09-25-23-ENG.

"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. "

Matthew 16:16 
SOMEBODY SPECIAL

Read It: Matthew 14:33 
This is our last day on the subject of Jesus' presence in and authority over our trials. Tomorrow we begin looking at Christ's authority over the demons and the Devil himself. But today we've got a great truth to finish up this part of our series with: The only right response we can make to Christ's authority over our trials is to worship Him. When Peter and Jesus stepped into the boat, everything was calm. The disciples knew Jesus was somebody special. Did you know this was the first time the disciples acknowledged Jesus' deity, even though they had been with Him for about two years? They had seen all the miracles, but it just now dawned on them: "You really are who You say You are." See, a lot of us have a problem. We still don't understand who Jesus is. If we did, we would be contacting Him a lot more regularly.

If we really knew who He is, we would be focusing on Him more. We would also be bringing our trials to Him, asking not for a quick fix to make us feel better, but for His will to be done. Worship is a priority response when you're in the middle of a trial. You know, I like those three Hebrew boys Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar said, "If you don't bow to me, I'm going to throw you into this fiery furnace." My men were cool. They said, "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us." They knew their Bible history. They figured any God who could open up the Red Sea and drown an army could certainly find a little tle bit of water to put out old Nebby's fire. But I really love what they said next: "But even if He does not, let it be known to you, 0 King, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship ship the golden image that you have set up" (Daniel 3:18). These boys understood the priority of worshiping the true God, and not even a fiery trial could make them change their focus. When Jesus sends you out into the middle of the sea in your boat, He isn't sending you out to drown you. His authority can see you through any trial! Think About It If you're not worshiping, your boat is going to keep on rocking.