What do you do when Jesus doesn’t calm the storm?

In Matthew 14:22-33, we find an account of a storm that hit the disciples boat and led Peter to walk on the water. While reading those verses I was captivated by the verses before and after the ones that said he walked on the water.

Have you ever been in a storm? This storm took you by surprise. To this day you can’t understand why it happened and the end result still leaves you with questions. In those situations, I believe that we may never know all the ‘whys’ and maybe we aren’t supposed to.

In verse 22 after feeding the five thousand, it says that ‘immediately Jesus MADE His disciples get into the boat and go before to the other side while he sent the multitudes away. He then went up to the mountain alone to pray and he stayed there until evening. The next verse takes us to the seas and tells us that ‘the boat was in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves for the wind was contrary’.

Now my mind is trying to analyze and I have come to the conclusion that I think Jesus was interceding in prayer and was made aware of the situation that his disciples were encountering. Why? The verse says ‘now in the 4th watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea’ but it was just turning evening when he went to the mountain to pray. When the disciples saw the figure of Jesus in the storm, they thought he was a ghost and they cried out in fear…but immediately Jesus spoke to them “Be of good cheer, it is I, do not be afraid”.

The next verse is the reference to Peter walking on the water. Now notice that Peter got out of that boat and stepped on the water, the waves were boisterous and so strong that they were tossing this enormous fishing boat. (I am assuming it was a fishing boat because of the fact that about 1/2 of the disciples were fisherman.) Could it be that Jesus didn’t calm those waters because he wanted to show Peter what Peter was made of? Peter walked on that water my friend; he walked on it as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. The moment he looked at those boisterous waves he was overcome with fear and he started to sink. Jesus of course rescued him and asked Peter, “why did you doubt”?

But this is the part that I want you to get; verse 32 says, “and when they got into the boat, the wind ceased”. Jesus didn’t calm the storm for Peter and the disciples until Peter had experienced walking on the rough sea. Is that your story? Have you gone through a storm and until you ‘got in the boat’ the storm didn’t cease?

I believe there are things that we experience as children of God that he knows we can survive. There are things we go through that make us ‘run to him’ and there are trials that test our faith and when we look back over these times, we can see where God’s plan did work in our lives. If Jesus doesn’t ‘calm the storm’ when you think he should, just remember this story of Peter. Peter was the only disciple that really, personally (as recorded) experienced the amazing supernatural ability of this magnitude. HE WALKED ON WATER AND THAT WATER WAS A TURBULENT STORMY SEA.Whatever you are going through you might have to step out of the boat and walk on the water and trust your wonderful Jesus that he will be there for you. I pray that you see the storm you have experienced from a different light.

picture by  DeusXFlorida

by Sheila (Guest Post)

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