35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Storms come in like wildfire and floods - tearing apart worldly foundations - even the best built edifices can collapse and fields of crops damaged in a instant. Storms are a thief in the night that robs our temporal peace and suffocates our clarity.
The account of Jesus calming a storm has countless layers regarding human existence and our relationship with God. In one short episode we see humanity's panic and dread and mistrust of God, God's peace even in catastrophe and abounding love - the power of faith and the paralyzing doubt sown from fear.
We are all like the fisherman - when storms come and they do we feel forsaken - we blame God or we internalize the blame on ourselves in a dysfunctional way that only upends our faith. Internalizing blame refers to a situation where a victim is abused and when they don't perceive God in their life they internalize all the pain and allow it to fester in a self-blaming and projection model.
We have a choice do we let life's storms extinguish the light in our hearts - leading us into great darkness or do we CHOOSE GOD in Christ and let the Holy Trinity be the anchor of our soul and our navigation guide. I think everyone, especially those of faith want to say they 'choose God' but the flesh is drawn into fear - biologically we are wired to panic - but panic only clouds judgment - which is why fight or flight only works in sort bursts as a life saving mechanism. Too much cortisol, too much adrenaline - leaves us weak, dejected and in a constant state of havoc physically. We just have a hard time perceiving God's promises as TRUTH when we are in the valley of the shadow of death. We expect immediate rescue from our burdens, but God has a bigger plan and a more infinite picture of the depths of a situation, the needs of our soul and the canvas of the world wide picture. That is why faith is tested and refined so sharply in the storms of life.
Like the disciples instead of looking to God and trusting in the peace of the SPIRIT, the promises of Christ, God's mercy and love and prayerfully discerning the situation we frantically run around trying to solve the problem - crying out 'God, wake up.'
Jesus was sleeping because he knew the peace of God and trusted His Father to save them. Does that mean we put ourselves willingly in a storm - the path of a tornado and sleep as it rages - expecting God to save us? NO! Jesus is rather calling us to let God be the anchor in our storms and to trust that HE is with YOU even when it seems you are forsaken - God does not forsake a heart - especially one that is rooted in HIS love. If you are rooted in the love of Christ you will have an abounding peace to persevere through crises and to have the discernment of the Spirit to help you find the best way through.
Symbolically this passage referring to the crossing the Sea of Galilee is parallel to our lives - life is crossing an ocean of obstacles, joys, pains and sorrows and beauty beyond imagination - it is only in God's care can be be sustained and find our path to distant shores. God has the power to calm storms - if a storm is not calmed the way we expect - then God has a better solution - God is working in the best interest of your soul - keep your eyes set on God and the road opens up and life - even in chaos - is filled with God's peace - a peace that endures. Christ died on the cross - instead of succumbing to fear - he fearlessly trusted in the Father's will and that trust not only wrote the salvation of our souls but afforded Jesus resurrection and glory.
Do you not think that God who is the Spirit of love, hope and charity, justice and peace would be so fickle as to not hear the cries of creation and rescue us from storms - when God lets storms come - he also wills them to pass - the storms of life will come and go, God is eternally present - if we anchor in His Spirit we will not only endure but we will deepen our relationship in HIS Word made Flesh - Christ and be moved by the grace HE provides to sow grace on the earth. The Holy Trinity is an anchor to the soul, a lighthouse navigation system and a compass when all other directions fail - God's direction is true and steadfast.
