In Luke 8:22-25, we read the story about the disciples facing a deadly storm while crossing the lake with Jesus sleeping in their boat. In the middle of the storm, they wondered why He continued to sleep and didn’t come to their rescue. They became terrified and cried out to Jesus for help. In an instant Jesus got up, calmed the storm and then asked them, “Where is your faith?”
There is so much we can learn from this story. Circumstances in life can often be as chaotic as the ocean’s current and, like the disciples, it’s easy to go into panic mode if our faith is placed in the wrong thing. But just like in this story, Jesus is right there with us in the middle of our storms. His Word promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Jesus didn’t question whether or not the disciples had faith; He questioned where their faith was. When the storm hit we find out that they trusted what they were seeing and feeling in that moment. They trusted the power of the storm, and they trusted their boat that was now failing them. They forgot that Jesus was in the boat going through the storm with them. They took their eyes off of Jesus and became fixated on their circumstances. But in an instant, Jesus changed everything. With one word, He was able to silence the storm.
Peace is not the absence of conflict; it’s knowing who’s in control.
The picture of Jesus sleeping during a raging storm is more powerful to me than the storm itself. Jesus wasn’t surprised when the storm came. In fact, He led them into the storm. And when it came, without a trace of fear, He simply got up, rebuked the storm and then rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith. In life, God will often allow us to go through some storms but it’s in those moments that our faith is truly tested and valuable lessons are learned that we wouldn’t learn if life never got stormy.
When our faith is rooted and grounded in Christ, He fills us with an internal peace that allows us to deal with the storms of life knowing that He’s right there with us. So, who do you trust in the midst of life’s storms? Who’s in your boat with you? It’s important that we ask ourselves these questions because who or what we trust is what determines our peace.