Finding Jesus in the Midst of Our Storms

There are many troubling things occurring in our world these days.  There is the U.S. Government partial shutdown that's been going on for far too long now and there is major snow storm that is heading towards the Northeastern U.S. where I live.  There are many things that are going on all over our world that can cause us to feel stressed and fearful.

We all have experienced hardships and we know that hardships and difficult times come to all of us at some point.  Sometimes it feels like our faith is being tested and we may wonder if things will ever get better.  We may feel deep grief and sorrow and even discouragement.  We may feel very afraid about the storm that we are going through in life or we may be worried that a life storm may be just over the horizon.

Matthew 8:23-27

²³ Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. ²⁴ Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping

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²⁵The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

²⁶ Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

²⁷ The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

I remember reading of the time when Jesus and His disciples were on a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee.  A storm arose and the wind picked up speed.  The rain was coming down in buckets and the waves were bouncing the tiny ship was tossed.  

I can only image how the disciples felt.  It was dark and lonely out there on the lake.  They were tired and the storm just seemed to be very bad.  They were scared that they were going to die.  That's never a good feeling to have for anyone.  Sometimes we face horrible situations that make us afraid and we just don't know what to do or where to turn. 

The disciples did what we all should do when we are facing a storm in our life.  They went to Jesus.  They found Jesus sleeping in the boat while the storm raged all around them.  Jesus got up and rebuked the storm and it stopped.  The winds and waves obeyed the Lord's command.  He spoke peace into the storm.

The Lord Jesus is with us in our storm of life as well.  No matter what we are going through Jesus is right there with us.  We need to turn to Him and talk to Him.  Jesus isn't asleep, but He is very much awake and an ever present help in our time of need.

Go to the Lord Jesus in prayer and turn your storm over to Him.  The Lord will speak to your storm and bring peace and calmest to your heart as you go through it.  He may not remove the storm or difficulty, but we can know that He will help us through it as we set our eyes upon Him.

Lord,

Storms are scary at times.  

We need Your help through them. 

Bring a quiet calm to our souls.

We love You Lord and we thank You for loving us.

We praise Your Name.

In Jesus Name we pray,

Amen.