Stormy Weather

"He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed"- Psalm 107:29 (NIV).

Our storms are teachable moments. Jesus' disciples followed Him onto a boat that led them into such a storm. While they labored to keep the boat from sinking, Jesus slept. Veteran fishermen, they probably felt they could battle this storm on their own. As the storm worsened, they eventually began to wonder why He had brought them onto this boat only to allow them to be defeated by the storm. Doesn't it feel like we go through some of our darkest storms alone, like Jesus is sleeping while we are bailing water? We struggle, grow weary and become downtrodden. The disciples finally stumbled to the Master, most likely on their knees, and asked Him to save them. How many times do we tarry in the storm, not asking for help? We must recognize and profess our need for our Savior in our lives before the storm saps us of our strength and possibly our faith. Jesus will still the storm to a calm sea (Matthew 8:23-26). Then we will marvel as His disciples did: "What sort of man is this? Even the winds and waves obey Him (v.27)! Your emergency check-off list should begin with: #1. Seek the Lord first, #2. Have faith He will save you, #3. Prepare to marvel. Our storms strengthen our faith and intensify our relationship with Jesus.