Matthew 8:23-25> Then He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are going to drown!"
Have you ever been there? Have you ever been in a "storm" so fierce that you have no idea if you will survive or not? As long as we are on this earth, we will have storms. Some of them will be huge. We will even wonder if God cares. "Are you there Lord? Don't You care?"
There have been many times that I have cried those very words. Until now. What's the difference? This time, I KNOW He's in it with me!
Jesus got into the boat first. Then the disciples followed Him. He knew there was going to be a storm. The disciples didn't, but Jesus did. It was probably smooth sailing at first. Calm seas and a destination in mind. There were no worries. Until now.
"Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat." Can't you just imagine how afraid the disciples were? 'Where did this come from?', they had to have asked. Life can go along smoothly. And then suddenly, out of nowhere, a storm can hit! You never see it coming! But Jesus does. He already knows the outcome of the storm. That's why it was so easy for Him to have been sleeping. He knew what was going to happen in the storm.
"The disciples went and woke Him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We are going to drown!'" Had they really forgotten what they had already seen Him do? Hadn't they witnessed first hand the miracles that He had done? Did they really believe that He would not save them from the storm? Sounds like us, doesn't it?
What the disciples really failed to see was that Jesus was still in the boat. He didn't jump out. He may have been asleep, but He was still in the boat. They had hope and didn't even realize it. Jesus was in the storm with them. He stayed. Could it be because He knew something that they did not? Did they forget who He was? Wow, don't we do that, too?
No matter what kind of storm we go through, we will not be alone. Being a child of God (that's something that has to be done personally) assures us that He is on the boat with us. The waves may sweep over us and toss us around, but we won't be alone. We may even find Jesus sleeping (or think He is), but He is still in control. Just knowing that He's on the boat with us should be comforting enough.
That is the difference for me. I am His child and therefore I know that He is with me. Even in furious storms. On occasion, He still has to ask me, "why are you so afraid?" And then He calms the winds and the waves. Just like the disciples in verse 27, I find myself in awe; "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him."
How comforting to know that in the midst of the storm, Jesus is still with me. He doesn't jump out and leave me on my own. If the One who is in control can sleep through it, then why am I so afraid? Could it be that He knows something that I don't know??? Absolutely!! He knows the outcome!
Dear Lord Jesus, I stand in awe of You. Even when the storm seems to be so much more than I can handle, You are still there. When the waves are high and the wind is strong, You are in control. Lord, help me to rest in the knowledge of knowing that through the storm there is still a lesson. Thank You Father for not abandoning me. Thank You Lord for being with me through it. In Your precious and holy name, Amen.
