23Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
26He 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.
27The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Matthew 8)
Thoughts: Jesus rebuked two things here. He rebuked first the disciples for not trusting God to watch over them. After all, Jesus...Jesus was in the boat with them. Their fears were overcoming their faith. Many times we let fear drain away our courage so that we do not do the right thing for God. We think the worst and forget the best.
The second rebuke of Jesus was to the wind and waves. One version says that he said, "Be still!" (Mark 4:39) and then immediately they were stilled. The Word of Jesus calmed the storm. Just as God's Word (recorded in Genesis 1)- "Let there be... and there was" created sea, earth, air, and all that is in them; So God's Word calms the current wind and waves that He created. To not believe that God is able to control these things is a degrading of the Creator's power. It is saying the Creator has no power over His creation. It is saying that the Creator doesn't care or mess with His creation after He created it. God is all-powerful and God cares more than we can imagine.
I have no problem at all giving thanks to God for the degrading of Hurricane Florence that was once a category 4 storm to a tropical storm. Many prayers- maybe millions have gone up asking for mercy from God. God stilled the storm into a whisper. All that I have- my roof, my windows, my trees, my dry house- is a gift from God. That they are preserved this night is an act of grace, mercy, and kindness. To think otherwise would be to say that any good that has happened is a matter of luck, chaos, or chance. Sometimes we believe because we can measure things or have predictive computer models that we are controlling the weather- this is not so. There is more to life than meaningless luck/chaos/chance or even our own ingenuity and pride. There is a loving God who can rebuke the wind and waves- and rebuke us for not trusting that He could do this.
The second rebuke of Jesus was to the wind and waves. One version says that he said, "Be still!" (Mark 4:39) and then immediately they were stilled. The Word of Jesus calmed the storm. Just as God's Word (recorded in Genesis 1)- "Let there be... and there was" created sea, earth, air, and all that is in them; So God's Word calms the current wind and waves that He created. To not believe that God is able to control these things is a degrading of the Creator's power. It is saying the Creator has no power over His creation. It is saying that the Creator doesn't care or mess with His creation after He created it. God is all-powerful and God cares more than we can imagine.
I have no problem at all giving thanks to God for the degrading of Hurricane Florence that was once a category 4 storm to a tropical storm. Many prayers- maybe millions have gone up asking for mercy from God. God stilled the storm into a whisper. All that I have- my roof, my windows, my trees, my dry house- is a gift from God. That they are preserved this night is an act of grace, mercy, and kindness. To think otherwise would be to say that any good that has happened is a matter of luck, chaos, or chance. Sometimes we believe because we can measure things or have predictive computer models that we are controlling the weather- this is not so. There is more to life than meaningless luck/chaos/chance or even our own ingenuity and pride. There is a loving God who can rebuke the wind and waves- and rebuke us for not trusting that He could do this.
Prayer: Lord, help me to trust in your power and love.
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