Perspective: Storms, Faith, and Peace

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Storms, Faith, and Peace

And they went and woke him up, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?"  Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm.

Matthew 8:25-26 (NRSV)

There is hope for the helpless

Rest for the weary

And love for the broken heart

And there is grace and forgiveness

Mercy and healing

He'll meet you wherever you are

Cry out to Jesus

From "Cry Out to Jesus" by Third Day

One day, Jesus and the Disciples boarded a boat and headed across the Sea of Galilee.  As they sailed, the boat was caught up in a sudden storm, and the Disciples began to fear for their lives.  Jesus, on the other hand, had fallen asleep.  The Disciples woke Jesus up, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  Jesus then asked the Disciples, "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?"  He then stood up and rebuked the storm, and suddenly the storm died down.  Amazed, the Disciples asked themselves, "What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?"¹

Given the Disciples' astonishment that Jesus was able to calm the storm with only a word, it is not clear what they expected Him to do when they woke Him up.  What is clear is that they knew to turn to Him in a time of trouble.  For this they deserve some credit.  We like to criticize the Disciples for being thick-headed, but at least they knew enough to cry out to Jesus in their time of trouble.

Jesus did not imply that the Disciples had no faith; He simply said that they had little faith.²  Having a little faith is better than having no faith at all.  That said, this story seems to hint at the possibility of another kind of faith - perhaps a more mature kind of faith.  After all, to suggest that a person has little faith is also to suggest that the same person has the potential to have great faith.  Perhaps this kind of faith looks less like the Disciples, who cry out in fear amid the storm, and more like Jesus, who is sleeping right through the storm.

It seems to me that this story shows us two kinds of faith.  One kind of faith leads us to cry out to God when the storms of life make us fearful.  Another kind of faith enables us to rest easy amid the storms of life, assured that everything is going to be alright, knowing that God is already present and working through the storm.

Apparently, the longer people follow Jesus the more they become like Him.  I think that Paul, who became both a follower and a messenger of Jesus, cultivated a kind of faith that gave him peace amid the storms of life.  One day, Paul, as a prisoner, boarded a boat headed for Rome.  As the boat sailed across the sea, it was caught up in a storm that lasted for weeks.  Paul did not calm the storm, as Jesus did, but he did manage to calm the crew, effectively becoming a chaplain to them.  He encouraged them not to be afraid, assured them that they would indeed reach their destination, and urged them to eat when they had not eaten in days.³

So how do we cultivate the kind of faith that gives us peace amid the storms of life?  As someone who is prone to anxiety, I wish I had the answers.  Typically, when I see storms brewing in the distance, I either worriedly brace myself for them or try to avoid them altogether.  I've suspected that, if I weather enough storms in life, I will eventually take it to heart that I have no reason to worry.  What I do know, looking back, is that worry has accomplished nothing but to ruin days that would have been much better without it.

There is a kind of faith that gives us peace amid the storms of life.  Until we've attained it, we are invited to cry out for help.  If you, dear reader, are not yet able to rest easy amid the storms of life, like Jesus, know that you may cry out to Him for help, like the Disciples.


Notes:

1. Matthew 8:23-27 (NSRV)
2. At least that's what Jesus says in Matthew's version of the story.  See also Mark 4:35-41 and Luke 8:22-25.
3. Acts 27

Calming the Storm was painted by Cornelis de Wael in the 1600s.