Matthew 8: 23-25: ²³ As He got into the^[a] boat, His disciples followed Him. ²⁴ Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. But He was sleeping. ²⁵ So the disciples came and woke Him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!” (HCSB)

I’m going to need an extra cup of coffee this morning!  I was awakened very early this morning to the sound of a hard rain being driven against my bedroom window by a strong wind.  As I snuggled deeper into my warm bed in my dry house, I thought of the disciples in the storm at sea.  They too experienced a hard rain driven by a strong wind, but while I enjoy a warm house, they were in a boat.  I picture the disciples wet – it probably seemed that walls of water were coming from all sides.  I picture them cold – rain from storms always seems so cold.  I picture them battered – the boat was probably being tossed about on the rough waves.  I picture them gasping for air — probably every breath seemed to carry more water than oxygen.  These were men who knew about traveling on boats.  They had been taught what to do during a storm, but nothing was working. The worst thing they could imagine was happening.  I have no problem at all picturing them being terrified! I can just hear the disciples calling Jesus, voices raised, talking over one another– What is wrong with You?  Don’t You care about us at all?  We are being tossed about and covered with water to the point of near death, and what are You doing??”   But, verse 26 tells us that Jesus spoke to the storm as we would speak to an unruly child and that the storm calmed.  Jesus could rest because He was not afraid of a little thing like a storm. He knew who was really in charge.  The disciples felt that they were simply hanging on, doing all they knew to do, failing at every attempt when all they needed to do was trust the One who knew the way to calm the chaos.  So often we today feel battered by the storms of everyday life.  We feel like our little boat is being tossed around and is taking on water faster than we can bail.  We are just hanging on, doing all we know to do, nothing is working, and we are terrified.  We cannot find peace because we are so afraid of the storm.  Lord, help us to remember that the One who calmed the storm described by Matthew, Luke, and Mark can surely calm the storm in our lives.  You told us that we would have troubles and suffer, but You also told us to be courageous because You had conquered all of that (John 16:33).  Lord, I may not know why I am going through a particular storm in my life, but I know the One who can calm the storm.