TRUST JESUS – HE IS ALL POWERFUL!
After a long, tiring day of teaching, Jesus told His disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee with Him in a boat.
Here is a picture of the Sea of Galilee where they were rowing. It’s still there. It’s a real place! The Bible isn’t a book of made up stories. It tells about things that really happened. Do you see these mountains by the sea? The cold air blowing down from these mountains can sometimes start powerful storms. That’s exactly what happened when Jesus and His disciples were in the boat. (Read Mark 4:37a.) Several of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen—they knew a lot about the sea. They would have known what to do in a storm, but this storm was a really bad one! Let’s try to imagine what it may have been like.
Do situations around you sometimes make you afraid? Many times problems that are out of your control come your way. Perhaps you’re moving to a new school and you’re afraid you won’t be able to make new friends. Maybe someone you love is sick and there’s nothing you can do to help. When problems come, you might become worried and afraid. You might even forget Jesus can help you. But if you know Jesus as your Savior, you can trust Him to always do what’s best for you, even when you are afraid. The Bible says we can expect to have problems in our lives. Jesus said, (read John 16:33). That means hard times will come but you don’t have to be afraid. Jesus is the all-powerful God. You can trust Him!
Say with me, “Trust Jesus—He’s all powerful!” He knows about your problems and how scary they can be. But Jesus is with you to help you. He is more powerful than the problems of this world. Jesus wants you to trust Him when situations around you make you afraid.
The disciples were very afraid when they were caught in the huge storm. They tried their best to row through the storm but nothing worked! The disciples were rowing and rowing and bailing and bailing. They looked around them and were so afraid. But not everyone in the boat was afraid. In fact, one person was sound asleep in the back of the boat. It was Jesus.
He wasn’t afraid at all. (Read Mark 4:38.) The disciples woke Him up and told Him they were going to die. They shouted, “Save us, Lord! Don’t you care if we die?” Let’s all jump up and shout, “Save us, Lord!” (Do with children.) The disciples forgot to trust Jesus. Did He care if they died? Yes, He did, because He loved them.
He loves you, too. Jesus is God’s Son who came to save you. But Jesus didn’t come to save you from a storm. He came to save you from your sin. Everyone in the world has sinned. Sin is anything you do, say, or think that goes against God. Because of sin you are born without a relationship (friendship) with God. He is holy. That means God is completely good in every way. He cannot sin or have a relationship with people who have not received forgiveness for their sins. But God loves you so much He did something special to save you. (Read Romans 5:8.) Jesus came to Earth as a baby, grew up, and died on the cross to take away your sin. He rose again on the third day to show His great power over sin. If you trust Jesus to take away your sin, you will be part of God’s family and have a friendship with Him that lasts forever! Jesus did all this because He is God’s Son—the only one who can save you from sin. He did it because He loves you. He loved the disciples and He cared what happened to them. The disciples were in a very scary situation and they forgot to trust Jesus. After the disciples woke Him up, Jesus did something that seemed crazy.
He stood up and said, “Peace! Be still.” He was talking to the storm!
Jesus has power to work in your life, too. If you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, trust that God has the power to do what’s best for you. Maybe when you have a problem, you try to fix it on your own. You think, I can take care of this. Or maybe you expect other people to help you. God may use you or someone else to help in a problem, but He wants you to ask Him first. After you talk to God, it is good to also talk to an adult you trust. God won’t always make the problem stop but He will always be there to help you. There may be things He wants you to learn. He can help you make friends in a new school. He will help you trust Him when someone you love is sick. Whatever He chooses to do, He promises to be with you, help you, and do what’s best for you. He will give you His peace even in hard times. The Bible says, (read Psalm 46:1). God is your place of safety and strength in times of trouble. You can memorize Bible verses that help you trust Him. Ask Him to help you know the right thing to do. Then be sure to thank Him when He does! Jesus is always there to help you. Jesus is the all powerful God. You can trust Him!
Jesus has power over the wind and the waves. What do you think happened when Jesus talked to the storm?
Immediately the storm was still. The wind that was blowing was now gone. The waves that were crashing were now perfectly still. Jesus calmed the storm with only His words!
The disciples were amazed! How did Jesus do this? Even the wind and the waves obeyed His voice! (Read Mark 4:41.) The disciples saw God’s power to save them. Some of them didn’t understand that Jesus is God’s Son so they were afraid. They wondered who Jesus was. When Jesus calmed the storm, He was showing the disciples He is almighty God, who had power to care for them. (Read Mark 4:40.) Jesus was telling the disciples they should’ve trusted Him. Jesus was in control the whole time but the disciples let their fear get in the way of trusting God. Through this storm God was teaching the disciples to trust Him. Only He has power to create and command the things He has made. After they made it safely to the other side of the sea, the disciples continued to follow Jesus. They saw Him do many more miracles to show He had the power and glory of God. They were learning to trust Him to do what was best.
Say with me, “Trust Jesus—He’s all powerful!” (Say with children.) If you have trusted Jesus as your Savior from sin, you can trust God to do what is best even if He doesn’t do things the way you want. Whatever happens, God will be there to help you. The Bible says, (read Psalm 46:1). Remember, you can memorize Bible verses like the one I just read to remind you to trust Jesus. You can also pray and ask God to help you know the right thing to do and thank Him when He does. Jesus is always there to help. This week will you trust Jesus in the good situations and the bad? You can write about a time you needed to trust God and tell us about it next week.
Printable Lesson 2 Coloring Sheet
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