What We Can Learn from Jesus Calming the Storm

 

If you’ve ever lived in Texas or known a Texan very well, you’re probably familiar with jokes about the Lone Star State’s weather. Among them, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait 5 minutes, and it will change.” 

It's true. In any given week (or day), we can go from hot and humid to very chilly, and then wrap the wek up with a lot of rain and some frozen sleet. As someone who has spent almost my entire life living in Texas, I can tell you that despite what the meteorologist might say, we have twelve seasons here: 

  • Winter 

  • Fool’s Spring 

  • Second Winter 

  • Spring of Deception 

  • Third Winter 

  • The Pollening 

  • Actual Spring 

  • Summer 

  • Hell’s Front Porch 

  • False Fall 

  • Second Summer 

  • Actual Fall 

Currently, we’re in “The Pollening” season, and with it, we tend to experience a lot of thunderstorms and frequent tornado warnings. These storms come quickly and with great force, canceling our plans and prompting us to keep a close eye on the weather radar. 

In these tense moments, I turn to prayer, trusting God to protect my family and calm the storm. In the Bible, we find the story of Jesus calming the storm for the disciples and there’s a lot to be learned from it. In fact, the lesson within this story is so important to God, it’s told three times in the Gospels: Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41 and Luke 8:22-25.  

Having just finished preaching to a crowd, Jesus gets into a boat and the disciples follow Him. As they traveled across the Sea of Galilee, a massive storm set in, and water began to fill their boat. Jesus was asleep in the stern. Panicked and worried for their safety, the disciples frantically woke Jesus to tell Him they’re in danger. Jesus proceeded to rebuke the wind and the waves, and both stopped. 

“He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who then is this, that He commands even winds and water, and they obey him’ (Luke 8:25)?” 

This story has a lot of importance for us today. It’s incredible to see the peace that Jesus had in this situation contrasted with the complete turmoil that the disciples experienced. Jesus knew what was going on from the beginning because he reprimanded the disciples for their lack of faith. At that moment, the disciples had more fear of the storm than they had trust in God. 

This story highlights some key truths about our walk with Christ.  In our humanness, we often don’t see beyond the present moment. The disciples responded like we probably would have. All they could see was the looming waves that threatened to take away their future. 

Many of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen. They were bound to have come across storms now and then, but this one was so large that the disciples were afraid for their lives. In the moment of the storm, the disciples should have remembered the miracles they had witnessed previously as they walked with Jesus, yet they still panicked rather than trust in Jesus. 

Jesus told them before they left that they would reach the other side, but by the time the storm hit, they forgot his words and what they knew of his character. We can all relate to the disciples in this moment. When times are good, it's easier to trust God. But we should remember that when times are difficult, it’s even more important to trust God. When we become afraid or distressed, it is exposing how weak our faith in Jesus is. It shows that we are not trusting Him and His plan, and that He’s got this! 

Life is not predictable. There will be storms along the way, but God’s unchanging character offers us a firm foundation when things feel unsteady and uncertain. Jesus lives inside of us through the Holy Spirit as Christians, and He will always be with us. He’s got this! Let’s never forget that. Instead, we should pray to Jesus: “This is really uncomfortable for me and I am becoming stressed about this situation, but I know You have this and I trust You! Give me the strength, the will, and the way to get through this, and teach me whatever You are trying to teach me through this trial. Thank you for your love of me and protecting me, even in times of trouble!” If you can pray that and truly mean it and allow the Holy Spirit to calm you down, be encouraged as that that is a sign of mature, saving faith! 

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