No Match for Jesus

“The disciples went and woke Him saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm.” Luke 8:24

Well I guess it is time to address the ‘elephant in the room’ which continues to move through the nations.  This elephant doesn’t discriminate and isn’t afraid to march into any country, state, city or home.  This elephant is creating havoc across every landscape of our lives…emotional… financial…political…medical…spiritual.  Yesterday, I sat in amazement as closures across our nation multiplied and announced cancellations for events never canceled.  I know that fear has no place in this approaching march, but we can’t help our minds from ‘going there.’ Although 2 Timothy 1:7 reminds we that ‘God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind’ we feel powerless and anxious.  We are just as human as the disciples in our morning verse.  Their little boat was being tossed around like a rag doll and they were terrified of the raging waters and the powerful wind.  But I’m relieved that we have the same help and anchor in our boat that they had all those years ago…we have Jesus.  Thankfully, our Jesus never sleeps…our Jesus still rebukes the wind… our Jesus still nods to the raging waters directing them to subside.

While many of us are looking to government, doctors, and 24/7 newscasts, we must remind our heart and mind that God still remains in control. He controls the bloom of each flower…He controls the breath of each lung…He controls the movement of every cloud…He controls the timing of every outcome. I’ve decided now is not the time to question why God is allowing this, rather determine what God wants to do in me during this experience. How can I respond to the care and concern of others? The disciples had it right when they turned to Jesus to calm their fears, but Scripture doesn’t tell the story of how long before the storm calmed. We want to believe that Jesus immediately got up and brought everything to a standstill. But Scripture does not say that, so we must assume that timing is not the point. Turning to and focusing on Jesus is the point in any storm we face while on earth. He was the anchor in their storm, and He will be the anchor in our storm. The disciples had each other to cling to and be encouraged by and so do we. So, as we are tossed by the waves of uncertainty with this virus may we hold tightly to each other, and approach Jesus with complete certainty that He still calms storms.

“You stilled the roaring of the seas, the pounding of their waves, and the tumult of the nations.” Psalm 65:7