Calming the Storms

Jesus and His twelve disciples were traveling in a wooden fishing boat across the Sea of Galilee when a sudden tempest arose and caught them off guard. The waves surged and the winds blew, the small vessel far from shore. The disciples panicked and cried, “'Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!' Jesus got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” Just like that, Jesus spoke and stilled the storm by commanding it to cease. Jesus has ultimate power and authority over everything in heaven and on earth. Although He could rebuke and silence every trial that we face and calm every tribulation, He sometimes allows them to gust and whirl through our lives—but always with the good purpose of drawing us closer to Him, and bringing to calm our inner turmoil. Jesus has the power to calm all of our storms, but sometimes He asks us to simply stay in the boat and ride them out with Him. Jesus is the source of all our peace and hope, whether storms skirt on by, or we’re forced to endure them. Either way, we have no reason to be afraid with Jesus by our side.

Matthew 8:23-27, “Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly 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!”

This is a picture of the Sea of Galilee with a small boat, much like to one Jesus and His disciples would have traveled in, at the center. As you can see, the vessel would have bobbed around like a little cork during the raging storm.