Jesus foretold in the Sermon on Mount that life on earth is full of storms. Regardless of whether one is rich or poor, wise or unwise, prepared or unprepared, the storms will come. This is what Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Universe, taught. Yet, when the storms come people are surprised. “Why is this happening?” We tend to forget that we live in a sin-cursed world. We are told we can be safe. We can have insurance. We have healthcare. We have building codes. We have laws. We have safety devices. We believe we can protect ourselves. We believe that we are entitled to safety and peace. We believe that the purpose of relationships is to make us happy and fulfilled. All these assurances ended at the fall. Don’t misunderstand, of course we should be wise, prudent and trusting. But, at the same time, we must realize that the storms will come and no amount of human preparation can provide ultimate protection.
Comfort comes when you and I grasp that the storms are not random. The storms move at the command of Jesus Christ. He is the only source of protection and safety. He is the Lord of the winds and waves, and every other type of storm you will face. With Christ our view, our emotional response, to life’s storms can be something like this:
Scary
eternal
hurting
out of control
held tightly by the one in control
sad
awed
grateful
humbled
cared for
peace
Without Christ, the response can only be one of chaotic fear, dread, and anger.
Learn from the awe of the disciples – who is this that even the winds and waves obey him?
“Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Matthew 8:24-27