“But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” Mark 4:38-39

The last few days, as so many have been impacted by Hurricane Helene, it has been easy to ask questions of the Lord like: “Do you not care that people are hurting?” “How am I supposed to live in the middle of this chaos?” “What happens next?”

When waters rise and the winds pick up, fear has a way of intimidating our souls. Just like the disciples in this story from Mark, we quickly replace our trust in Jesus with fear and panic from what is going on around us.

It can be so hard to remember… & even harder to truly believe in times of distress like many communities are experiencing right now.

But even so, the truth is this: 

The storm will not last forever & we have a better way to wait it out! We get to know the end of the story & rest in the safety of a savior who has conquered death! In Jesus, we may have peace amidst any storm; fear cannot control us. 

Unlike the disciples during their panic, we know that Jesus possessed power over the storm that crippled them with fear. We know that he spoke peace and suddenly, the winds and wives obeyed Him. 

Scripture tells us that “Jesus is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, we also know that He has the power to speak peace over the storm today. 

Jesus was not asleep because he didn’t care about the disciples' worry and fear. He simply knew that all power over creation rested with Himself– and this is still true today! He possesses all power over Hurricane Helene and any residual fear and panic that it continues to stir. 

Jesus promises us that this storm will not last forever. Though it feels like it when we are on our fifth day without power and running water, and loved ones are unable to get in contact with one another due to cell service outages, a day of peace will come after this one. Jesus still has the authority to speak peace to the wind and waves, and to our weary souls. 

After witnessing the wind and waves obey the authority of Jesus, the disciples surely had a growth in their faith. They had just seen creation bow to its creator. Where they had felt terror and panic, they suddenly felt awe and wonder. May we have a similar experience amidst this storm. May we choose to remember that all creation bows to its creator.

On the Sea of Galilee, Jesus demonstrated his authority over creation to the disciples and showed that they could trust Him. Today, we get to know how the story ends. We get to trust in Jesus & know that there is peace on the other side of this storm!