“And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are perishing!’ He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?’” ( Matthew 8:25 25 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Save, Lord; we perish. –26).

Sometimes God has to bring us to a point of desperate need before He can get us to turn to Him. That’s what happened to the disciples when the storm was about to swamp their boat. They had no other human solutions for their emergency and had to come to Jesus with their need. If He could cleanse lepers and heal every other sort of disease, maybe He could control nature.

Even the greatest believers in redemptive history have wavered in their faith in their most difficult circumstances. The psalmist asked, “Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?” (Ps. 10:1; cf. 44:22–23). Isaiah even wondered why God seemed not able to help His people: “Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in the days of old, the generations of long ago” (Isa. 51:9). Much like the disciples on the lake, the prophet could not see why God was asleep when His people were dying.

God wants people to turn to Him, especially for salvation when it’s a matter of spiritual life and death. We can often get out of dire situations involving finances, health, or family relations without the Lord’s direct intervention. But when it comes to spiritual salvation, there is no other resource but God. After we are saved, the Father still wants to hear from us—in that way we show we have not forgotten Him, even in desperate circumstances.

Ask Yourself

What do we forget on ordinary days, times when we feel like we can manage well enough on our own without God’s help or provision? What would desperate faith look like on a typical, average day?

From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com.

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