Safe in Midst of the Storm

“Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We're going to drown!’

He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.  The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’" (Matthew 8:23-27 NIV)

I have read this story hundreds of times (because I’m old and have had many years to do it!) and I have always read it the same way—Jesus will calm the storms of my life.  But this morning the Lord helped me see this story with fresh eyes.  

The storm arises while Jesus is sleeping, but He is still present.  The disciples are terrified of the storm and want Jesus to do something.  He chastises them for their lack of faith.  Did they not believe He could save them from the storm?  They probably did because they woke Him up, but they didn’t know how.  So when he calms the storm, they are amazed and that is where I have always placed their lack of faith.  They didn’t think Jesus could do something like that.  

But as I read it today, it struck me that Jesus calmed the storm immediately after He rebuked them for their lack of faith.  Why?  Might it be that they couldn’t see themselves surviving the storm?  Jesus had grace for them by removing the source of their fear, but in reality, they had been safe all along because He was there with them.  They just didn’t have the faith to believe that.  

In life we will find ourselves experiencing many storms, some fiercer than others, but all able to shake our world.  The temptation is to see our rescue coming from the complete calming of the storm instead of trusting that we can ride it out because Jesus is present.  It may be a life-threatening illness, a job loss, the ending of a relationship.  Whatever it might be, we need to know Jesus is present even when it seems like He is not.  That is where faith comes into play, knowing Jesus is present in whatever circumstance, and that very fact means we are safe.

Today, know whatever storms you may face in life, Jesus is present with you, and because of that, you will be safe no matter how bad it seems.

© Jim Musser 2013