I was blessed to be able to spend some time at the shore this week with my family.  I’m not sure how anyone can gaze out over the vast, mighty ocean and not be utterly convinced that there is a God in heaven.

It struck me how quickly the ocean changes; one day it was surprisingly calm, almost like a lake, the next day, it almost seemed angry, with large waves and churning seas.  Life is like that sometimes, isn’t it?  One day, we are “sailing” along in quiet, calm waters.  Life is peaceful, easy.  Then all of a sudden, we can be in the midst of a roiling, churning ocean, on the verge of sinking.

This made me think of the passage in Mark 4, when Jesus calmed the storm.

“A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.  The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’  He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet!  Be still!’  Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.  He said to the disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid?  Do you still have no faith?’  They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this?  Even the wind and the waves obey him!'”  (Mark 4:37-41).

Our pastor preached on this passage a few months ago.  Two of his points that really stuck with me were that, in the midst of life’s storms, maybe we need to stop trying to get a bigger bucket (to bail out the boat) and start realizing Who is in the boat with us!  And when we rightly fear Jesus (have awe and respect for Him), we will have faith in Him.

While Jesus calmed this particular storm, He doesn’t promise to calm every storm.  But, even if He doesn’t immediately calm the storm we are in, He DOES promise to be with us through the storm.  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.”  (Isaiah 43:2, emphasis mine).  “…..God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'”  (Hebrews 13:5).

If you are in the midst of a difficult and frightening storm, take courage.  You know the One who has the incomparable power to calm the storm; seek His help.  And remember, if He doesn’t immediately calm your storm, He is still in the boat with you, and He has the incomparable power to bring you through the storm, until you are once again sailing calm seas.

Stacey Poplawski
WOC Graduate