Storm Warnings

Matthew 8:23-27 When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

I grew up in the bay area of the Gulf Coast. It wasn’t exactly a pretty place with pristine beaches but you just can’t knock living in such close proximity to fresh seafood! I could quite happily eat fish every day even at my present ripe old age. Watching a storm roll in across the water can be fascinating, beautiful and a little scary if you’re caught unaware ten miles out from shore.

I now live in the edge of the hill country on top of a hill. I still watch the storms move in here. The power can be intense, the lightning magnificent and the wind will not be ignored. To look out my window at this moment it is hard to tell how sever the weather was last night. The birds are singing, the breeze is blowing and the sun is gracing me with a clear picture of my beloved vista of distant hills painted in a rich hue of blue.

When we experience ‘storms’ in our lives it’s more like the ones that sneak in at night. They aren’t really sneaking, they’ve had time to build and grow in intensity. They are shrouded in darkness and we are occupied in the activities of day-to-day life inside the perceived safety of our homes, so they catch us off guard. These storms can bring catastrophic loss and suffering. The only forecast of this kind of storm and survival therein is found in God’s Word.

Regardless of the storms we face, either in the natural or storms brought on through sin, Jesus is always there. Notice in the verses above, He did not prevent the storm from happening in the first place. He knew the storm was on the way, He could have uttered a few words and it would never have been an issue, but He didn’t. Storms are going to come, count on it! Jesus used this opportunity to grow the disciples’ faith. This was not a painless lesson. They experienced fear and anxiety. Here they were with Jesus Himself and yet still quaked with fear and doubt. We are not exempt from getting soaking wet in the midst of a storm. Where we have advantage over the disciples is in knowing the ‘rest of the story’, to quote Paul Harvey. We KNOW we have a savior in Christ. We KNOW we have the only life raft we need when we are in the boat with Jesus. This comfort comes from knowing and believing and trusting our lives completely in the hands of Jesus.  

In the midst of my storm, Lord, my trust is in You!