“The Calm After the Storm” (Luke 24b-25a)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/23/2026 2:03 PM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  “The Calm After the Storm”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                              Reference:  Luke 8:24b-25a

            Message of the verses:  “And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.  And He said to them, “Where is your faith?”

            I wrote this SD earlier and did not save it in the right way and so I want to write it again, and I will use John MacArthur’s commentary where I will quote from it.

            “Awakened by the disciples’ desperate pleas, Jesus go up and rebuke the wind and the surging waves.  His exact words according to Mark 4:39 were ‘Hush, be still.’  Instantly obeying the voice of the Creator, the wind and the waves stopped, and it became calm.  Skeptics, determined,  to deny the miraculous at all costs, have pointed out that storms on the Sea of Galilee often stop as rapidly as they start. But while the wind might have died down almost at once, it would have taken much longer for the waves to subside.  When Jesus commanded the wind and waves to stop, both did so instantly, and it became absolutely calm (both Matthew and Mark use the adjective megas [‘great’] to describe the glass calm).

            “Having calmed the storm, Jesus used the incident to teach His shocked and astonished disciples the lesson He wanted them to learn.  As they sat in their boats on the now perfectly still surface of the lake, He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’  (cf. 12:28; Matt. 6:30; 14:31; 16:8; 17:20).  They had seen Him perform countless miracles, so their lack of faith on this occasion was distressing and inexcusable.  On the other hand, this was the first time that one of the Lord’s miracles had directly involved them, and beyond that reality their lives were at stake.  That made it far more difficult for them to remain detached and objectively analyze the situation.  Paul, in contrast, was able to remain calm throughout the two-week-long storm that ended in shipwreck (Acts 27:14-44).  But he had already faced persecution and death many times before and been delivered by the Lord (cf. 2 Cor. 11:11-33).”

(cf. 2 Cor. 11:11-33)

“22 ¶  Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23  Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24  Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25  Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26  on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27  in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28  And, apart from other things, there is the daily, pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29  Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? 30  If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31  The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32  At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33  but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.”

            “The lesson for the disciples was clear: they were to trust the Lord even in the most severe and threatening circumstances.  They were, as Peter would later write, to cast all their anxiety on Him, knowing that He cared for them (1 Peter 5:7).  Paul expressed his confident trust in the Lord’s care when he wrote triumphantly, ‘For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Rom 8:38-39). Summing up the lesson Jesus wants all believers to take from this incident, David Gooding writes,

“We live in a universe that is lethally hostile to human life:  only the miracle of creation and divine maintenance preserves our planet and its wonderful adaptations and provisions for the propagation of human life.  Within our earth itself wind, wave, lightning, storm, flood, drought, avalanche, earthquake, fire, heat, cold, germ, virus, epidemic, all from time to time threaten and destroy life.  Sooner or later one of them may destroy us.  The story of the stiling of the storms is not, of course, meant to tell us that “Christ will never allow any believer to perish by drowning, or by any other natural disaster.  Many believers have so perished.  It does demonstrate that he is Lord of the physical forces in the universe, that for him nothing happens by accident, and that no force in all creation can destroy his plan for our eternal salvation or separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (see Rom. 8:38-39).  (According to Luke [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. 1987], 143)

            “Sometimes the Lord will bring a storm into believers’ lives for chastening; other times to increase their faith.  Jonah ended up in a storm because of his disobedience, while in this incident the disciples’ obedience put them into the storm.  In both cases God was there to deliver them.”

            Spiritual Meaning for my life today:  God has brought this section that I am studying today to help me in the storm that I find myself in at this time.  I have mentioned that I had to go to the ER two times because of high blood pressure, and this was caused because of the death of my wife in July and the terrible motorcycle wreck my grandson had where he lost an arm and a leg.  The only other real issue that I went through before the death of my wife was when my son had to have surgery to put a patch in his heart and open of a valve when he was 18 months old.  Oh yes my wife had great emotional issues that I had to deal with long hospital stays.  But what I am going through now is the very worst issues I have ever faced, and I am trying to trust the Lord to get me through it and get the meds to get my bp down.

            My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to guide me through what is going on in my life so it will bring glory to His name.

9/23/2026 2:49 PM

 

 

 

“The Calm During The Storm” (Luke 8:23b-24a)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/22/2026 8:17 PM

My Worship Time                                                             Focus:  “The Calm During The Storm”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                               Reference: Luke 8:23b-24a

            Message of the verses:  “and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.  They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

            I will see how far we can get on this SD.  Prayers needed for me to help the doctors figure out how to lower my BP.

