HOST: Michael Whitworth
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 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?”
“Peace! Be still!” These are the words that Jesus used to rebuke the storm and calm the seas, but they could just as easily have been said to the disciples. As this storm raged, the winds violently tossed the boat about in the sea. The boat was “being swamped by the waves” (Matthew’s words) so that it was filling with water. But the sea was not the only thing that was unsettled that night. The disciples were frightened, panicked, and desperate. As the waves of the sea filled the boat, waves of fear filled their hearts. How could Jesus be sleeping while we are dying? Does He not care? Jesus’ words to them are very telling: “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” The disciples still had much to learn. There were going to be many volatile and unsettling times in their lives of discipleship. They needed to learn the meaning of the words that Jesus spoke to the storm. They needed to learn to trust and to have an inner peace, knowing that they were safe in the hands of the Master. We need to learn that lesson as well. When we face the storms of life, we need to be stilled and calmed as we hear Jesus say to us, “Peace! Be still!”
Why is faith so important during difficult times in our lives?
Don’t forget to pray and have a great day!
