Christ in the Storm

The greatest danger we all face is not being able to see Jesus in our troubles; instead, we see ghosts. In that peak moment of fear when the night is the blackest and the storm is the angriest, Jesus always draws near to us, to reveal himself as the Lord of the flood, the Savior in the storm. “The Lord sat enthroned at the flood, and the Lord sits as King forever” (Psalm 29:10, NKJV).

In Matthew 14, Jesus ordered his disciples into a boat that was headed for a storm. The Bible says he constrained them to get into a boat. In other words, he insisted that they get into the boat even though it was headed for troubled waters. It would be tossed about like a bobbing cork. And where was Jesus? He was up in the mountains overlooking the sea, praying for them not to fail the test that he knew was coming their way.

Later, he came to them, walking on the water (see Matthew 14:25). But not one disciple recognized him! They did not expect to see Jesus out on the water in the middle of a storm. Never, ever did they expect him to be with them or even near them in a tempest.

At least one disciple should have recognized what was happening and said, “Look, friends, Jesus said he would never leave us or forsake us. He sent us on this mission; we are in the center of his will. He said the steps of a righteous man are ordered by him. Look again. That’s our Lord! He's right here! We’ve never once been out of his sight!”

Yet there was only one lesson to be learned. It was a simple lesson, not some deep, mystical, earth-shattering one. Jesus wanted to be trusted as their Lord in every storm of life. He simply wanted them to maintain their cheer and confidence, even in the blackest hours of trial. It was just one simple but very important lesson.

Beloved, it’s the same lesson for us today in our storm. He is saying, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).