Inspiration

One time in the Bible, Jesus and the disciples were ministering to large crowds, and when the evening came, Jesus needed a break. It says that He got into a boat and headed over to the other shore. The disciples went with Him, but while they were out at sea, a huge storm hit and waves crashed against the boat and water starting getting inside.

Isn't life like that sometimes? You are going along, doing your best, ministering and loving other people. You know that Jesus is with you, and you just need a little break. Then all of the sudden, out of nowhere, a storm comes—something unexpected that is all consuming.

The Bible says the disciples were afraid, but Jesus was asleep! When they woke Him in a panic, Jesus said to them, "Why are you afraid?" Think about this for a minute. Here they are in a boat at sea; it's windy and raining. The waves are crashing, the boat is swaying. Water is coming into the boat. These are fisherman. They've been in storms before so if they are afraid of this one, it's probably a doozy! I can imagine one of them saying to Jesus, "Are You kidding? Look at what's going on!" But Jesus wasn't afraid. In fact, He got up and rebuked the wind and the waves saying, "Peace be still." And the winds and waves were calmed.

Not only is this an amazing picture of the power Jesus has over nature, but it also shows His amazing grace and love for us. Most people notice that Jesus questioned the disciples' doubt and fear, but even in spite of their fear, He still calmed the storm. This tells me that Jesus doesn't expect us to be perfect all the time. However, He does expect us to call on Him. He does expect us to "wake Him up" in the middle of our storm, and He'll use those storms as teachable moments. He doesn't want us to call on Him in fear; He wants us to call on Him in faith. Remember, you have nothing to fear when Jesus is in your boat! Call on Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and let Him bring peace to the storms in your life!