Now when [Jesus] got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
Matthew 8:23-26
I love music. Back in the early 1970's, I helped my pastor, Chuck Smith, start an outreach called Maranatha! Music. Contemporary Christian music didn't exist, and we were able to help get it started. It was an exciting time of ministry. I'll never forget that Monday afternoon, though, when Chuck sat down with me in my office and told me that he thought it was time for me to leave.
What? Leave? Sure, I'd asked to leave a few times before, but he'd never actually agreed! I only made $75 a week; I had no savings account. Christmas was coming, and I had a wife and three kids at the time. I bawled like a baby. I felt like such a failure, like there was so much more I could have done in the three years I'd been involved. But Chuck said lovingly, "Mike, you've done a good job. We'll give you a month's salary so you can get prepared to go to San Diego."
It's hard to move. It's hard to change. But had my pastor not taken the step to clip the umbilical cord for me, I would have missed out on all that the Lord has done here in San Diego. The Lord needed to shake things up in my life so that many others would be saved.
We all experience storms in our lives. We see here in Matthew 8 that the disciples literally feared for their lives when "suddenly a great tempest arose" and threatened their boat. That word, "tempest," literally means, "a shaking, a commotion, or an earthquake." And notice it hit "suddenly." The disciples were caught off-guard, and reacted with swift panic, crying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" But what was a surprise to the disciples was no surprise to Jesus. Not only did He know the storm would hit before they ever stepped foot in the boat, but He also had the power to calm it.
You see, God uses storms in our lives to shake us. We like to be in control, but storms remind us to "let go and let God." He wants to stretch our faith, to get us outside our comfort zone, and to demonstrate His power in our lives. Sometimes we can see the storm coming, and sometimes we can't. But we must always remember that Jesus is in control, not us. Storms do not surprise or intimidate Him.
Today, Jesus has the power to calm every storm in your life. In those moments when you feel overwhelmed by the waves crashing around you, and the winds blowing against you, trust Him to bring a great calm.
