The otherside - by Ben Bonython

I was talking to a friend today....and I was reminded about the fact that I still have doubts.....even though I have the Word, even though I have the promise, even though I have the light, and the truth....

It was said in Mark 4:35-41 that "we" would cross over to the other side. It was said that "we" would make it, that "we" would get there, that "we" would reach the destination.....

and who said that? In the moment captured in the Gospel of Mark.

Jesus said that!

Reading the story again in the Bible, looking back on different moments in my own life.....yeah, its easy to say with hindsight "ofcourse, we did make it, ofcourse, we reached the destination..."

But in the storm, in the heavy work of rowing, in the emergency of strapping everything down, in the planning and setting of the course to take, in the provisioning of the journey and thinking about the all the hows, and options, and risks...

.....even though the Word was given that they would cross to the other side....

There can still be fear, lack of faith and the feeling that God doesn't care about my situation! That God is sleeping while we are struggling!

We need to be encouraging to one another....that the Word and promise of the Lord is true and can be trusted (1 Tim 4:9).

We need to uphold one another and help one another stand against the fear, the doubts and the feelings that no one cares, no one understands, no one knows....

Because these fears, doubts, feelings while they are real, are not true nor are the final Word.

Jesus has spoken to each of us....."Let us go over to the other side."

But maybe we can encourage one another that regardless of the storm, the waves, the squall, and noise, the disturbance, the aggression, the opposition.....what Jesus has spoken remains true!

Maybe we can stand with one another, and rebuke the opposition, the storm, the waves, the squall, the noise, the disturbance, the aggression - just like Jesus did!

Because one way or another, and at the right moment - we will get to the otherside, because Jesus said we would!