Storms

Matthew 8:24-27  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, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O men 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 winds and sea obey him?”


My mom used to take us all into the bedroom during a thunderstorm and read to us out of what seemed like the emergency storm book. If she heard thunder while we were eating she would grab the silverware out of our hands and send us from the table. She was terrified of lightning. On the other hand I have always loved storms. I never liked the destruction of hurricanes but I loved the excitement. I loved big huge snow storms. One of my favorite things to do was to walk the beach in the rain. Don't ask me why because I can't figure it out. It still persists although now it is seen in not quitting a round of golf because of rain. Storms in nature bring different responses from different people.


Of more consequence for me are the storms of life. Storms that intrude on our families and friends lives. They might be storms of finance, health, or relationships, but they rock the boat in threatening ways that could force people to crash ofnthe rocks of life. The disciples did not recognize who was in the boat with them during their storm on the sea, and we often fail to see him with us during the storms of our lives. Up north I had a friend who was Roman Catholic deacon. He and his wife hit some very bad financial difficulties. It was so bad that the fear of losing everything was not just an abstract possibility but was almost unavoidable. He told me of a conversation they had. They sat and talked about the worst possible outcome and recognized they could be very poor. They had been poor when they were young and even found happiness together then. Suddenly the fear of the possible was gone. They also had faith that whatever happened Jesus was with them, and they had each other and everything would be alright.


Fear can cause a situational paralysis that makes it seem impossible to go through the problem. Jesus however was in the boat with the disciples and he is in our life with us. You see, even if the boat sank he would be a lifeboat in the storm. He's been that for me, and I know he wants to be that for you.