Scripture:
“A huge storm came up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink it. And Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, sleeping! They roused him, saying, ‘Teacher, is it nothing to you that we’re going down?’ Awake now, he told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, ‘Quiet! Settle down!’ The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass.” Mark 4: 37-39
Perspective:
If you have flown on an airplane, then you have experienced turbulence. Sometimes it is just the gentle rocking of the plane, while other times the plane is dropping thousands of feet at a time. Either way, extreme turbulence can make even the most seasoned traveler nervous.
The disciples were experiencing turbulence on the sea. They were in the middle of a storm in a boat and about to sink. Jesus was their only chance of survival; yet He was fast asleep. How could Jesus be sleeping at a time like that? Didn’t He care about the disciples? When Jesus became aware of the storm, He silenced it. Sometimes, life just gets a little bumpy. Things don’t go how we planned, and we are left with stormy weather. At times like this, we can wonder if Jesus is really there or if He even cares. Jesus was with the disciples in the storm even before He quieted the sea. Unlike the disciples, Jesus was not worried about the storm, because he had power over it. While we would all like Jesus to calm the storms in our lives, sometimes we have to accept that He is with us during the storm. He doesn’t always choose to quiet storms; many times, He wants us to cling to Him as our only hope. So, next time life gets a little bumpy, remember that the One who has power over the storm is still in the boat with you.
