Have you ever been in a really bad storm? Have you ever been woken up in the middle of the night just from the sounds of an intense storm? I grew up in South Florida and have gone through two hurricanes and several fierce storms known as tropical depressions. Storms are powerful! Storms can be scary. Just ask my two youngest nieces. They hate storms! The sounds of the wind and the rain beating against their windows, the mighty roar of the thunder and the bright flashes of lightening are enough to send them into panic mode–unless they are in the arms of an adult who loves them and reminds them they are safe.
 
This particular event in the lives of Jesus and His disciples causes me to wonder about a few things:
  • If Jesus knew there would be a storm, why did He have the disciples get in the boat in the first place? Why didn’t He wait until the storm was over?
  • How in the world could Jesus sleep through the noise and the commotion of the storm?
  • Why wasn’t Jesus more understanding of their lack of faith?
Being a teenager is tough. It must feel like you are often right in the middle of a storm–a storm involving your parents, a storm surrounding your relationships with friends or with your boyfriend or girlfriend, a storm revolving around your school work or a storm about your future. Storms are all around us, seemingly all the time. So, how do we relax like Jesus did? How do we experience the peace that He had in the middle of a terrible storm? Is it possible to know that kind of calm? It is, and the key to it all is Jesus.
 
Without a doubt Jesus knew they were going to experience a storm, and He knows that about you as well. He could spare us from the storm, and my guess is that He does that more times than we are aware. But, He still desires for us to experience the storms so that we can learn to trust Him, and to find peace in knowing He is trustworthy.
 
Jesus could sleep through that storm because He knows the end of the story. He knew He would calm the storm and get His disciples safely to the other side. He knows that about the storms you face as well. You and the disciples are safe in the arms of Jesus. There is no need to fear any storm where Jesus is present. He didn’t have much patience with the lack of faith shown by the disciples. They didn’t wake Jesus in order to have Him calm the storm. They woke Him up so that He could be prepared to die in the storm just like they were going to do.
 
When we are in the middle of a storm, it might feel like we’re going to drown, but by relying on Jesus to ride out the storm with us, by asking Him to calm the storm, by trusting Him in all things, we can relax and enjoy the ride. When my nieces are afraid in a storm, they know just what to do. When we’re in a storm, we can do the same–run right into the arms of Jesus and trust Him with the results. We can go to Him in prayer and in His Word and know that He is in control. No storm with Jesus in the middle of it will ever overcome you or any of His children. We are safe in His arms come what may.
  • When you are experiencing a storm in your life, where do you turn first for help in navigating it all? Is Jesus at the top of the list, or somewhere near the bottom when all else fails?
  • What will it take for you to rely on Jesus first in all situations?