Stormy Weather

A hurricane is bearing down on the Gulf of Mexico. It’s been in the news for days and people have been busy preparing. I doubt it will take many by surprise. But what of those other storms that come our way? Storms we’re not prepared for and that do surprise us? Things like a sudden serious illness, the loss of a job, financial reversals, etc.

Isn’t that just what happened to the apostles? They had spent the whole day with Jesus as He preached to the multitudes from a boat (Mark 4:1-41). Then at the end of the day Jesus told them to take Him across the Sea of Galilee. And that’s when the trouble started. That’s when “there arouse a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship,” and all this while Jesus slept. They hadn’t expected that—a storm so enormous it looked like they could drown, and certainly not while Jesus was with them.

So what does this have to do with us? Well, sometimes we’re just trying to follow the Lord, too, and do what He’s instructed us to do, and suddenly, from out of nowhere, we’re hit with something so big we think it could sink us. The truth is Jesus never promised us a life free of trials and tribulation. He only promised that He’d be there with us when they did come.

The apostles were so fearful they actually woke Jesus up, and He had to rebuke the wind with “Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39). But He also rebuked the apostles for their lack of faith. “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” Did they really believe the boat would sink when the God of all Glory, the Creator of the Universe was with them?

In our flesh it’s easy to take our eyes off Jesus and put them on our problems, or think that He’s asleep on the job. And that’s just what we shouldn’t do. If our boat is being tossed about by storms not of our making, what we need to remember is that Jesus is in the boat with us. And He’s telling us what He told His apostles, “Let us pass over unto the other side” (Mark 4:35). And what’s more, He’s able to get us there safely.

Until next week,

Sylvia