Emotional Health and the Miracles of Jesusعينة

Internal Storms Can be Calmed by Jesus

It is difficult to stay calm during a storm – much less to have faith in the middle of it. Today for most people to be stuck at sea in a storm seems unlikely. But we encounter other types of storms: social-political storms, emotional and mental storms.

These internal storms can be just as unbearable and life threatening. It prevents us from operating meaningfully. It draws us into ourselves and leaves us helpless. And just like the disciples felt – we question God’s character. His silence in the midst of our intense pain can be unnerving.

One thing is made clear – just because Jesus is in the boat it doesn’t mean that there won’t be storms. Just because we are followers of Christ doesn’t mean that we won’t face problems. External circumstances like the loss of a job, death of a loved one, can cause fear in us and in turn make us question our faith in God – “If God truly cares for us, why does he not appear to do something?”

Yet there are three other lessons of hope we can find in this episode:

The first lesson is that Jesus is in the boat. We are not alone – he is with us through the difficult moments of life. When disaster strikes, people often experience loneliness and the feeling of being abandoned. Loneliness does not mean you are alone. This passage reminds us that Jesus is with us.

The second thing is that Jesus is calm during the storm. In the midst of our difficult situations, the many voices can be very unsettling. The advice people give can often cause more harm than hope. Jesus’ calmness has shown us that no matter what current storm you are facing you can stay safe in the presence of God.

The third aspect is that Jesus eventually does something. It’s not that the storm is going to stay with you even though it does seem like that – mist and rain are not perpetual – this too shall pass. He might not act in exactly the way we would like him to act, hopefully we’ll be able to see the beauty that rises from the ashes – and that takes faith! So don’t give up, trust the work that he has begun in you.

Have faith – don’t give up!