When the Storms of Life are Raging!

Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"  He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!"  Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid?  Do you still have no faith?" (Mark 4:38-40)

I have never been an early riser, instead I prefer to take advantage of all the sleep I can get.  Unfortunately, my dad is just the opposite.  I remember him waking me up well before the bus would come for school.  And on those days I chose to "sleep a little longer," he would come charging into my bedroom, flashing the lights on and off, and yelling “time to get up!”  Finally one day, a very sleepy, frustrated me asked my father, "Dad, don't you have any faith that I'll get up on my own and make the bus!?"  Perhaps I shouldn't have asked that, because to this day I remember my dad half smirking, as he replied was just one word, "No."

Just like the disciples, he had a good reason not to have faith.  He had seen me miss the bus more than once (or usually end up chasing it down the road), just as the disciples had seen others killed by similar storms.

We all experience these types of storms, maybe not being in the sea and having waves crash against our

boat, but we experience it in different forms.  Here we are, sailing along in life, and then something unexpected and violent occurs.  Maybe we lose our job, or worse, the loss of a family member.  And one of the hardest storms we face is depression, when we start to give up hope.

It is often during these storms, as we see the giant waves come crashing down upon us that we ask ourselves, "Where is God?"  Sometimes the waves hit us hard, and we keep getting so tossed around by them, that it feels like God isn't paying attention, or that He is sleeping on the job.

When the disciples woke Jesus up, He almost immediately calms the winds and the sea, but what amazes me is what He says afterwards.  He doesn't look at the disciples and apologize for falling asleep, but instead He criticizes them for not having faith. He asks them, "Why are you afraid when I am with you?”

James tells us why God lets these storms come into our lives.  We are told that in these trials, we can learn to trust God, and become even stronger with Him.  He says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” (James 1:2-3)  And Peter declares the importance of these trials that our faith may become worth more than gold, refined by fire. (1 Peter 1:5-7)

God lets us face trials today, just as He did with the disciples.  While they were frantic, Jesus was peaceful and calm.  And yet, when they needed Him, He was there.  He waited until the disciples had all but lost hope, to show that He is the All Mighty, Sovereign God.  He waited until they had given up and proclaimed that they were going to die, so that they would understand His power, and His love for them.

Today, when the storms of life are raging, Jesus is in the boat with you.  No matter how bad the storm is, how high the waves are, or how close to death you may be, He is there, and He has the power to save you from whatever you face.  He is with you, and He is asking you to have faith that He will get you through the storm, and He will make you better, and stronger because of it.

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