Mark 4:37-39 “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was sleeping on a cushion in the stern and his disciples woke him up and said to him, “Teacher don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet, Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.”

Storms make me nervous, as a hurricane is making it’s way to hit land later today in Florida, I think of all the people that are in the path of it and pray for protection and safety for them all. Jesus disciples were terrified when they seen the waves and the effects of the wind, they thought they might die. They had seen Jesus do miracles just in the previous days but their faith went out the window as they frantically called out to Him in despair. And to their surprise, He stopped the wind and the waves with His command.

Storms of life can swamp our lives and bring on anxiety and fear of the unknown like the water that was coming into the boat the disciples were in that evening. Emotions churning within your mind of what to do to stop the problem or deal with it yourself by whatever means available. Bail out the water, so to speak. What if we allowed Jesus into the boat of our lives and trust Him to calm all the storms, or even just remain with us through he storms of life? Trusting that He can stop it, calm it, or guide us through it. Sometimes it might be a little rainstorm, other times it may be a hurricane. Maybe the diagnosis was a sinus infection last year but something way worse this year. There are no storms too big for God and nothing takes Him by surprise.

The very center of the whole Bible is Psalm 118:8, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” That also means it is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in yourself. I have tried to figure everything out myself during many storms of my life and have made some messes in my efforts. But as I have learned to trust in the Lord when I’m facing challenges, I have found Him to be faithful to calm the storms within me! He also guides and directs my steps as I ask for His help and seek His wisdom.

So my friend, allow Jesus to remain in your boat all the days of your life and the storms may come but you will have the Master of the wind to bring peace in the midst of every storm life throws your way and even the ones you cause by your own bad choices. Jesus is loving, kind and merciful to those who humble themselves and turn to Him. He even uses the storms for our good, to help us learn the lessons we need in order to be just who He created us to be! Jesus is our peace in every storm, whether it is external or internal, He is able to calm the anxiety and bring a kind of peace that passes our human understanding. He is a faithful God and worthy of all praise through the storm!

Grace and Peace, Sharon Kay