Calming the Storms in Life

I recently took this picture while on a walk with my wife, Michelle, after a pretty heavy storm that passed through our neighborhood. When I took the picture I was awe struck by the beauty of the sky following the storm, but in that moment I also recalled the chaos that was once there. The storms in our lives remind us of the little control we sometimes have. They can leave us feeling overwhelmed, defeated, and vulnerable, but they can also be an opportunity to grow in faith.

In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus and his disciples set out on to the sea when all of the sudden a great storm comes upon them. Jesus is asleep in the boat and awakes to chaos and to his disciples asking him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. After he spoke those words to the sea he then turned to his disciples and asked them, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” I know that Scripture says that Jesus was speaking to the the wind and the waves to be quiet and still, but I wonder if the message was for his followers as well. In the storms of life we will often lose faith in God because we feel abandoned and left to manage the chaos on our own. As disciples, however I believe we should heed the words of Jesus to “Quiet! Be Still!” We need to let go of the things we cannot control and trust that God will bring us through the storm.

What are the storms you are encountering in your life? How can you take a moment to be quiet and still? The storms you are facing may not have be as tumultuous as the storms others face, but it is not the ferocity of the storm that matters. It is our faith in Jesus’ calming power and the love of God that calms our hearts during life’s storms. Join us this Sunday as we begin a new sermon series, “Calming the Storm” where we will discuss how God equips us for the various storms in life.

In God’s grip,

Pastor Chuck Church