Trusting Wile in the Storm

Matthew 8:23-27

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Traveling across a sea that is a few miles wide should, hopefully, be an uneventful experience. But when the Lord wants to teach us something, there is likely to be something unique occur. That certainly was the case here.

The storm came. Jesus was sleeping. That the Savior slept shows us the authenticity of his humanity. God the Son truly took on humanity in order to come and be our Savior. This was no play-acting.

When the disciples woke Jesus, the first thing the Savior did was rebuke them. Why? What about waking Jesus demonstrates a lack of faith on their part? The disciples should have understood that Jesus had a mission that he would accomplish. Nothing in the universe could have prevented Jesus from living the perfect life he came to live, dying on the cross, and rising from the dead. Nothing could keep Jesus from Saving the people he came to save. Nothing at all.

Then Jesus spoke to the storm, calmed the sea, and proved his true deity. No man has the power over wind and wave. But we think back to creation. There, God spoke, and things came to be. God spoke, and the world that was covered in water saw the waters pull back and dry land appear. Here, Jesus speaks, and a storm stops, and waves die down. This is the true God and true man who has what it takes to be the promised one and the Savior.

Response: Lord Jesus, I worship you, God the Son. You control the wind and the waves with your voice, by your power, for your glory. I thank you for taking on flesh to be the Savior. I also ask that you will help me to have the faith that the disciples lacked on the boat. Help me, I pray, to remember that you will accomplish your mission in all things. I cannot stop you. I cannot hinder you. I must trust you and know that you will keep me, as your own, and do with me your will.