            John MacArthur writes “All of a sudden the lake’s tranquility was shattered as a fierce gale of wind descended on it.  Lailaps (fierce gale) describes a powerful storm, potentially one with hurricane force winds. Katabaino (descended) is the root of the meteorological term ‘katabatic,’ which refers to winds created by air flowing downhill.  The term accurately describes the storm-producing winds that plunge down the surrounding heights to strike the low-lying Sea of Galilee, as noted above.  Mark added the adjective megas (‘great’) to the noun lailaps (Mark 4:37 ESV), while Matthew described the storm as literally  ‘a great shaking [seismos, from which the English word ‘seismology’ derives on the sea’ (Matt. 8:24).”

( Mark 4:37)

“37  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.”

(Matt. 8:24)

“24  And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.”

            “Clearly, this was no ordinary storm, but one so severe as to be life threatening.  The massive waves churned up by the powerful winds were breaking over the boat (Mark 4:37) and covering it (Matt. 8:24).”

(Mark 4:37)

““37  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.”

(Matt. 8:24)

“24  And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.”

“As a result, the boat was filling up with water (Mark 4:37) to the point that it began to be swamped, putting the disciples in grave danger.  Despite the raging storm, with its howling winds and towering waves, Jesus was still peacefully sleeping the rest of complete exhaustion and confident sovereignty in the stern (Matt. 8:24; Mark 4:38).”

(Matt. 8:24; Mark 4:38)

“24  And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.”

“38  But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

“While chaos and pandemonium raged all about Him, He remained untroubled in the storm, calmly asleep.

            “The disciples, on the other hand, were panic stricken.  Since many of them were fishermen, used to the lake and its treacherous weather, they understood how strong a storm their boats could endure and knew that their survival was threatened by this one.  Desperate and terrified, fearing for their lives, they came to Jesus and wok Him up, saying ‘master, Master, we are perishing!’  Matthew’s account says they called Jesus ‘Lord’ (Matt. 8:25, while Mark notes that they addressed Him as ‘Teacher’ (Mark 4:38). Far from being contradictory, as some skeptics imagine, the gospel writers’ accounts accurately reflect the chaos and confusion that reigned on that stormy night.  This was not orderly, organized delegation calmly presenting their petition to Jesus, but rather a panicked mob facing imminent death.  Thus some cried out, ‘Lord,’ some ‘Teacher,’ and others Master.  The disciples had witnessed the Lord’s power over disease, demons, and death.  Some of them had seen His power to control the fish in the Sea of Galilee (Luke 5:5-9). But could He control the enormous power of wind and water?”

(Luke 5:5-9)

“5  And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6  And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7  They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8  But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9  For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken,”

            “With no human solution available, they came to the One who had demonstrated divine power in the past.  Perhaps some of the disciples remembered Psalm 65:5-7:

“O God of our salvation,

You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea;

Who establishes the mountains by His strength,

Being girded with might;

Who stills the roaring of the seas,

The roaring of their waves.

Or Psalm 89:9:

You rule the swelling of the sea;

When its waves rise, You still them.

Surely someone recalled Psalm 107:23-31:

23 ¶  Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; 24  they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep. 25  For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. 26  They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; 27  they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end. 28  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 29  He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 30  Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. 31  Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!”

“In their time of desperate need, the disciples appealed to the One who alone could save them.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life today:  That is exactly what I am doing with the high blood pressure that I am expressing.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trusting the Lord will answer the many prayers that are going up to Him about the difficult things that me and my family are facing at this time.

9/22/2026 9:07 PM

 

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/22/2026 8:57 AM

My Worship Time                                                             Focus:  “The Calm During The Storm”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                               Reference: Luke 8:23b-24a

            Message of the verses:  “and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.  They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

            I will have to work on this SD later as I have to go to the ER because of very high blood pressure.

PT-2 “The Calm Before the Storm” (Luke 8:22-23a)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/21/2026 8:49 PM

My Worship Time                                                     Focus:  PT-2  “The Calm Before the Storm”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                Reference:  Luke 8:22-23a

            Message of the verses:  “Now on one of those days Jesus and His  disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, ‘Let us go over to the other side of the lake.’  So they launched out.  But as they were sailing along He fell asleep;”

            I will continue to quote from John MacArthur’s commentary for this section and also quoting the verse references that he puts into his commentary.

            “The lake is about thirty miles east of the Mediterranean Sea, situated in a bowl-shaped section of the Jordan Valley running from Syria in the north to Mozambique on the African continent in the south.  The lake is surrounded by steep hills on all sides, which are a major factor in the development of the sudden, violent, sometimes life-threating storms that the lake is known for.  Cooler air from the higher elevations flows down the slopes and collides with the warmer air nearer the lake’s surface.  In addition, as the air flows through the ravines and canyons it is compressed, and its speed intensifies.  Most powerful of all are the winds that flow from the eastern desert Heights.  In 1992 the winds from one such storm generated waves ten feet high that crashed into the city of Tiberias on the western shore, inflicting considerable damage.

