notesbynora

“Then He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him. Suddenly, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.” — Matthew 8:23- 24 (NIV)

Sometimes, the hardest thing to understand about faith is that Jesus doesn’t always stop the storm. He could — with a word, He could calm the wind, silence the waves, and set the sky back to blue. But there are moments when He chooses instead to sleep through it — not because He doesn’t care, but because He knows how it ends.

The disciples were panicked. The waves were real. The boat was filling with water. But the storm never had the final say — Jesus did. And it wasn’t the calm that proved His power; it was His presence. Even when He seemed silent, He was still in the boat.

Maybe your life feels a lot like that boat right now — rocked by grief, uncertainty, or fear. You’ve prayed, but the storm keeps raging. The job hasn’t come through. The diagnosis didn’t change. The relationship still feels broken.

Take heart. The God who commands the wind and the waves is not unaware of your fear. He is near. Sometimes His miracle isn’t to stop the storm, but to strengthen the sailor. Sometimes His peace isn’t in the absence of chaos, but in the confidence that He’s still in control.

When Jesus finally stood up, the storm obeyed Him. But even before that moment, His disciples were safe because they were with Him. And so are you.

Prayer:
Lord, when my heart trembles and the waves rise higher than my courage, remind me that You are still in the boat. Even if the storm doesn’t stop, anchor me in Your peace. Help me to trust that Your silence is not absence and that Your presence is always my protection. Amen.