Matthew 8:23-27
23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Years ago, I was on Long beach in Washington. I had gone for a long walk on the beach while listening to some of my favorite songs. I was feeling unstoppable. I had been daydreaming of heroic feats and I got so pumped up, I took off my shoes and ear pods and went out waist deep into the ocean. As each wave hit me, I punched them as hard as I could. I felt alive. I was unstoppable, and then it happened. Two eyes were staring me down, in the middle of the wave. They were just feet away and coming towards me fast. All my puffing up was deflated. I jumped back and screamed as loud as I could. It turned out it was a seal playing a trick on me, only I didn’t start laughing until later. I went from being unstoppable to terrified in just a moment. When life’s storms hit, we are quickly made aware of all our limitations, and we realize how dependent on our Lord we truly are.
All of us face many storms throughout our lives. Defeats and victories come and go like the ocean tides. We try to establish control when the waves get bigger, but the truth is, we can’t direct the path of the waves that are crashing against us. We can puff up and swing at the waves, but it doesn’t take much to bring us to our knees.
Whenever we realize through a challenging season of life, that we have no control and we can’t change our circumstances, that’s when the only thing that makes sense is to completely turn from discouragement and defeat to worship. Every once in a while, God will calm the storm, but usually our Lord calms us. Christ might not change our situation, but if we turn to Him in worship, He will change us in the midst of the storm. Worship God in the storm because even the wind and the waves obey Him!
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through these scriptures?
