Week 32: PEACE IN THE STORM

“He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.”

Matthew 8:26

Matthew 8:18–27 | Mark 4:35–41 | Luke 8:22–25

The Calm Before the Storm

In Matthew 8, Mark 4, and Luke 8, Jesus instructs the disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. But before they ever set foot in that boat, they had spent hours listening to him teach lesson after lesson to a crowd of over 5,000 people; a day that ended with him feeding every single one of them with nothing more than five loaves of bread and two fish.

They had seen him, once again, do the impossible.

— — —

When the Waves Come

The disciples were still riding the energy of the miraculous things Jesus had done, and then, as life would have it, the very next moment thrust them into an unimaginable storm. We have all been there, haven’t we?

It came without warning. No time to prepare. No time to brace.

The gospel writers describe the storm as furious, with waves sweeping over the boat and nearly swamping it. In a panic, the disciples wake Jesus, who had been sleeping peacefully, and cry out:

“Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

Matthew 8:25

Their storm, like many of ours, came suddenly, out of nowhere, and hit hard.

Your storm may be financial. It may be a marriage in crisis, a devastating diagnosis, or the loss of someone you love. It may be a prodigal child, or something no one else even knows about yet. Whatever your storm, it can feel overwhelming and like you are drowning with no way out.

I have been there. Have you?

— — —

Jesus Is in the Boat

Jesus invites us into the boat of salvation, yet there are times we will face storms, even while we are in the very center of His will. How do we reconcile those two realities?

We reconcile them by knowing that Jesus is the answer.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

When the disciples woke Jesus in a hurried panic, he was perplexed at their fear. After all, they had just watched him feed thousands from a child’s lunch. They had seen miracles of healing. They had seen the dead raised. They had seen the impossible time and time again, and yet here they were, paralyzed with fear.

I wish I could say I would have been the calm one in the boat, quietly reminding everyone that Jesus is with us and there is no need to panic. But honestly? I would have been racing around, screaming, convinced we were all going to drown.

— — —

Little Faith, Big God

Jesus responded to their panic with a penetrating question:

“Why are you so afraid?”

And then he gently rebuked them for their little faith.

He understands that storms produce a visceral, overwhelming fear. But he calls us to a faith that overrides that fear. We have the witness of men and women in Scripture who walked by faith through seemingly impossible storms (Hebrews 11). And if we have walked with Jesus for any length of time, we have our own history of his faithfulness to look back on.

Many of us have cried out, “Lord, save us!” and Jesus has come through time and time again. It may not have been in the way we expected. But always in a way that worked for our good and his glory.

— — —

A Word of Encouragement

I am not minimizing the storms of life. They are real, they are devastating, and their ripple effects can linger far longer than we ever expected. But I want to encourage every one of us to remember who we serve. Jesus is sovereign and in control, even when everything around us feels out of control.

And while the waves are crashing over your boat, remember this:

You are not alone.

We are all looking to the same Jesus for relief, and He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us.

He is still in the boat!

— — —

Reflection Questions

1.  Think of a past storm in your life. How did Jesus come through for you, even if it was not in the way you expected?

2.  What storm are you facing right now? What would it look like to bring it to Jesus rather than face it in fear?

3.  Who around you might be navigating a storm right now? How can you come alongside them and point each other toward Jesus?

— — —

Closing Prayer

Lord, when the storms of life come, and they will come, remind me that you are in the boat with me. Forgive me for the times my fear has drowned out my faith. Help me remember what you have already done, and help me trust you completely with what lies ahead.

You have overcome the world.

That is enough.

Amen.