But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.

Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.  Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

 Mark 4:37-40

God is a friend we can trust! That is our Bible point for this week at VBS. And it’s oh, so true. But do we? Do we really?

I’m trying to watch the news again. It’s hard because I want actual news about what’s going on all over the world, not just in Washington, DC.  Well, spoiler alert, A LOT is going on around the world. And most of it is shocking, troubling and unnerving. But ALL of it is out of our control – totally and completely out of our control.

I’m pretty laid back, and I don’t much need to be in control. But I do have an aversion to thrill rides that lift you up and drop you down in a free-fall for a random number of stories for a random number of times. That’s the aptly named Tower of Terror. And lately the news is giving me that same sort of woozy feeling. HOWEVER, I know that God is not in Heaven watching the news and wringing His hands. I’m sure our behavior is grieving His heart, but it is not a surprise. He knows the whole story of history, and He wrote the book on it!

Jesus gave us the perfect object lesson when He took a little boat ride and tried to squeeze in a nap after a long day teaching huge crowds. His crew of seasoned fisherman were well acquainted with storms on the sea. But notice that when THIS storm came up, they were on the Tower of Terror, rising up and falling down, only with gallons of water pouring in. In fact, it was so bad that they didn’t cry out to Jesus for help. They were already convinced they were goners. They shouted, “Don’t you care that we’re GOING to drown?!”

I don’t know about you, but that sounds like some of my prayers. “Hey, Lord, don’t you see what’s happening down here? I thought we were pals. Are you really going to let me (fail, suffer, die, be sick, go bankrupt, grieve, etc.)?!”

All of those storms of life happening, just like the storm surrounding Jesus’ boat – terrifying, dangerous, and completely out of our control. “God! Where ARE You?!” “Oh, you’re right here in the boat with us…chillaxing on a cushion. What?!?”

And with a word, the storm stops, the waves calm, and Jesus looks at us and says “Why were you so afraid? Didn’t I tell you I’ve got your back?” Well, that’s a paraphrase, but God DOES have our backs. God is a friend we can trust. And Jesus is a friend who loves at all times, in any kind of weather, fair or foul.

Now, God, in His wisdom, doesn’t always calm the storm. But He can calm the storm in us, and give us peace or comfort, or discernment. And no matter how bad the storm might be, He’s always in the boat with us.

PRAYER: Lord, give me the strength to hand over my fears to You, and find true, abiding peace in the midst of life’s storms, no matter how scary, knowing that even if I have to go through them, you will be with me. Help me to remember that it’s not about me, and to just trust and obey. Amen.

Your all-weather friend,

Jen