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"But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"
(Luke 8:23-25)
Some of you have recently come through Hurricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms to hit the western coast of Florida. (At the time of the writing of this devotion, the storm is now bearing down on the coast of South Carolina.) We have dear friends in Florida and prayed for them during the storm. I have gone through several hurricanes in my life, and they are scary. When I was a teenager living in Alabama, Hurricane Frederick slammed the Alabama gulf coast in September 1979. It was cool missing two weeks of school, but never would I want to go through that experience again. Our family stayed all night at the local high school gym, and I never prayed so hard as I did then! We were without electricity, took baths in the lake, and it was a difficult time, but family and friends bonded together, shared meals, and helped one another.
Others are going through a different type of storm. No, it is not a physical hurricane, but it is an emotional, mental, or spiritual storm, and the struggle is real. If this is you, then I hope today's biblical text from Luke 8 encourages and strengthens you. Jesus slept through the storm. He was not afraid or worried in the least. The disciples (and I can relate to this) were scared out of their minds! The boat was filling up with water, and they had visions of going overboard and drowning. But they knew where to go for help; better said, they knew Who to go to for help. They went to Jesus. Our Lord is always available and ready to help us in our time of trouble. Psalm 46:1 states, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." One translation reads, "an abundantly available help."
As you walk through your storm, I encourage you to do what the disciples did and go to Jesus. He will welcome you and He will help you. He is great like that!
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