There's a story in the Bible about a time when Jesus and the disciples were ministering, and when the evening came, Jesus decided to get in a boat and head over to the other shore. The disciples went with him, and while they were out, there was a huge storm and water started coming in the boat.
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 through all of this. When they woke Him, Jesus said to them, "Why are you afraid?" Now here they are in a boat, it's windy, it's 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!" Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the waves saying, "Peace, be still," and the winds and the 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 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, but 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. We have nothing to fear when Jesus is in the boat!
We have to remember that even though there are storms in life, Jesus wants to take us through in peace and bring us out more alive and more powerful than ever before. When you face those storms, remember, Jesus is in your boat! Call on Him! Jesus never said to the disciples, "Why are you waking me up?" He was saying, "Don't wake me up in fear." "Wake me up in faith." Call on Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and let Him bring peace to the storms in your life!
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33, NKJV)