January 23, 2025 | Be God's Family
Jesus Calms the Storm
Scripture: Matthew 8:23-27(NIV)
23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
26 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.
27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Devotional
I grew up in northern Ohio on Lake Erie and, when I was a boy, it was just as natural for me to crew sailboat races as it is for any Indiana boy to join a pickup basketball game. They raced a different class of sailboat every day of the week and my favorite job was setting the spinnaker (the big brightly colored sail) as we began a downwind run.
If the boy crewing sailboats had read this passage, I think that I would have simply concluded that "Jesus is my 911 call" for whenever I get into any bad situation or a storm of sorts. That is not a bad conclusion in that it keeps the plain thing the main thing: You do want Jesus onboard with you when you face a storm.
Nowadays, I try to picture myself in that scene as one of the disciples on the boat with Jesus. Questions occur to me like, "why are they on the boat in the first place?", "didn't they check their weather app?" and "who had to be the poor guy to wake Him up?"
Then I realized that they were on the boat because they obeyed Jesus in the first place and that He had deliberately led them into that storm! And only He could calm that storm with a rebuke.
Now I have more questions like, "I don't like storms. Why would I want to follow Jesus into them?" I would much rather have a God who keeps me safe and comfortable!
But you rarely grow stronger in safety and comfort. Jesus knew that his crew had a monumental job ahead of them. This rag tag group with no power, no money and no influence would go on to turn the world upside down shortly after He left. This was training for that mission.
What storms are you facing today: a job loss, a dreaded diagnosis, children or grandchildren making poor choices? How can you rely on Jesus to get you through?
What have you weathered in your past that might equip you to be the hands and feet of Jesus to others who are going through their own storm?
Poem
Lord, Creator Of It All
Psalm 93
“The seas have lifted up, Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea— the Lord on high is mighty.” Psalm 93: 3-4
Chaos, flooding all around
Waves surmounting, crashing
Galing winds push mighty down
Thunder, lightning slashing
LORD, creator of it all
LORD, sustainer when I fall
You can calm the stormy seas
You can calm the storms in me
Fear, anxiety abound
Guilt and shame all crashing
Tempest winds of change push round
All my heart’s peace slashing
LORD, You reign in majesty
LORD, from all eternity
You establish firm Your ways
You establish all our days
