What Your Mind Needs for Anxious MomentsSample

The Sea of Galilee is small, but it’s known for violent storms—one minute can bring blue skies, the next minute fierce winds and rain, and the next minute, waves up to ten feet high. Luke 8 says that Jesus was weary from ministering to so many people, and He settled in for a nap as they crossed to the other side of the sea. A storm arrived and the disciples ( many of them were fishermen and knew the water well) were terrified.

Panic floods their minds and water begins to fill the boat. Where is Jesus? Why isn’t He doing anything? They find Him sleeping and wake Him with a fear-filled question: “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

What Jesus speaks to the wind and waves seems fitting for the hearts of the disciples too: “Silence! Be still!” The storm suddenly stops and there is a great calm. Amazed, the disciples ask each other, “Who is this man?” They’ve listened to His teachings and seen Him perform miracles, but they’ve not yet answered the crucial question we all wrestle with at some point:

“Is He really, truly God in every moment of my life?”

It’s the question we ask ourselves when the storms of life come. Anxiety will tell us the answer is no. The boat is sinking, and we’re in charge of saving ourselves. There is no hope; the rain will never end. No one cares about us. This is the end. But the Spirit within us whispers: Yes!

God is not distant; He’s in the boat with us. No matter how the storm rages, He will not let us drown in our difficulties. He is present and powerful, and He cares about every detail of our lives.

The disciples experienced the complete calming of a physical storm. This side of heaven, the emotional storms we’re in may not fully go away. The depression may come back. The panic attack might not stop instantly. The stress in our job could continue. Sometimes the storms calm, and sometimes we find calm in the storm because we know with certainty these two things: God is God in every moment of our lives, and with Him, we can make it through anything.

PRAYER: God, when storms come, I pray for Your supernatural calm, either by causing the storm to cease or by giving me hope, strength, and inner stillness in the middle of it. You are God in every moment of my life. Amen

REFLECT: What’s a storm you’ve faced? How did you experience God’s presence and peace in it?