The storms have been relentless around Indianapolis the last few days. Thunder shaking the house. Rain coming down sideways. Lightning illuminating the sky. Tuesday, I saw three trees come down on the road I was driving on, including power lines that were sparking. It felt like a scene from the movie Twister.
What may be odd is I actually enjoy thunderstorms. I don't know what it is about them, but they captivate me. If I hear the tornado sirens in the area, a part of me wants to jump in the car and chase it. The wiser part of me grabs the family and finds a safe place. The even wiser part of me prays to the Lord who calms storms.
It has reminded me how often Scripture uses storms to teach us something about Jesus.
In Mark 4:35–41, Jesus and the disciples are crossing the Sea of Galilee when a violent storm overtakes them. Waves are filling the boat while Jesus is asleep. Several of the disciples were fishermen by trade, so this storm must have been brutal for it to frighten them. The disciples finally wake Him: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
Jesus stands and speaks three words: “Peace! Be still!”
And immediately, the wind stops.
Then in Matthew 14:22–33, the disciples find themselves in another storm. This time Jesus isn't sleeping in the boat—He isn't in the boat at all. They are fighting the wind in the darkness when Jesus comes walking toward them on the water. Eventually He climbs into the boat, “and the wind ceased.”
Two storms. Same Jesus.
But here's what struck me this week: sometimes Jesus calms the storm, and sometimes Jesus calms us in the storm. Both display the power and presence of Jesus.
In John 14:27, Jesus knows His disciples are about to experience one of the darkest and most confusing seasons of their lives. He doesn't promise that the trouble won't come. Instead, He promises them something in the middle of it:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you… Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
There are storms we desperately want Jesus to stop.
The diagnosis.
The financial pressure.
The strained relationship.
The uncertainty about tomorrow.
The prayer that still hasn't been answered.
And sometimes Jesus stands up and says, “Peace! Be still!” The clouds break. The winds die down. The circumstances change. But sometimes the storm keeps raging—and instead of speaking peace to the storm, Jesus speaks peace to His people.
I'm learning that both are miracles. Jesus is Lord over the storm around me, and He is Lord over the storm within me. So whatever weather you're walking through this week, remember: the presence of a storm does not mean the absence of Jesus. Sometimes He calms the storm. Sometimes He calms His disciple.
Either way, Jesus is still in control.
- Dwayne