Surprises

Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

We woke up this morning with a weather forecast of 85-degree highs for the next several days. I was pleasantly surprised by this sudden shift in the weather! In Matthew’s account, the disciples are caught off guard by a sudden shift in the weather as well. Twice.

While they were trying to row their boat to the other side of the sea, a storm came up (out of nowhere) and seemed to be trying to sink them. Then Jesus wakes up and stills the storm by the power of a simple rebuke.

The disciples are flailing in the wake of two sudden events. The first is just weather (deadly as it may be). The second leaves them in awe. The absolute power of God in Jesus. They hadn’t realized that Jesus held such power. He was their rabbi, their teacher and friend. Turns out Jesus was full of surprises. He still is.

There may be times in life when it seems that God is asleep, ignoring the storms in our lives. It can be difficult to trust God in these times. But in Christ, we can trust God’s promise to never abandon us. He loves us even unto death on a cross. This life has its inevitable storms. But in the power of Christ’s resurrection, we find the greatest surprises.

May you continue to be surprised by God’s grace and power.

See you Sunday!
Missy