Another wave crashed inside the boat, filling it with water. The ship was surging back and forth as the waves punched into it over and over. The wind screeched, and the thunder yelled. The men on the vessel were weary from fighting the sudden onslaught of vengeful weather. Their soaked clothes clung to their skin as they attempted to bail water from the boat. They were beginning to think this was the end. No one could survive this storm.
One of them went to wake the master . No one understood how he could sleep during a crisis like this. The master awoke to the group asking why he didn’t care that they were about to perish. The master walked to the bow, not faltering in a single step despite the rocking of the boat.
“Peace. Be still,” the master said. Three words. Three words, and the sea was smooth as silk; the wind had shut its jaws. The silence was eerie. Who was powerful enough that even the wind and waves obeyed him? In the calm after the storm, the realization of this man’s power struck fear into his disciples’ bones. This man was like no other man. This man was Jesus Christ. The Messiah, the Son of God, the King of Kings , and the Lord of Lords. None could compare.
The sudden silence was a startling contrast compared to the chaos happening seconds before. Often life mirrors that moment on the boat. One minute you aren’t sure you’ll survive the raging sea of life, then the next moment Christ steps in and changes everything. He brings stillness. He brings peace to your otherwise dark and stormy night.
Often the storm you face will be internal. You can’t find calm due to the sixty simultaneous ping-pong games in your head. You recite what ifs and doomsday scenarios until you’re convinced they’ll happen. You watch the sixty balls go back and forth across the net until you’re so overwhelmed that you lose all sensibility . You don’t know which scenario to look at or which one is most likely to play out, so you assume the worst. Much like the disciples, you believe you’re going to perish—until you get the notion to run to Christ.
The Good Shepherd is waiting with open arms. He wraps His arms around you and quiets your soul. He guides you to a field full of grass with the sound of a stream singing nearby. Jesus’s power is great enough to calm any storm, even the one that rages in your mind. He offers a place to dwell securely after or during any storm. After chaotic times we long for the glassy lake that the disciples saw, but we often forget to go get our Master . We try and bail water till we’re seconds from going under. Then, we call on Christ.
He hears, shows up, and calms the storm. Being in Christ’s presence is like a moment on glassy water. No wind, no rain, and no rocking. Listen for the words “Peace. Be still,” and let your anxious mind calm to hush. Let Christ calm the raging sea inside you like He silenced the sea for the disciples.