Matthew 8:23-27
Verse 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.
We talked yesterday about how the storm calmed when Jesus stepped into the boat after walking on the water with Peter, but that wasn’t the first time that Jesus had calmed a storm on the sea.
This incident happened after multiple other miracles and just like the other time the disciples didn’t see the truth about Him in any of the other miraculous things that He had done. He had even talked about the true cost of following Him and they still saw Him simply as their friend the great teacher, they missed His godliness and power.
Jesus shows the peace that surpasses all understanding in this scene in the boat. While others are panicking due to water sloshing into the boat and being tossed and turned by the tumultuous waves, Jesus is sound asleep. His peace was so deep it was as if there was nothing going on around Him. While the disciples were going out of their minds with fear, Jesus is in a state of complete rest. They were scared because of what they could see, He was at peace because of what He knew.
His response to them is the same in both episodes, “Why do you have such little faith?” They had no faith because they didn’t have control of the situation. He had peace because He knew who was in complete control. Jesus knew that the reason they were dealing with fear is because they had been looking to themselves for solutions to the problem. They came to Jesus as a last resort. Just like we tend to do.
Jesus didn’t give the gentle rebuke and then go back to sleep, He calmly takes the situation in hand and commands the wind and waves to still. Not only did they calm down, our key verse for the day said that it was completely calm. It didn’t just slow down, it completely stopped! The words were no sooner out of His mouth and the sea would have been perfectly still. The boat would have gone from rocking violently to sitting still. The sound of howling winds would have suddenly been silent. The change from one moment to the next would have been so noticeable that they would have probably caught their breath. They couldn’t wrap their minds around who this Man was. Their fear turned to pure amazement.
Making It Personal
How amazed are you about the fact that Jesus controls the wind and storms? How quick do you turn to Jesus when you are in a rough spot? Is that the only time you turn to Him?
Making It Personal Kids
What do you think it was like to be on that boat with Jesus and see Him command the storm to stop? Do ask Jesus to help you when you are in a scary time? Do you ask Him to help you on the good days too?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for the peace that can only come from You. Help us learn to lean on You not on our own abilities. And give us a desire to come to You even when we don’t need help with something. In Jesus’ name, amen.