Lent Day 33 | 40 to Life
Hello Redeemer family, I'm Caroline Head and I am your vestry member for the Evangelism and Hospitality Commission. Welcome back to our 40 to Life daily reflections. Today is the 34th day of Lent.
My reflection today will be on the Biblical passage in which Jesus calms the storm.
This story appears in three of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. I will use Matthew 8:23-27 from the New International Version of the Bible.
Jesus Calms the Storm Matthew 8:23-27
23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.
24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.
25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
My husband and I read a daily devotional from a publication called The Upper Room. Some months ago, the scripture was this story of Jesus making the storm subside and calming the waters of the lake. At times during our lives, we may feel like we are in that boat with the disciples with the storms of life raging and causing waves to swamp our boat. Examples include times of uncertainty and stress like we’ve all experienced during the pandemic; times when we have health issues; periods of economic uncertainty with loss of employment or job security; worry about children, other family members, or friends. I am sure that you have experienced some or all of these and other storms of life. We feel afraid and out of control. The person who wrote that day’s devotion told of a period of uncertainty in her life when she felt like that. She had used that passage to help herself visualize being there in the boat when Jesus calmed the water and saved the disciples. That strategy spoke to me, and I have used it to imagine I am in that boat with Jesus as he rebuked the winds and calmed the lake. I hope that you will try it. Jesus cares for each of us and is always in our boat to help us through the storms of life.
