Sunday 23rd of June
“’Even the wind and the sea obey him.’
Mark 4:35-41
At times in our lives, Jesus invites us to cross to the other side, to take a leap of faith, and to move from doubt to trust and from fear to courage. Sometimes, when we make this crossing, it is as though we are in this boat being blown by the winds and waves. And we question where Jesus is in these moments of our lives. Is he still with us in our boat?
This was the experience that the disciples had. Jesus invited them to cross over to the other side, but they were met by a storm while crossing. The waves were breaking over the boat until it was almost swamped. To the disciples’ dismay, Jesus was asleep in the stern and seemed not to care about their predicament. So, they woke him up and said, “Master, do you not care? We are going down.” Jesus got up, spoke to the wind in the sea, And said, “Quiet! Be calm. And all was calm again. Jesus seemed surprised by the disciples’ lack of faith. How is it that you have no faith, he said.
Just as the disciples, we, too, may forget that Jesus is with us and has the power to calm the winds and the waters. What storms are we currently facing in our lives? Perhaps it’s the pressures of work, tensions in our relationships, financial worries, or health issues. Are we aware that Jesus is in our boat? Do we have the confidence to call out to him with faith, knowing that he can quiet and calm the storms in our lives? Lord, we pray that you might give us the faith and trust to weather the storms of life, knowing that you are with us and that when we call out to you, you will come and quiet our anxious hearts.