The Wind and the Waves
February 17
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then
he … rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
Matthew 8:26
The sky was pregnant with rain. In the next instant, it pounded on the metal
roof of the ground floor room of the lighthouse. He was uneasy. Watching as
the waves buffeted the side of the building, he sensed this was going to be a
bad storm.
The salt spray beat against the windows as the wind whipped the waves
into whitecaps. Though he was on dry land in a lighthouse that had stood the
test of time, he was afraid.
It was then he noticed the smallish captain of a sixty-foot fishing vessel
preparing to leave port. He ventured, “Aren’t those waves too big for your ship?
I mean, isn’t it too dangerous to leave just now?!”
The captain took a sip of his coffee and said in the calmest of voices, “Son,
those swells aren’t much. By the time we pass the break wall, they’ll be thirty
footers.” There was a gleam in his eyes that made the man wonder if he’d taken
leave of his senses. “I’ve faced much rougher weather at sea; we’ll be just fine.”
The perfect picture of peace with a calmness about him, the captain finished his
coffee, nodded at the man, and headed for his ship.
h
Jesus was sleeping right up until the disciples, in fear for their lives, awakened
him. He rebuked the winds and the waves, and then he rebuked them. “Why
are you so afraid?” Can you hear them? “What? Are you crazy? Look at the
situation we’re in!” Seasoned fishermen are used to rough weather. So this was
one bad storm.
In an instant, the storm subsides. Awestruck, they asked, “Who is this man
that even the wind and waves obey him?” They were to discover that peace is
not dependant upon circumstances, but upon Whom our faith rests. Like the
captain in today’s story, they knew the One who calms the storm in each of us
and tells the wind and the waves, “Be still.”
Prayer
“Please still the storm in my soul, Lord. Help me weather
this battle; help me trust that You will never allow me to
drown under the burdens of life. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
No comments:
Post a Comment