October 7th - Matthew 8:26

Matthew 8:26 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The Sea of Galilee is not large. It is about 13 miles from north to south and only about eight miles at its widest point from east to west. Its location in the Jordan Rift Valley means that winds can quickly build up, and there are many accounts of sudden violent storms on the lake. We could assume that Jesus’ disciples, many of whom were experienced fishermen, would have taken such a storm in their stride but on this particular occasion, they were terrified. They thought they might die and, in their terror, cried out to Jesus to save them. Jesus was fast asleep but, woken up by their cries, he duly rebuked the wind and the waves and the storm died down. The disciples were amazed but Jesus was appalled by their lack of faith; they clearly still had a lot to learn about the kind of authority that Jesus had. It isn’t only on the Sea of Galilee that violent storms can quickly blow up. They happen in life, time and again. Perhaps an accident, a financial disaster, an illness or a relationship difficulty springs up and everything looks completely different. In those moments what we need, more than anything else, is the one thing that the disciples lacked. We need faith. We need confidence that Jesus is in control and that, although he might seem to be asleep, he is the one who can bring us through the storm and give us his peace. Recently I was blue-lighted to our local hospital. It was all rather dramatic as the ambulance raced through the streets with its siren blaring. However, I have to say that, through it all, I felt completely at peace. I was sure that I was in the safe hands of the paramedics and the NHS but, far more importantly, I knew that I had the greatest possible security because I knew that Jesus was with me. Question What have you discovered of Jesus’ peace in the storms of your life? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, thank you that you are our peace, however big the storms of life might be. Amen