Loving God, bless the needs of this dear reader in all they may face today and all days; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
I thought it appropriate to read these words for today from Matthew 8:24 A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him up, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" 26 And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. 27 They were amazed, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?"
As we drove home Monday night, the signs on the freeway said, "Hurricane Forming in Gulf." Next sign: Storm Forming. Fill Your Gas Tanks. Tuesday morning I went to fill my gas tanks and only one customer besides me there. From there I went to the grocery store. Not too many people when I went in. I bought groceries and discovered that many people had come in with lists to buy water, canned food, batteries. etc. They were preparing for what they knew was possibly coming.
The disciples did not have AccuRadar or the Weather Channel. They did not see the flags of choppy waves or travel advisory for small crafts on the water. Those things did not exist. What existed was a primitive mode of transportation that could take them from point A to B over the water. This "windstorm arose on the sea" and it was so terrible the boat began to be swamped by waves. The disciples had in their midst fishermen, who understood these things, and they also had human men who became frightened about what was happening and what could happen. Jesus slept. Thank God this verse is not in that form then there would be a real competition in Sunday school about the shortest verse in the Bible! Jesus was calm enough in the face of this storm that He rested and slept, while His disciples freaked out about this storm. They awoke Jesus with their fears, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" His response was, "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?" He then rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a dead calm. Then they wondered, what kind of man is this that He can control even the winds and the sea?
How do you face the storms of your life? How do you prepare for the ones you don't even know are coming? And how do you rely and use the One who controls even the wind and the sea?
PRAYER: God of all nature, help me in the facing of all storms. As the wind and the rain rages around me, help me to know that You are in control. And I ask especially for those times when I face the storms of life. I pray for Your calming presence and power when I face that which I sometimes think I face alone. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
