same beautiful and broken world that we inhabit, and they need to know that God is present and active in our world. More than that, they need to know that they can trust him. That’s why I wrote Jesus is Bigger than Me: True Stories of His Miracles.
In the book, children will learn that Jesus is good and powerful—that he has the power to heal and even give life to the dead. Most importantly, children will learn that Jesus is God, and through the stories of his miracles, they’ll be encouraged to go to him for help because he cares for them.
Volunteer Onboarding Ministry Kit
There's a new resource from the folks at Ministry Spark to help you with volunteer recruiting. There is so much here! And what I found to be most helpful when reviewing this resource was all of the customizable documents. I wish I'd had these when I first started children's ministry rather than having to reinvent the wheel myself.
The kit includes a children’s ministry interest form, job descriptions, a volunteer interview guide, application, a volunteer covenant, lesson plans for training meetings, a complete volunteer handbook, a training checklist, and an annual volunteer survey. Check out the free trial. I hope it’s really helpful for you.
Instead of a list of links this week, I want to point you to one great one. In the latest edition of KidzMatter Magazine, Joshua Cooley exhorts us, “As gospel ministers, we must remember this: The Bible is not primarily a collection of stories about mighty men and women whose faith we should emulate. The Bible is chiefly God’s revelation of his eternal plan of redemption to save lost sinners through Christ. Our lessons should consistently point kids to this.” Josh is a good friend, and I pray this article serves and inspires you. Download the full version of it here.