The Storm

‘Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat… But soon a fierce storm came up… Jesus was sleeping… The disciples woke Him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care…’ Mark 4:35-38.

Imagine the storm approaching and Peter sends the first person ‘check if He was still in the boat’. The first feedback is that Jesus is there but sleeping. So Peter figures all must be well, if Jesus is on this boat we are fine. Then the high waves and the boat starts filling up with water and the second feedback says He is still sleeping. Peter could not take it anymore, along with the other disciples I can almost imagine him racing to where Jesus lay and waking him up vigorously not waiting for Him to finish opening His eyes before he screams ‘don’t you care that we perish?’. A lot of us have found ourselves where Peter was on that day. Having ventured out with the same confidence that they also had and now you are in the middle of a fierce storm. The truth as it was with them and is with you, is that God is with you and for you. Our first instinct might be to think that Jesus has slipped out of the boat when we were not looking. Remember that you did not initiate the cross over yourself, Jesus did and He is too faithful to fail you in the middle of the storm. How can Jesus be in our boat and a storm will arise? We are sure He is with us and then a storm; how and why? For many of us, it is the help feeling that causes us to panic and shout ‘don’t you care that we are going to drown?’ If You care then why is this happening? If you knew that we would encounter a storm why didn’t You warn me and how can you be sleeping? It is a challenge for a lot of us. Myself inclusive, that Jesus is in the boat and there is turbulence. You are not wrong to rely on the confidence that God is with you. God is saying to us today that the fact that you have challenges does not mean He has abandoned us. However remember what Jesus Himself said to us, ‘in this world you will have tribulations, you will have storms but be of good cheer I have overcome the world’

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I will praise You when there is calm and I will yet praise You harder in the midst of the storm. Thank You Lord because You are too faithful to fail me, in Jesus Name.