Matthew 8:23-27.
Recently, the Lord brought me back to this significant moment in The Gospel of Matthew. Jesus calms a furious storm. The waves are sweeping over the boat, and the disciples are afraid for their lives, but Jesus intervenes. Immediately, the storm ends; the sea becomes completely still. What an amazing thing to witness! At first glance, the meaning of this appears to be fairly straightforward. When storms rage, Jesus is there, and He has power over it. Simple, right? The message of Jesus’ presence and power offers hope as we work through whatever situation we’re walking through.
But what if there’s an additional message in these verses? All of us have moments of wrestling with this question: If God loves us so much, why do we face storms? Matthew 8 includes an actual, literal account of Jesus’ response to a storm that His followers were facing. What a great place to look for answers to these important questions!
First, Jesus did not cause the storm. He was resting! There was no intentional decision on Jesus’ part to put the disciples into this dangerous situation. Second, it is the storm that pushes the disciples to turn to Jesus. They cry out, reminded of their dependence on Him. After their desperate cry for help, Jesus speaks to their spiritual condition. He knows their heart and calls out their fear and lack of faith.
The good news is, He doesn’t stop there. Jesus did not intentionally cause the storm, but He does end up using this moment to build their faith. He ends the storm and they are amazed. The fear that rose up when the storm rolled in is gone! How incredible is that?! When our personal storms rage, our sovereign God is PRESENT with us and POWERFUL enough to calm even the most furious winds and waves.
Guest Contributor: Bonnie Douglas
