storms

Matthew 8

23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples.

24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat.

But Jesus was sleeping.

25 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting,

"Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"
  

26 Jesus responded,

"Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!"

Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves,

and suddenly there was a great calm.
  

27 The disciples were amazed.

"Who is this man?" they asked.

"Even the winds and waves obey him!"

This event is recorded in each of the Synoptic Gospels – Matthew 8:21-27, Mark 4:35-41, & Luke 8:22-25

They all tell the same story.

Most of the time when this story is told, the disciples always seem to get a bad rap.

It seems they are characterized as faithless, stupid men...

I mean, they're caught in a storm & they think they're going to die...

& they have the Son of God asleep in the back of the boat.

What were they thinking?

Didn't they realize that Jesus was going to take care of them.

I mean, there were a LOT of miracles that go on during the time before this incident.

Didn't the disciples think if Jesus could pull off those miracles, then He could take care of them in a storm.

Did they just think He was going to sleep back there, the boat would fill with water, & they'd all drown?

They wake Jesus up, He stands up & basically flips a switch, & the storm goes away.

And the disciples then kinda look at each other & probably whisper to each other something along the line of “who the heck is this guy that storms go away when He tells them to?”

I know it sounds pretty stupid that they'd think Jesus wasn't going to do anything.

Like I said, the disciples are usually thought of as pretty stupid.

But before we dismiss the disciples as faithless & stupid, aren't we the same way?

We have the benefit of knowing exactly who Jesus is.

We know how His life takes shape, before this incident, & after it.

And we also have a pretty big backlog of our own things we've seen Jesus do in the each of our lives, & in the lives of others.

And yet, don't we get all wound around the axle in our own lives every time there's a problem or trouble?

It's like we forget what Jesus has done for us previously, & we stand wringing our hands, worrying about what's going to happen & if Jesus is going to take care of us.

And we wonder what's taking Him so long to make things right.

So, we get all flustered & think He's not going to come through this time.

I know I'm like that, & I know that more than one or two of you are the same way.

What should the disciples done?

Wake Jesus up & calmly ask Him to do something about the storm?

And what should we do?

Calmly talk to Jesus about whatever “storm” is going on in our lives & thank Him for whatever He's going to do about it?

Today, maybe we should think about this story & how we're just like the disciples?

And maybe how we ought to trust Him more to take care of us & the situations in our lives?