Discovering Christ in the Storm

Recently, I was reading through an encouraging little book by Max Lucado entitled Imagine Your Life Without Fear. In one of the chapters, Lucado writes, "Christ-followers contract malaria, bury children, and battle addictions, and, as a result, face fears. It's not the absence of storms that sets us apart. It's whom we discover in the storm: an unstirred Christ."

In the fourth chapter of Mark's Gospel, we find the following story about Jesus and his disciples: "That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, 'Let us go over to the other side. Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, don't you care if we drown?' He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, 'Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?' They were terrified and asked each other, 'Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!'"

One thing I take from this episode from the life of Jesus is that fear and faith cannot, simultaneously, inhabit the same boat. Likewise, they cannot room together in the human heart. In my own experience, I have found that, during the life-storms, when I am most tempted to cry out, "God! Don't you care that I'm drowning!", the Messiah will once again rise up and reveal his loving power. During those times, I am reminded at a deeper level that I will never go trough this life as an orphan. For those of us who have hidden our life in the Son of God, His indwelling presence is always with us. His promise is not to keep us from trouble but to be with us. The greatest blessing that the Father gives to us as His children is Himself. Take heart; do not be afraid; He has overcome!