Finding Peace in Life’s Storms

Jesus identifies with our human limitations. After a day of teaching, healing, and crowds pressing in on every side, Jesus and his disciples climbed into a boat to travel to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was emotionally and physically exhausted, and he fell asleep on a pillow in the stern of the ship. 

The Calm Before the Storm

While Jesus slept, a great windstorm arose. 

Jesus’ disciples had weathered many storms on the sea before, but this one was different. Their battered boat was quickly taking on water, and they were certain they were about to die. In their panic, they cried out, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” They didn’t ask him to do anything about the storm. Maybe they expected him to grab a bucket and start bailing.

But Jesus did the unthinkable. He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still! And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

The Storm after the Calm

First, they felt relief. Then the magnitude of what they just experienced began to sink in and fear filled their hearts. At that moment, they realized that more terrifying than the storm outside their boat was that God himself was inside their boat. “And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41). The implications of this miracle were huge!

Jesus can calm the storms of our lives with a word. But often he works through those storms to reveal more of who he is to us. How do you respond when stormy waters are lapping over into your boat?

The questions Jesus asked his disciples apply to us, too:

• Why are you afraid?
• Have you still no faith?

You may not know how long your storm will last, or what the result will be when the winds stop raging. But rest assured, you can trust that the one who can command the wind and waves to “Be still,” is greater than whatever storm you currently face.