The Savior in the Storm

The greatest danger we all face is not being able to see Jesus in our troubles. Instead, we see ghosts. In Matthew 14, Jesus ordered his disciples into a boat that was headed for a storm. The Bible says he made them go before him in this boat he must’ve known was headed for troubled waters. It would be tossed about like a bobbing cork, and where was Jesus? He was up in the mountains overlooking the sea. He was praying and seeking his Father in solitude, then in the darkest hours of the night, he walked out on the lake to meet the disciples.

You would think that at least one disciple would have recognized what was happening and said, “Jesus said that he would never leave us or forsake us. He sent us on this mission; we are in the center of his will. He said the steps of a righteous man are ordered by God. Look again. That’s our Lord! He is right here! We’ve never once been out of his sight.”

However, not one disciple recognized him. They did not expect him to be in their storm. They never expected him to be with them or even near them, but he did come, walking on the water.

There was only one lesson to be learned from their experience. It was a simple lesson, not some deep, mystical, earth-shattering one. Jesus simply wanted to be trusted as their Lord in every storm of life. In that peak moment of fear when the night is the blackest and the storm is the angriest, Jesus always draws near to us in order to reveal himself as the Lord of the flood, the Savior in storms. Psalm 29:10 proclaims, “The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, and the Lord sits as King forever.”

Christ wants his followers to be able to maintain their confidence in the Lord, their worship of God’s glory and their brotherly love for one another even in the blackest hours of their trials. This is how scripture says, “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer” (Romans 12:10-12, my emphasis).