            “After dark (cf. Matt. 8:16) Jesus and the disciples launched out onto the lake.”

(cf. Matt. 8:16)

“16  That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.”

“As they were sailing along Jesus, exhausted from a long day of crowds and preaching, fell asleep.  Mark adds the details that the Lord was asleep in the stern of the boat, His head pillowed on a cushion (Mark 4:38).”

(Mark 4:38)

“38  But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

“Along with being fully God, Jesus was fully human, therefore subject to hunger (Matt. 4:2; 21:18), thirst (John 4:7; 19:28), and fatigue (cf. John 4:6).”

(Matt. 4:2; 21:18)

“2  And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”  Ok let me explain something that I learned about fasting a long time ago, and I have put this info on different SD’s.  When you begin a fast you can be hungry for three days, and then after that you are not hungry.  The next time you are hungry is when you must eat or starve.  Jesus was a perfect human being along with being the second person of the Godhead.  I realize that it does not say that he drank water, but when you fast you must drink water or die, so in my opinion Jesus drank water.

18 ¶  In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry.”

  (John 4:7; 19:28)

“7  A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”

“28  After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”

(cf. John 4:6)

“6  Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.”

“This incident is the only place in Scripture that pictures Jesus sleeping.  He was calmly, peacefully resting, despite knowing that the storm was coming.  Trusting in His Father’s plan, He was secure in the knowledge of His sovereign power and ability to calm the wind and waves.

            “It should be noted that the reference to the Lord’s disciples encompasses more than merely the twelve apostles.  Mathetes (disciple) refers to learner, student, or follower, someone who had some interest in Jesus, but does not necessarily indicate a high level of commitment to Him.  In fact, at this point some of the Lord’s disciples were not saved; John 6:66 notes that ‘many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.’  When a would-be disciple said to Him, ‘I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home’ (Luke 9:61) Jesus replied, ‘No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (v. 62). 
Along with a man who professed willingness to follow Jesus wherever He went (v. 57) and one who when challenged to follow the Lord chose instead to wait for his inheritance (59), this man chose earthly things over a full, saving commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.

            “The people illustrated by the rocky and  thorny soils in the parable of the soils were also professed disciples of Christ who received His word, yet were never truly redeemed (see the exposition of 8:4-15 in chapter 20 of this volume.”  I will now quote Luke 8:4-15.

(Luke 8:4-15)

“4 ¶  And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, 5  "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6  And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8  And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold." As he said these things, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." 9  And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10  he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11  Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12  The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13  And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14  And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15  As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”

“Genuine disciples will manifest not only repentance, confession, and obedience, but also perseverance.  Jesus was about to put on a display of His divine power designed to move those who witnessed it to genuine faith in Him.”

9/21/2026 9:37 PM

 

 

 

 

PT-1“The Calm Before the Storm” (Luke 8:22-23a)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/21/2026 9:34 AM

My Worship Time                                                       Focus:  PT-1“The Calm Before the Storm”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                Reference:  Luke 8:22-23a

            Message of the verses:  “Now on one of those days Jesus and His  disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, ‘Let us go over to the other side of the lake.’  So they launched out.  But as they were sailing along He fell asleep;”

            Now as we look at the phrase “on one of those days, this indicates that his chronology is purposely vague and indefinite.  MacArthur writes “As noted in the previous chapter of this volume, he was not following a strict time sequence in this section of his gospel, but was arranging his material thematically.  Mark’s account reveals that this incident took place on the evening of the same day that Jesus taught several parables, including that of the soils (Mark 4:35).  Most likely after eating a meal in nearby Capernaum (cf. Matt. 8:5), Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, probably a fishing vessel owned by Peter, Andrew, James, or John.”

(Mark 4:35)

35 ¶  On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”

“(Although they had already become full-time followers of Jesus [Luke 5:11], they apparently still had their boats [cf. John 21:3]).”

[Luke 5:11]

“11  And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”

[cf. John 21:3])

“3  Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.”

“Mark’s account records that there were other small boats accompanying the one the Lord was in (Mark. 4:36).”

            “Seeking to escape the ever-present crowds for a time of rest, Jesus Said to the disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side of the lake.’  Leaving the vicinity of Capernaum on the northwest tip of the Sea of Galilee, they headed for the region known as Gerasa, on the eastern shore.  There Jesus had a diving appointment with a demon-possessed maniac, whom He would heal (Luke 8:26-39).”

(Luke 8:26-39)

“26  Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27  When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 28  When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29  For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) 30  Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31  And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32  Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33  Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. 34  When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35  Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36  And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37  Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38  The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39  “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.”

