Happy Sabbath, church family!
This week, we've had a few reminders that we aren't always in control of the weather. The storms have rolled through, the wind has picked up, and the rain has come down, for some worse than others!
There's something about a storm that changes the atmosphere. One moment everything seems ordinary, and the next, the sky grows dark, the wind starts howling, and suddenly we're looking for shelter. We check the weather, bring things inside, close the windows and hope everything passes without too much trouble. I've been fascinated by how quickly Queensland weather can change. One minute it's storming, the next there's sunshine, and sometimes it happens the other way around!
But it got me thinking: What do we do when the storms aren't outside our windows, but happening in our lives?
Because life has its own storms, doesn't it? Sometimes they arrive unexpectedly. A difficult diagnosis, a strained relationship, financial pressure, family issues, uncertainty about the future, loss, or simply a season where everything seems to happen at once.
One of the most relatable stories in the Bible is found in Mark 4:35–41. Jesus and His disciples are crossing the lake when a furious storm suddenly comes upon them. The waves are breaking over the boat, and the disciples are terrified. Meanwhile, Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat.
I imagine the disciples looking at the waves, looking at each other, and then looking at Jesus, wondering how He could possibly be sleeping at a time like this! Eventually, they wake Him and ask, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
That question is so incredibly human. Haven't we all had moments when we've wondered something similar? God, can you see what's happening? Do you know how difficult this is? Are you listening? Do you even care?
What I love about this story is that Jesus doesn't tell the disciples off for waking Him. He doesn't condemn them for being overwhelmed by emotions when the storm is at its worst. Instead, He peacefully gets up, speaks to the wind and waves, and the storm becomes completely calm. Then He turns to His disciples and asks, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
And here's something worth noticing: Jesus was in the boat before the storm started, He was in the boat while the storm was raging, and He was still in the boat when everything became calm. In that moment, Jesus was revealing His authority over creation, showing the disciples that even the wind and waves were subject to Him.
The disciples' circumstances had changed, but Jesus' presence hadn't.
Perhaps that's something we need to remember. We sometimes measure God's faithfulness by how quickly our circumstances improve. We pray for the storm to stop, the problem to disappear, the relationship to be restored, or the uncertainty to go away. And of course, we should bring those things to God. But what happens when the storm doesn't settle as quickly as we hoped?
What if the situation takes longer than expected? What if we don't get the answer we were praying for? What if the waves are still coming, and we can't see the shore?
Faith doesn't mean pretending the storm isn't there. It doesn't mean we never feel afraid, overwhelmed or uncertain. It means that even when we cannot control what's happening around us, we can hold on to the One who is with us.
I love the words of Isaiah 43:2, where God promises: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you."
Notice that God doesn't say if you pass through the waters. He says when. The promise isn't that we will never experience difficult seasons. The promise is that we will never have to face them alone.
So perhaps, as we reflect on the storms that have passed through our neighbourhoods this week, we can also take a moment to think about the storms we might be carrying ourselves. Is there something weighing on your heart? Something you have been praying about for a long time? An uncertainty you haven't quite figured out?
Maybe today is a reminder to stop looking only at the waves and remember who is in the boat with you.
And perhaps we can be that reminder for one another, too. We may not always be able to calm someone's storm, but we can sit beside them, pray with them, listen to them and remind them that they aren't alone.
I don't know what the coming week holds for each of us. There may be sunshine, there may be storms, and there may be a little of both. But whatever comes, may we learn to trust Jesus not only when the waters are calm, but also when the waves are rising.
I've been encouraged so many times by the stories you've shared with me. Stories of the storms you've faced, the challenges you've walked through, and the way you've continued forward with an attitude of perseverance and faith, trusting that God's got it. What a beautiful reminder to each of us that our faith isn't built on having everything figured out, but on knowing the One who holds us through it all.
Because our greatest security isn't found in a life without storms, but in knowing the One who is with us through them all.
May His Peace carry you through the week, Malin Andersen Mariner
