Storms

Good Morning!

We haven’t had too many storms lately – but I can always tell when a storm is approaching. My two dogs, Lilliput and Ladybug, are very afraid of thunder and lightning so when a storm is in the offing, they are glued to me or to Miss N. There is just something about a storm that makes you want to be close to your Master.

Many of us are facing storms in our lives. Some of the storms are of a financial nature: job loss; pay reduction; too much debt. Some of the storms are emotional: divorce; loss of the affection of a child or another loved one; loss of self esteem. And some of the storms are physical: health or accident; approaching death. Each storm may have different origins – but all storms are difficult to face alone.

I am reminded of a storm that struck the disciples. The incident happened right after Jesus spoke on the mount and healed a leper, a servant and Peter’s mom. It begins with Jesus wanting to sail over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee:

Matthew 8:23-26 (English Standard Version)
Jesus Calms a Storm
23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." 26And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

One has to wonder why the disciples were so afraid. After all, had they not been present to hear Jesus speak to the thousands gathered on the hillside? Had they not witnessed the leper being made whole – or see the faith of the Roman centurion? Weren’t Peter and Andrew present when their mom was healed? I think they were – so why were they so frightened in the midst of the storm? But then, why are we?

Storms are a part of life. Actually, it seems like we make them focal points of life. How often to you hear people talking about the amazing weather we had before Katrina struck in 2005? Or, in the case of most of us down here in Atlanta, about the mild winters we have? No – we talk about Snow Jam – a snowstorm that occurred in 1982 and paralyzed the city for three days.

Should we be focused on the storms? I think so – because storms test where we stand. Look at what Jesus said about His disciples … “O you of little faith”. At this point in their discipleship, the disciples needed to gain a little more strength in their faith. They needed to see Jesus rise and rebuke the winds and the sea … and there be great calm. They needed to know Jesus has it all under control. We need that too!

When the storm strikes and Lilliput and Ladybug are stressed, I call them to me. I rub their heads and give them a reassuring pat and speak to them calmly, telling them everything will be okay. They depend on their master to do this for them. So do we…

Agape’



Mr. Jim