Stormy_Nights

You set out in your small boat, you make it half way across the lake, and suddenly a storm begins to brew in the water around you. The waves inch up the side of the boat, and the sky begins to dump bucketfuls of rain at your feet. The disciples found themselves in a similar situation, except that in their case, their storm came in between two of the most amazing, miraculous events they had ever experienced.

They had just witnessed a huge picnic that began with only five loaves of bread and two fish. They had seen Jesus, their teacher, take this small lunch and serve over five thousand people. Jesus had been the antithesis of the disciples. Where they saw a huge dilemma which called for them to come up with a solution, they watched Jesus perform a miracle. They witnessed him take over the situation without getting stressed out or without worrying once about how everything would work out.

Once everyone was fed and the leftovers were collected, Jesus, rather than celebrating this successful day with the disciples, put them in a boat and sent them out across the lake while he waited for the crowd to disperse. Even after the crowd was gone, Jesus did not go straight to meet his disciples, but he went to a place where he could be alone.

Meanwhile, the disciples were out in the middle of the water and a storm was raging all around them. The disciples must have been asking themselves where Jesus was and why he had sent them away. They must have been asking why he would send them into this storm. In those hours when the winds raged and rains poured, the disciples must have questioned their decision to leave their former lives and follow this man named Jesus. They must have had moments when they doubted the message Jesus had been preaching.

I can’t say that I have often found myself stuck in literal storms. Quite honestly, I run for shelter pretty quickly when I hear even a rumble of thunder. However, I can say that storms have raged inside me much like the storm in which the disciples found themselves. There have been times when the waves of frustration, discouragement, and disappointment have pounded on the sides of my boat. It’s in those times that I, much like I suspect the disciples did, find myself wondering about whether Jesus has left me to fight this storm all by myself, and I begin to doubt whether he cares about me.

Thankfully, the story of the disciples does not end here. All of the sudden, in the midst of the storm, the disciples saw a second miracle in this short amount of time. They saw a man walking on top of the water. You would think that these men, who had been following Jesus so closely, would automatically know that their teacher would come to their rescue. You would think that would be their first guess. However, their first thought was that it must be a ghost, and they shouted out in fear. They were met with a reassuring response from a familiar voice telling them not to be afraid. It was indeed Jesus. He had not left them to their own demise.

So once again, Jesus came through. He didn’t leave the disciples to flounder in the storm. He didn’t even really intend to scare them. He simply put them in a position to see something miraculous. He wanted them to see just how far would go to save them. He used the storm to prove his faithfulness to his disciples, just as he continues to do today.

Heather Cox is a middle school English teacher in Anderson, SC. Contrary to popular belief, she is not technically related to Bill (though they would be happy to claim her). She is a Seesalt Alumni who served for four summers.