But as they sailed, He fell asleep, and there came down a storm of wind on the lake, and they were filled with water and were in jeopardy. Luke 8:23
A man was visiting a Bible translator who lived in a small Mayan village in Guatemala, when he noticed a picture of a dozen small children standing with their arms stretched out from their sides. He asked the translator what those children were doing. ‘The cross of Jesus’, the translator told him. The Mayans had a tradition that by reaching out when they were in pain or trouble, they would contact God, Who would share in their problem. But what problem did those smiling children have, the visitor asked. The translator pointed to shadows off to the side, and identified them as rifles from a group of soldiers who had come to ‘cleanse’ the village. Within minutes of the picture being taken, all the children were dead, along with everyone else in the village. Where was God when all of this happened? Unknown to the murderous soldiers, the children had reached out to God, and found Him there when they needed Him.
To the disciples manning the boat in today’s text, the Lord Jesus was just a sleeping passenger. Handling the boat in the storm was their department, and the storm was a surprise, because they assumed that Jesus would not have directed them into a perilous situation. How could this have happened, they wondered. They were serving the Son of God, how could He have allowed this storm to place their lives in jeopardy? What could have gone wrong? They forgot that if the Lord Jesus was with them, asleep or otherwise, He was in perfect control of the situation. Do you and I forget that as we encounter trials and struggles in our life? When our little boat fills with the water of uncertainty and danger, are we filled with fear and doubt? We need to remember that no storm ever catches the Lord Jesus by surprise. And no experience that any Christian goes through, regardless of how painful and how apparently hopeless the situation, is encountered without the presence of our Lord.
To the disciples, the Lord Jesus was asleep. He had no connection with what was happening on that lake that night, as far as they could understand. But was He out of touch with their situation? He had given the command to cross the lake. And cross they would, regardless of any storm. So it is when we are living in obedience to the Word of God. Storms will occur; that does not mean the Lord is not in control. Danger may threaten; that does not mean He is not at our side. Our minds and hearts may fill with doubts and fears just as the disciples’ boat was filled with water, but He remains faithful. He never releases control from any situation, even when we wonder where He is and why He allows us to face danger.
We can never truly be in jeopardy as long as we are appreciating the presence of our Lord. – Jim MacIntosh