Reservoir
Being a progressive leader, we must assume that Jesus’ commands to cross over to the other side - in Luke 8:22-25 - was one of progress that unsurprisingly was welcomed by a storm. Such is on the path of one that must change levels of operation and thought; he must be prepared to brave the coming storms. There is no progress of significance devoid of storms; Alas, there is a needful preparation for life’s storms.
Three key observations in the story point to the fact that we cannot afford to run on 'empty' because the journey is far; we must have a reservoir of resources to make it. Firstly, Jesus needed to refill his physical energy so he opted for a nap irrespective of the pressing conditions for He understood that sleep was a price worth paying when compared with potential physical ailments resulting from over-working the body. A boxer that intends to throw punches all the time and at every opportunity is not ready for 12 rounds. We need to be equipped for a long fight but ready for a quick win. Jesus slept and so should we; we can never be too busy to insert rest into our schedule.
The second observation is that the disciples quickly forgot that He had commanded them to go over! When the storm came, they forgot the command of God and thus became fearful of drowning in the storm. The gift of the Holy Spirit is not just for speaking in unknown tongues but for remembering the commands and promise of God (John 14:26) when the storms of life attempt to scare us into forgetfulness. Jesus taught that He (The Holy Spirit) will bring to our remembrance all that we have heard of Him and more importantly that these memories are memories of truth (John 16:13) i.e. the truth about the journey and the storm – we are to arrive at the other side! Do you have a reservoir of the promise of God or has the present storm of life scared your memory blank?
Thirdly, we observe a true inspiration in the life of Jesus in that though He was physically drained, He was spiritually ready. He arose and rebuked the wind in such a way that His followers wondered what kind of man He was. To rephrase their comment, they said “we have walked with Him for a while now but He has just shown us a side to Him that we never knew; even the seas obey Him”. Jesus demonstrated that every leader must have more than is on show; we must have a reservoir. We must have something extra that perhaps has been developed outside of the public eye and validates our leadership position. You cannot lead a people that have nothing to look to in you; a leader must have some tools that are inspirations for ‘more’ in their followers. Jesus did – He had a reservoir!