            “Known today as Yam Kinneret and variously called in Scripture the Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1), the Sea of Chinnereth (Numbers 34:11; Josh. 13:27) or Chinnereth (Josh 12:3), and the sea of Tiberias (John 6:1; 21:1), the Sea of Galilee is a large (approximately thirteen miles wade by seven miles long) freshwater lake that is the most significant geographical feature of Galilee.”

(Luke 5:1)

“1 ¶  On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,”

(Numbers 34:11; Josh. 13:27)

“11  And the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain. And the border shall go down and reach to the shoulder of the Sea of Chinnereth on the east.”

27  and in the valley Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, having the Jordan as a boundary, to the lower end of the Sea of Chinnereth, eastward beyond the Jordan.”

(Josh 12:3)

“3  and the Arabah to the Sea of Chinneroth eastward, and in the direction of Beth-jeshimoth, to the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, southward to the foot of the slopes of Pisgah;”

(John 6:1; 21:1)

“1 ¶  After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.”

“  1 ¶  After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.”

“The Jordan River, which arises from several sources near Mt. Hermon and flows into the lake from the north, is the main source of water.  At about 680 feet below sea level, the Sea of Galilee is the lowest freshwater lake on the planet.  The Jordan exits the southern end of the lake, and flows south into the Dead Sea, which is 1,300 feet below sea level.”

9/21/2026 10:09 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

PT-5 Intro to “Calm in the Storm” (Luke 8:22-25)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/20/2026 12:54 PM

My Worship Time                                      Focus:  PT-5 Intro to “Calm in the Storm”

Bible Reading and Meditation                                                  Reference:  Luke 8:22-25

            Message of the verses:  “Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the land.”  So they launched out.  But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they beg an to be swamped and to be in danger. They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”  And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.  And He said to them, “Where is your faith?”  They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obeyed Him?”

            I will continue quoting from MacArthur’s introduction: His supernatural power over disease, death, Satan, demons, and the forces of nature shows that He alone has the power to reverse the curse and user in the kingdom.  That power awed and terrified those who witnessed it in action, as they realize that they were sinners in the presence of God (5:8; 8:25, 37, 47, 56).”

(5:8; 8:25, 37, 47, 56)

“8  But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

“25  He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

“37  Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.”

“47  And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed.”

“56  And her parents were “amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.”

            “The Lord Jesus Christ had displayed His power over the natural realm in an earlier incident recorded by Luke (5:4-9).”

Luke (5:4-9)

“4  And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5  And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6  And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7  They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8  But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9  For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken,”

“In this far more dramatic demonstration of that power, Jesus calmed a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee.  The story may be divided into three parts; the calm before the storm, the calm during the storm, and the calm after the storm.  The epilogue, relating the disciples’ terror and the display of divine power they had witnessed, might be titled the storm after the calm.”

9/20/2026 1:50 PM

PT-4 Intro to “Calm in the Storm” (Luke 8:22-25)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/19/2026 5:23 AM

My Worship Time                                      Focus:  PT-4 Intro to “Calm in the Storm”

Bible Reading&Meditation                                                  Reference:  Luke 8:22-25

            Message of the verses:  “Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the land.”  So they launched out.  But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they beg an to be swamped and to be in danger. They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”  And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.  And He said to them, “Where is your faith?”  They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obeyed Him?”

          I mentioned at the end of this morning’s SD that I ended in the middle of a paragraph which I don’t usually do, and so this evening I will pick up where I left off this morning.

“At His baptism the Father affirmed that Jesus was His beloved Son (3:21-22).”

(Luke 3:21-22)

“21 ¶  Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22  and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

“The account of His temptation revealed His absolute authority over Satan (4:1-13), and He also exercised that same authority over the demons (4:33-35, 41).”      

(4:1-13)

“1 ¶  And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2  for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3  The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4  And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 5  And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6  and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7  If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." 8  And Jesus answered him, "It is written, "’You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’" 9  And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10  for it is written, "’He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ 11  and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” 12  And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13  And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.”

(4:33-35, 41)

“33  And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34  “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 35  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.”

“41  And demons also came out of many, crying,, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.”

“Jesus also demonstrated power over disease (4:40; 5:15, 17; 6:17-19; 7:1-10) and death (7:11-15).”

(4:40; 5:15, 17; 6:17-19; 7:1-10)

“40  Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.’

“15  But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities.”

“17 ¶  On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.”

“17  And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, 18  who came to hear him and to be healed of their

diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19  And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.”

“1 ¶  After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2  Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3  When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4  And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5  for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue." 6  And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7  Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 8  For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it." 9  When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10  And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.”

(Luke 7:11-15)

“11 ¶  Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12  As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13  And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14  Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

          Look’s like one more SD will finish this introduction.

9/19/2026 5:45 PM