24. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26. He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
Rebuke is used only for rational beings so, I wonder if Jesus told Satan to "cut it out". Jesus rebuked the winds and the waves. I wonder if He walked out on stern and rebuked Satan. Circumstances do not control Him; He controls them. He is master over all nature, all spiritual forces, over all situations that you and I face. He desires that we grow in our understanding, trust, and faithfulness to Him even when we don't understand.
Jesus did something that no one had seen before. Even the winds and waves obey His command. That is the One who deserves our faith, trust, and allegiance. This Lord is also Savior of our souls. He is powerful and loving. He commands and He cares.
The disciples believed that Jesus was the Messiah of Israel, but because their concept of Messiah was largely shaped by that of their contemporaries, they had much to learn. Their understanding of this One would continue to increase, even until the time of His ascension. Here they are forced to conclude that He was far more than they anticipated. He had authority even over the forces of nature. Some things we cannot learn by just reading the Bible, or hearing a message, or even by praying, God has us learn lessons by going through storms.
Peter wrote later, "Cast all your care upon Him for he cares for you." (1 Pet, 5:7) Peter learned that in the storms in the Sea of Galilee. When trouble comes into our lives, cast your care on Jesus. We carry our problems for so long until we are in despair. Then we finally come to Jesus to carry us.
When you turn over not only the troubles, but the tragedies to God, you learn something you can never learn otherwise. You learn that God is faithful. He is trustworthy. He does care. He is not finished with His program yet. Don't stop trusting. Paul understood that after going through the storms in his life. "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." (2 Tim. 4:7-8)
The miracles of our Lord force us to come to a decision concerning Jesus Christ. He was no mere man. You must respond by faith or rejection to the works of our Lord and more than this, you must place your faith in the person of Jesus Christ who came to provide the righteousness which God requires for salvation.
Most of us mature more through a stormy night than we do in six months of ordinary living. However, trials do not automatically produce maturity. Sometimes they just produce anxiety. I have seen people grow better and more beautiful through difficulty and I've seen some just become bitter and grotesque. The difference is our faith in Jesus Christ. If our faith is shallow, the storms will expose our weakness and destroy us. If our faith is solid, the storms will reveal our trust and strengthen us!
Nobody is going to volunteer for grief, terminal illness, financial ruin, watching our children and/or grandchildren floundering, but we can turn to Jesus to calm the waters for us and we can survive the storm!
