This past spring brought many dangerous storms into the surrounding areas where we live. We would watch the predictions of weather forecasts as they would describe the growth and intensity of the storms as best they could, until they drew closer and closer. Then, they would send out storm warnings and call for evacuations in the areas where the storms would appear to be moving towards or either right on top of the town. The weather forecasters did this in an effort to save lives as the storms approached.
But that wasn’t the case on the Sea of Galilee in Luke 8:22-25. "One day he (Jesus) got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they put out, and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A gale swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. They went to him and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?"
Although the Sea of Galilee is only about 7 miles wide and 13 miles long, it lies nearly 700 feet below sea level. With the mountains and ravines that surround it, storms can come quickly, and violently pop up without warning. It was a scene just like that, that takes place in my devotion today.
Storms aren’t fun, either at sea or in real life. Yet we learn lessons through storms that we never would learn in life, if it were always calm. The Christian faith is not just to get us to heaven when we die. It teaches us how to live in the here and now, especially when life gets stormy. This miracle has much to teach us, as it taught the disciples that day, about who Jesus really was and what it means to us in the trials and storms of our daily life. This miracle shows us that, since Jesus is Lord over all, we can trust him in the storms of life.
The days of Jesus had been busy days. As they set sail, and being exhausted from the day’s events, Jesus went to the stern of the ship, laid down, and fell asleep. While they were crossing the sea, a storm suddenly came down from the mountains. It was as if the Lord himself led them into the storm; and he did. Luke 8:22 reveals this, "One day he (Jesus) got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake." Did Jesus know that they would run into a storm? You better believe he did, and he knows about every storm that will come into your life as well. Jesus was taking his disciples on a field trip that day to teach them a lesson that they would never forget. In verse 23 we see where God had allowed a crisis, so that they could learn an important life lesson, through their desperate situation.
We all understand, spiritually speaking, how quickly and how suddenly and how destructively storms can arise in our lives and threaten to swamp us. Our life sails being ripped to shreds like sheets of paper. Exhausting all our strength and using every bit of our energy and experience to try to weather the storm. This was the first time that the disciples had faced a storm like that, and it was a bad one. Yet, Jesus wanted them to learn that he was the true master of the sea, and understanding that, they could weather future storms that were sure to come after he left them returning to the Father.
Maybe there are times in your life that you’ve taken on about all the water you can stand and then on top of all that you feel like, Jesus is asleep. But friend he is not! He is waiting for you to learn the lesson of trusting in him even when your boat is filling with water and appears to be sinking. Will you trust Him today?
Hold Fast,
-Bren
