In the Midst of the Storm

And when He got into the boat, His disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but He was asleep. And they went and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” Matthew 8:23-25

Maybe today you feel like the disciples did when they saw Jesus sleeping in the midst of the storm. Perhaps you’re thinking, “God, don’t you care about me? Can’t you see that I’m hurting here?” This is a natural, human reaction when it seems that God is distant or unconcerned in the midst of our pain and struggle. But the fact is… if we are a child of God… He is there in the boat with us. He will either calm the storm or at least brave it with us.

Look at the first line again in the Scripture. When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. Sometimes we complicate our struggles simply because we miss the first step. They followed Him. If they had not followed Him into the boat, the disciples would have never experienced what Jesus could do in the midst of the storm.

But until we are on the other side of the storm, we must remember that trusting God produces questions we won’t be able to answer. I think that’s worth repeating: Trusting God produces questions we won’t be able to answer.

If we really stop to think about it, disbelief is pretty easy. Anyone can not believe! That is an easy one. Choosing to trust in God and believe in His promises in spite of our questions… in spite of our problems… that’s the real challenge! To suffer and hurt and not know why… but to keep believing and hoping… that’s extremely difficult.

But no matter what we may be going through today… remember this: Jesus is present in the midst of everything even though He may seem to be absent. In God’s own time and in His own way… if we will wait on Him and trust in Him… He will calm our storms!

It is awesome to know that The One who has power over demons, The One who has power over disease, and The One who has power over death also has power over despair and the pains in our life. Jesus is our peace in the middle of the storm. If we will follow Him into the boat and watch Him in action, we will be amazed.

Phil