He Can Calm Any Storm

(From Mark 4 and Matthew 8)
Jesus had been helping and healing people all day, and he was tired. He and his disciples got into a boat and set out across the lake. While Jesus was asleep in the front of the boat, a wild storm arose, wilder than any the fishermen-disciples had ever seen. They were terrified!



The boat went up and down violently on the waves and the wind tore at the sails. This storm was more than they could handle. Jesus was still asleep.

They woke Jesus up and said, "Jesus, don't you care that we are going to die? Help us!" Jesus stood up and told the storm, "That's enough. Be quiet." And suddenly, the wind stopped. The waves stopped. The clouds began to lift.

The disciples were amazed, and now they were afraid not of the storm, but of Jesus. "Who is this," they said, "that even the wind and the waves obey his voice?"
Jesus turned to them. "Why were you afraid?" he said. "Did you forget who I am? Did you believe your fears instead of me?"

They did not understand that this was the Son of God. They forgot that if Jesus was with them, they did not need to be afraid, no matter what storm was raging around their little boat.

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Jesus, we have heard that you are loving, and that you are strong. When storms come in our lives, we are afraid. But you made the wind and the waves, and they obey your voice. Nothing can happen to us unless you allow it to happen. Help us to call out to you, to remember that you are with us always, and to trust you! It feels so risky and crazy sometimes to trust you, but when we do, our lives are transformed, and we experience peace that passes understanding.