Sleeping Through the Storms
And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and waves obey him?”
When I was little I was deathly afraid of thunderstorms...to the point that I would hide in the closet or under the bed while the storm was roaring outside my house. Ok, maybe it lasted into my young adulthood but thunder storms terrified me. So I can relate to the disciples in this passage from Matthew and their fear of the storm that was threatening their boat.
Several weeks ago during a Bible study I attend this passage was read and the words, “but he was asleep” jumped off the page at me. At that moment I realized for the first time that Jesus was doing more that getting some rest. Jesus was trying to teach the disciples (and me) an important lesson about faith. As he was sleeping, he was trying to model for the disciples how they should live in the midst of the trials and chaos of life. So I spent some time taking a closer look at this passage and would like to share what Jesus has taught me about living through the storms of life.
The first thing that hit me was that when the storms of life overwhelm me, I can have peace in the midst of the storm. Jesus is the only one who can calm the storms and often he does this by changing me...not the storm. But when I fix my eyes on him the storms may swirl around me but I can have peace.
Through this passages I hear Jesus asking me, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” If I truly believe (in my heart...not my head) that Jesus has the power to calm my storms, that he holds me in his hand, that he has numbered all my days, then why am I so afraid when the storms arise?
That often through the storms...when I am being swamped by the waves... that Jesus challenges me to trust him. In those moments when I take a step to trust him my faith grows and peace reigns in my heart. Also in those moments the questions rise up inside of me, “Do I really trust that Jesus knows what is best for me...that he always works for my good? Do I still trust when I feel like I am drowning from the waves of adversity that are crashing over me...when my anxiety is high because someone I love is being pounded in the storm?”
The disciples followed Jesus in the boat not realizing what was ahead. I have the Word of God that tells me the storms will come so am I willing to follow Jesus into the boat?
Very often I don’t cry out to God like the disciples did. Instead I try to manipulate or manage the storms myself and only as a last resort do I cry out to Jesus to calm the storm. Usually after all my self-effort has failed.
The last verse in the passage has the disciples marveling at what Jesus did for them. So I asked myself, “When Jesus speaks to my heart and calms the storms within, do I marvel at his power over what is happening inside of me?” Honestly I often am so relieved that the storms have ceased that I forget to thank Jesus for what he has done in my life.
It has been many years since I hid under the bed during a thunderstorm and while I am no longer afraid of the physical storms, I still am prone to fear when life doesn’t go my way. Yet with each storm Jesus pulls me close and teaches me more and more to trust Him. My prayer is that you will learn how to trust Jesus through the storms and one day you too will be able to be like Jesus...sleeping through the storms.
Susan
