Storm Warning: Storm Shelter — Wednesday
Matthew 8:24-25
Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves—but Jesus kept sleeping. So the disciples came and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!” (CSB)
I don’t know about you, but if I’m being honest, I’ve always found the passage of Scripture above to be pretty hilarious. More on that later—but first, read the first sentence and observe the words Matthew uses to describe this storm. He says that it was “violent” and “the boat was being swamped.” Those are some pretty powerful illustrations. A storm is one thing, but a violent storm sounds pretty terrifying. On top of that, the boat was obviously taking on a lot of water for Matthew to say it was being “swamped.”
I read this as a pretty alarming scene taking place, so I can empathize with the disciples when they were screaming about how they were going to die—I can’t say I wouldn’t feel the same way! But what is Jesus doing? A violent storm is taking place around Him, so much so that the boat is literally being drenched by powerful waves…. and Jesus is taking a nap. I’m such a light sleeper that I wake up when my wife rolls over, yet Jesus is literally snoozing in the middle of a storm! However, don’t misunderstand Jesus sleeping as Him being apathetic. In fact, we can learn a lot by observing how He responded to the storm around Him.
The truth is that Jesus wasn’t worried about the storm at all. He wasn’t shaking in His sandals, afraid the storm might overtake Him—which means that He is not shaken or dismayed when storms surround you and me. We can find comfort in knowing that He is calm and at peace when the world around us is not. Jesus napping in the storm is the perfect picture of how much He trusts the Father to protect Him. And it’s a perfect picture of how you and I can trust that, even when our lives our being swamped by the waves of violent storms, God is still in control, and we have nothing to fear.
Wednesday’s Reflection
What’s the biggest storm in your life right now? Do you trust that God is with you and is going to carry you through it?
