Today, we hear about how Jesus calmed the storm. As the sudden and violent storm came up, the boat began to be swamped by waves. Those in the boat with Jesus panicked. Jesus, on the other hand, was sound asleep. Before Jesus could calm the storm, the Apostles had to wake him up first.
The boat would not have had a sleeper cabin. So, Jesus would been sleeping in the open during the storm as the boat started to become swamped. I think a lot of people wish that they had that ability to sleep through anything.
This passage reminds us of two things.
First, the miracle itself is more evidence of Jesus’ divinity. His human nature was clear to those who accompanied him. But his divine nature was proven through acts like these. Things that only God could do.
Second, though, is Jesus’ sense of peace at this point in his ministry. He knew that the hour had not yet come for his Passion. He was not going to be worried by a storm…if he was even aware of it in his human nature. This storm was occurring in the world that he helped to create. Either way, he slept peacefully through it all until the others woke him up.
Great faith is evidenced by great trust. Great trust is shown by other traits. Humor in the face of adversity can be a sign of trust in God. Knowing that God has our back. That we do not need to panic in the face of trouble. Instead, we can laugh at our trouble. We do so because we trust that God will help us with the outcome that he wants. And we set aside our own expectations of the outcome. We wait to see what God has in store for us.
The peace that Jesus exhibits is another sign of that trust. He showed no sign of any anxiety. He could have slept through it all. In our experience, we hopefully have seen others who showed great peace regardless of the situation. The secular world calls this grace under pressure. For Christians, this might truly come from grace. A grace that increases faith and thus trust. This trust can then give peace.
Can we find examples where we trusted in God’s will in difficult circumstances and found peace from that trust? Can we find examples where we struggled to find peace? Can we see a lack of trust as a root for that lack of peace?