Fear and anxiety are pathogens - spreading worry, hate, anger and doubt in the hearts of humanity. In a world that at times seems so blackened by the wages of sin - war, famine, drought, materialism, poverty, consumerism and economic strife it is easy to lose sight of God's tender care in our life. When our signals are so jammed by catastrophic fear we fail to hear God's directions. We lose reception of His Divine navigation - when instead of laying worry at His feet we insist on fighting through troubled waters. Evil exists in this world and we need to fight it by the Holy Spirit's call of love, mercy, charity, active compassion - but above all we must fight evil through petitioning God and TRUSTING in God's will. It is easy to assume God doesn't want to be involved. Jesus has come, died, rose from the dead - the Gospel is in our hands now and anything else is our problem. It is a fair question on the surface - how can we trust God's peace - the peace of Christ and the Holy Spirit when we face hurricanes in our lives that rail against the soul and leave our flesh broken and brittle. We often cry out:
'Oh my God, why have you forsaken me?' 'Where are you God?' 'Do you care?' 'Why does God allow suffering?'
First off God doesn't allow suffering - we do - it is a virus that we may not be able to extinguish but it is our duty to show mercy and work in acts of kindness to alleviate one another in our burdens as we come to the crossroads of life. God is always at work in suffering - using not the evil - but the good of refining love through trial and fire so that we can have the strength to turn from evil and embrace LOVE eternal - love eternal starts now and we need to step up our role as servants in the kingdom.
Still the question lingers - for a God as awesome and mighty as our God why does He often appear invisible? I think the better question is why are we so blind? Because God is always speaking to us through The Holy Spirit - calling us to his narrow road - but we are afraid - we are afraid of suffering ourselves, of storms, or we don't really want to give up the sharp edged sword of anger. Until we ask Jesus to be our anchor in storms we cannot move forward - we are like lost sheep running into the hills without a map - wandering aimless and afraid, bitter and angry - frustrated and disconsolate.
Over my life I have encountered raging storm after raging storm and I kept vigilant watch for God to rescue me. When the culmination of the pain hit a suffocating breaking point I nearly gave up the fight - I almost said 'okay, help isn't coming in this life - I guess I'll suffer through.' While suffering can be a great gift from God to teach us empathy or help build our character - suffering in bitterness and panic is not productive - it is wasting away energy and our lives. We will fail to move on from the suffering that isolates us until we learn to let God anchor our soul and the Holy Spirit be our navigation system. This is a lesson I am still learning, but each day peace grows within my heart and even in storms I am able to have fortitude and perception instead of an overwhelming despair of 'all is lost.'
Nothing is lost when we cast our anxieties on Christ. God is at work - even when it seems as though He is sleeping - The greater question we are compelled to ask is 'are we at work'- or are we too busy worrying and panicking to seek out the Lord - seeking out the Lord beyond worry and doubt and accusations - to a coming of grips of asking God 'I am afraid, I cannot handle this - be the anchor of my soul, guide me through these stormy waters. If it is your will clear the storms in my life. If the storms are in your will teach me patience and faith to endure, learn and to always be anchored in YOUR SPIRIT'
I think coming to this peace is a lifelong journey - but it is a peace we must strive for. We get so focused on Demanding 'WHY LORD' - instead of 'Help me, Guide me, Keep me in your still waters, anchor of my soul.'
This is a radical concept for me in my faith the last few years - as a child to my early twenties I always relied on God and trusted Him in life's storms, but the final hurricanes left me so broken I thought I couldn't be repaired and I lingered in the anger, drifting at sea - I let go of my anchor - I was not lost, beyond God's gaze, but I left myself drift into doubt. God rescued me. His grace abounds even in the midst of storms.
You see this in natural disasters - the devastation is monstrous - yet miracles do abound - maybe not as many as we'd like to see - we focus on the loss of life - but what about the survivors and those who helped a neighbor in need. God is at work. God wipes every tear. Jesus calms the storm.
Invite Jesus to be the anchor of your soul through prayer, meditation and reverence - see God's glory in creation - not the temporal storms of fear - for suffering will pass - love will endure and God is eternally at work for our highest good.
I have let go of my fear tangled knot by tangled knot, but I have striven forward in peace - slowly breaking the waves of tumultuous waters through faith and thanksgiving and relinquishing my power to the only one who can truly sow peace in a human heart - God.
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