“One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” Luke 8.22-25
Here’s a passage, perhaps one of the most famous in all of Scripture. Jesus calming the sea ranks right next to Him walking on water in popularity. Here, Jesus is showing His mastery over the wind and the sea. He’s already performed many miracles, and the disciples are beginning to see that there is something special about Him.
But when the wind and waves batter the boat and water starts pouring in, the disciples forget with whom they are riding. This is no ordinary teacher, no common rabbi. This man has powers no one has ever seen before—powers evidenced both in the Bible and in the extra-biblical writings of the Jewish historian Josephus.
Jesus knew what He was doing—He wrote the script. Jesus, as the Word of God, spoke the world into existence. He has world-altering powers: the power to give life, raise the dead, and bring worlds into being. So stopping the wind and calming the waves is not a huge deal to Jesus. It is to us, and it certainly was to the faithless, panicky disciples riding in the boat in the middle of the storm.
Sometimes we are surprised by Jesus’ actions even when we should not be. We hope and pray that He will act, and when He does, it catches us off guard. “Well, I wasn’t expecting that,” we say to ourselves. But in truth, this is what God does. God acts on behalf of Himself and His people. It is always “God first” with Him, because what is good for God is good for those who obey Him.
So when the disciples were panicking in the boat, Jesus was sleeping. They were afraid; He was trusting in His own powers and in God. They were cowards; He was confident. They were fearful; He was faithful.
So today, when the storms of life come, let’s put our hope in the One who created the seas. He knows our struggles; He knows our weaknesses. He is the One in whom we should trust, because He also created us, and we are His children.
“O Lord God, at this moment on a Monday, I am in Horseshoe Bay. Typically I would be in Waco, but we are in a Texas ice storm—meaning the whole world has shut down! But You are still good, and You are still God. When my love fails, Your love remains steadfast. You are the everlasting God, and I know that I can trust in You. Come now, Holy Spirit; fill me with Your power. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen