“Carest Thou Not?”

Today's Devotion

“Carest Thou Not?”

Saturday, March 09, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?”

Mark 4:35–38

In 1901, Frank Graeff was carrying a great burden. He had served God faithfully as a pastor and youth worker for a number of years. But the death of his beloved younger sister, Arasma, broke his heart. His parents had died a few years before, and Frank and his wife had no children of their own. Feeling lonely and depressed, Graeff turned to the Word of God for comfort. Later that year he wrote the beautiful hymn “Does Jesus Care?”

            Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
            Too deeply for mirth or song,
            As the burdens press, and the cares distress,
            And the way grows weary and long?
            Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares,
            His heart is touched with my grief;
            When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
            I know my Saviour cares.

No trial we endure takes God by surprise. It is striking that Jesus had a pillow in the boat. That is not standard equipment for a fishing vessel. But knowing that the storm was coming, Jesus arranged to have a pillow to use while He slept. His sleeping vexed the disciples, who took it as a sign of a lack of care for their peril. Instead it was a demonstration of faith. He knew the storm, but He also knew the Father, and He knew they were perfectly safe.

Today's Growth Principle: 

God knows the storms before you experience them, and He always cares for you.