Jesus sleeping in the face of a storm
Daily Scripture
Luke 8:22-25
22 One day Jesus and his disciples boarded a boat. He said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” So they set sail.
23 While they were sailing, he fell asleep. Gale-force winds swept down on the lake. The boat was filling up with water and they were in danger. 24 So they went and woke Jesus, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” But he got up and gave orders to the wind and the violent waves. The storm died down and it was calm.
25 He said to his disciples, “Where is your faith?”
Filled with awe and wonder, they said to each other, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him!”
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Jesus’ followers who’d fished Galilee for a living knew a lot about that landlocked lake. Its location fed stormy weather. “The valleys tend to funnel the winds down onto the Sea of Galilee causing violent storms. Winter storm winds reaching speeds of 75 mph have been measured in the hills of Galilee.” * The disciples controlled the boat as long as they could. As the vessel started to fill with water and the storm remained relentless, they realized Jesus was the only one who could save them. And he did.
- As the disciples in their small wooden vessel battled the choppy sea and fierce winds, it was natural for them to feel frantic and afraid facing this situation beyond their control. On top of that, Jesus was asleep, seemingly unaware of their dire danger! Have you ever faced a storm–a time when your life was uncertain, scary, and out of your control? During this time, did you wonder at times if God was “asleep”? What helped you sense God’s presence with you even then?
- Hebrews 13:5 quoted Deuteronomy 31:6’s promise that God will never leave or forsake us. When the disciples woke Jesus, he demonstrated God’s power by calming the storm in a way that led them to “awe and wonder.” What are some stories, Bible passages, or past personal experiences that can strengthen your faith by reminding you that we serve an all loving, always present God? Can you trust that God never leaves us and always cares about what we are going through?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I’d always prefer that you calm the storms that blow into my life. But thank you, not only for the times you make things outside me better for but for always holding and calming me no matter what I’m facing. Amen.
GPS Insights
Lydia Kim
Lydia Kim serves as one of the pastors of Connection and Care at Resurrection Leawood. An avid believer that growing in faith pairs well with fellowship and food, she is always ready for recommendations on local restaurants and coffee shops.
We are in Vacation Bible Camp mode at the church this week. Maybe that is why when I read this passage, I kept thinking about a lesson we used in the nursery a few years ago. The lesson’s key point was “God’s got it.” We wanted kids to know that no matter what happens, God loves them, they are not alone, and God is big enough to handle their problems.
The disciples were not alone on the boat when the storm appeared out of nowhere. Yet they got caught up in the winds and waves. It wasn’t until they realized the boat was filling up with water that they woke Jesus. I can only imagine how exhausted they must have felt physically and emotionally.
It’s so much easier to focus on what is staring you straight in the face than the one who quietly waits; or, in the case of this story, sleeps in the boat with you. Jesus is with us, quietly waiting and fully capable of taking on the storms we face.
When we are going through the storms of life, what would it look like if we remembered who is in the boat with us? What would it look like to trust in the one who fears nothing and can calm the storms? Like the children in our nursery, what if we remembered: “God’s got it”?
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* J. Carl Laney, article “Galilee” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016.
