That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
Life is full of problems. In fact, it is said that it is impossible for anyone not to have any problems at all. This is why life is often described as a journey. We encounter danger after danger until we reach our destination. Yes, such is the difficulty of life that we need a companion to help us go through it all.
As Christians, we believe that our destination and companion in life is but one person – God. We come from God and we shall return to God. But He, in His great love for us, does not just wait in heaven until we return to Him. He accompanies us as we journey towards Him. The image of Jesus calming the sea is the perfect image of God guiding His people towards the “other side”, towards the Kingdom of Heaven.
But another image from our Gospel narrative today seems to be the focus of reflection for many – the image of Jesus sleeping in the boat. Many people, because of the storms in their lives, are tempted to think that God is asleep. Some even think that God is dead, cruel, or not as powerful as we think He is. They find it difficult to understand why a good God allows us to face so many problems and sufferings. They come to think that God is either good, but not almighty or is almighty, but evil.
Scriptures will tell us that God allows evil in the world in order to draw out from it a greater good. Joseph was sold by his brothers as a slave; but God was with him and he was able to save Israel from famine. Jesus was killed through crucifixion; but through His death, He saved us from sin. In the same way, our problems in life are for our own benefit. They make us better persons. As a canyon is shaped by the flowing of the river, as rocks are shaped by the pounding of the waves, so we are shaped by the problems that God allows us to encounter.
We do not face problems alone; we face them with God on our side. We should not fear them, for it is the Lord, our God who fights for us (cf. Deut 3:22).
The Holy Spirit whispers to us whatever it was that God wanted to teach us through the problems we have already encountered, ensuring that we have gone through them with lessons learned.
God is with us as we journey towards His Kingdom. And if God is with us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31), what storm can scare us?
As Christians, we believe that our destination and companion in life is but one person – God. We come from God and we shall return to God. But He, in His great love for us, does not just wait in heaven until we return to Him. He accompanies us as we journey towards Him. The image of Jesus calming the sea is the perfect image of God guiding His people towards the “other side”, towards the Kingdom of Heaven.
But another image from our Gospel narrative today seems to be the focus of reflection for many – the image of Jesus sleeping in the boat. Many people, because of the storms in their lives, are tempted to think that God is asleep. Some even think that God is dead, cruel, or not as powerful as we think He is. They find it difficult to understand why a good God allows us to face so many problems and sufferings. They come to think that God is either good, but not almighty or is almighty, but evil.
Scriptures will tell us that God allows evil in the world in order to draw out from it a greater good. Joseph was sold by his brothers as a slave; but God was with him and he was able to save Israel from famine. Jesus was killed through crucifixion; but through His death, He saved us from sin. In the same way, our problems in life are for our own benefit. They make us better persons. As a canyon is shaped by the flowing of the river, as rocks are shaped by the pounding of the waves, so we are shaped by the problems that God allows us to encounter.
We do not face problems alone; we face them with God on our side. We should not fear them, for it is the Lord, our God who fights for us (cf. Deut 3:22).
The Holy Spirit whispers to us whatever it was that God wanted to teach us through the problems we have already encountered, ensuring that we have gone through them with lessons learned.
God is with us as we journey towards His Kingdom. And if God is with us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31), what storm can scare us?
I remember my post about his. Thanks for sharing. If you have time please visit it here: be Still and Know that He is God
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