What is it about Jesus and storms? Is He the King of storms?

Luke 8:22-25 says, “Now it came about on one of those days, that He and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, ‘Let us go over to the other side of the lake.’ And they launched out. But as they were sailing along, He fell asleep: and a fierce gale of wind descended upon the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. And they came to Him and woke Him up, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ And they were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, ‘Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?’ (NASB).

This account is told in three of the four gospels, so it has key points that Jesus wants men of valor to remember.

Jesus allows storms to come

Storms on the Sea of Galilee are created by cold air coming down from the mountains and hitting the warm air over the sea. Sudden “perfect storms” are formed. Of course the disciples were afraid – just as we who have faced storms in our lives have been afraid.

Being a Christian does not keep us from having storms. We face external storms—financial, economic (loss of jobs), marital, family, and health storms.

We can have internal storms, too, such as—crisis of faith, bereavement, or depression storms.

My first major storm was the loss of my dad when I was eighteen. This loss of my closest friend and my role model was devastating to me. Then my only sibling died when I was thirty, and my mother died three years later. My immediate family was all gone by the time I was thirty-three!

Jesus allows storms to come.

Jesus has authority over the storms

Yes, Jesus allows storms to come, but He has ultimate authority over them.

John 1:1-4 states: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being.”

If He created everything, He has authority over all of it, including the storms. The first thing He did after the disciples woke Him up was to rebuke the wind and the surging waves. They stopped, and the water became calm. The disciples were amazed: “Who then is this, that He commands even the wind and the water, and they obey Him?”

Jesus has authority over storms.

Jesus anchors our faith through the storms

Not only does Jesus have authority over the storms but He is our anchor through the storms.

Note that before He went to sleep, Jesus told them they were going to the other side. He kept sleeping because He was confident that His Father was in control; He knew they were going to the other side. They should also have kept the faith based on His words; instead, they forgot His words.

When we are in a storm, we need to remember the promise of God.
Hebrews 13:5-6: “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my Helper, I will not be afraid.”

We need to remember the presence of God.
Exodus 33:14:” And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.”

We need to remember the peace of God.
Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

We need to remember the power of God.
1 John 4:4: “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

Jesus anchors our faith through storms.

Jesus assures us the storms will not last forever

After calming the storm, Jesus turned His attention to the disciples. He did not scold them for waking Him up; rather, He asked them a question: “Where is your faith?’’

He did not ask, “Do you have any faith?” Note the difference: Jesus knew they had faith but were not exercising it during this event.

This is the key for us to ask ourselves as we face storms: “Where is your faith?” Jesus assures us the storms will not last forever!

I mentioned earlier that I had storms when all my family members died. But my storms didn’t last forever. The Lord provided to me a wonderful wife, and her parents welcomed me as a member of their family. In fact, my wife and I have been married over fifty years!

Jesus assures us the storms will not last forever.

So I leave you with three important points as you live out your life as a man of valor:

• First, if Jesus is in your boat, you will never sink.
• Second, the question you should ask yourself every time you face a storm is, “Where is my faith?”
• Third, remember that Jesus is the King over the storms in your boat.