And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And 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. (Matthew 8:23-26 ESV)

There is nothing trivial about what Jesus does. There is a meaning and purpose behind every word and action. In this story, he showed his disciples there is nothing to be afraid of as long as he is with them. I don’t think they fully understood who he was, and so Jesus gave them something to marvel and think about. Compare today’s passage to what Psalm 105:25-30 says:

For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.

Did you spot the similarities? This psalm describes God as having the power to command the seas and manipulate the weather, and in the Book of Matthew, Jesus did just that. Do you realize that all of his work proclaims his identity as the Son of God? Notice that this was no ordinary calm. This was a “great” calm. You could probably hear the water gently rippling against the boat when everything settled down. If Jesus can hush a storm and quiet the seas, then he can certainly handle any problem you throw his way. He may ask you, “Why are you afraid?”

• Do you trust me?
• Do you remember who I am?
• Do you believe that I am the Son of God?
• Do you believe that I have the power to create and control everything?
• Do you want to see what I can do?
• Will you trust Me now?

These storms will not last forever, but they will surely shake up your faith. Take a moment to ask Jesus to bring you into the Great Calm. It’s okay to say, “I’m afraid!” The storm may continue to rage, but at least your heart will be settled because you are trusting him with the outcome. And if you happen to be struggling with insomnia, then imagine yourself crawling into Jesus’ arms and allow him to rock you to sleep. After all, you are a child of God.