Even in the Storm: A Message of Hope

Hi, and welcome back to Morning Light. Wherever you are as you watch this, whether you're in your car, at the kitchen table, or awake at an hour you'd rather not be, I'm really glad you're here. Today I want to talk about storms. Not the kind on the weather report, but the kind that come into our lives without asking permission.

There's a story in the Gospel of Mark that I keep coming back to. Jesus and his disciples get into a boat in the evening to cross the Sea of Galilee. Somewhere out on the water, a huge storm comes up. The waves are breaking into the boat, and it's starting to fill. Now, these are experienced fishermen. They know this lake. And they are terrified. And where's Jesus? He's in the back of the boat, asleep on a cushion.

So they wake him up, and what they say to him is so honest. They basically ask, don't you care that we're going under? I love that the Bible keeps that in. Because that's the real question, isn't it? Most of us don't doubt that God can do something. What we wonder, in the middle of the night, is whether he cares. Whether he's noticed. Whether he's even in the boat.

Here's what Mark tells us happened next: "And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." Notice the very first thing. He arose. Before anything changed on the water, Jesus stood up in the middle of their fear. The first gift they received wasn't the calm. It was him.

Now, I want to be honest with you. Not every storm in our lives ends that quickly. Some of you have been in the same storm for months, maybe years. And I'm not going to tell you that if you just pray the right way, the wind will stop tomorrow. I don't believe that's what this story promises. What it promises is something deeper. You are not alone in the boat.

There's a psalm that puts it like this: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Not a help after the trouble. Not a help once you've sorted yourself out. A very present help. Right now, in the middle of it, while the water is still coming over the side.

So what do we do while the wind is still loud? First, tell him the truth. Be as honest as those disciples were. Second, reach for someone who can sit in the boat with you: a friend, a pastor, a counselor. And third, hold on to one true thing. Maybe it's that phrase, peace, be still. Say it slowly. Let it steady you for today.

Let me pray for you. Lord Jesus, you know every storm represented by the people watching right now. You know the ones that started this week, and the ones that have been raging for years. Would you stand up in the middle of them? Would you speak your peace into their hearts, even before the wind dies down? Remind them that they are not alone in the boat. Amen.

Thanks for spending these few minutes with us. If this was helpful, there's a written devotional on this same passage on the site, and a song we wrote from it called Anchor in the Storm. We'll see you next time on Morning Light.