I am not very fond of boats. In fact, I am not very fond of the sea either. I remember watching a movie called “The Perfect Storm”, being terrified by the sheer volume of water displayed on the screen and the waves moving up and down, the wind howling, the ferocity of it all! Then came the giant wave scene. I don’t think I have ever wanted a little boat to win so much like I did on that day! I feel my heart racing even now. I wonder if the characters in the movie were thinking something like “if only they had decided to call in sick that day” or “If only the boat engine was broken that day”, “if only the skipper would have turned around”. They might also have been thinking “what if I perish? What will happen to my family?” or “What if I get injured?”.

If only. Does that sound familiar? If only I could make sure my child would get the grades. If only I could get on top of all the pressing issues around the running of the home. If only I could meet up with all the people I would like to. If only I could have more hours. If only this government would do what I want. If only I could__________ fill in the blank. What if they fail their exams? What if the package gets lost? What if I don’t get paid enough? What if______________ fill the blank. These two small sentences are the cause of much worry, anxiety and distraction. We may not be on a fishing boat in the middle of a real storm but sometimes life can feel like one.

There is a passage in the Bible which talks about a boat and a storm.

²² One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. ²³ As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.²⁴ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ²⁵ “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” Luke 8:22-25

This is the familiar story of Jesus calming the storm. Why have I chosen it? Because when we find ourselves in the middle of the “if only” and “what if” storms in life we need to remind ourselves that God is still God and He is sovereign over all.

Jesus calls us to be his friend and join him.

The people in the boat were Jesus’s closest friends. They were chosen by Him. The people that were spending a lot of time with him and experiencing his teaching and his company day in and day out whilst He was walking this earth, telling people about God’s amazing plan to rescue them. Some of the disciples were very seasoned fishermen. I understand that storms were very common in that region and would come out of nowhere, so, no doubt they would have experienced similar situations before. They were frightened though. Maybe when they could not control the boat and when they saw how terrible the storm really was, their minds might have been full of “if only” and “what if” too.

What a privilege to be Jesus’s friend. If you have put your trust in Him you are his friend. You might be thinking to yourself: what does that mean? Put my trust in Him? It means you understand you are a sinner and there is absolutely nothing you can do to make yourself right with God. Having understood that. you realise you need Jesus in your life and you accept that He, Jesus, died on the cross and rose again to save you and give you eternal life.

When you put your trust in Jesus, you are invited to go into the boat and sail through life with Jesus, if so to speak. We are invited to see all the wonderful things that He has done for us and all the things that He will still do in us. Be encouraged! It is a great blessing to be called a disciple of Jesus. A friend.

In this story, when they started their journey the waters were calm, and it should have been an easy enough crossing to the other side, but a storm hit. Not just a storm, possibly the worst storm they had experienced.  Life is like that… we have moments of calm, serene waters and sometimes huge storms hit us out of nowhere.  For some this might be just a little wind and for others it might feel like a hurricane. The disciples forgot WHO was in the boat with them. Have we?

Jesus is in the boat!

What an amazing truth to hold on to! The great king of the Universe, the One who was there when all things were made and through whom all things were made, the perfect sacrifice for our sins, the Holy God himself in His Son. JESUS IS in the boat! Talk about blessing! Jesus had just spent time with the crowds, teaching them and performing many miracles showing great compassion towards them. We know that Jesus was God and was also fully human, so, he must have been tired. You might have experienced getting into a car, coach, plane and minutes after you start your journey you are fast asleep, especially after a long day. Jesus fell asleep in the boat. He didn’t leave the boat. Sometimes in life when the storms hit us we seem to forget Jesus is still in the boat.

The disciples in their fear and despair wake Jesus up. In Mark’s account of the event they ask Jesus if he doesn’t care they will drown. Why would they say that?! Don’t they know who Jesus is?

At this point in the Gospel’s accounts Jesus’s closest disciples were still working out that Jesus was the Messiah, the promised King they were expecting. They were not sure but we don’t have any excuse. We have the entire Bible and from beginning to end we see one story pointing to who Jesus is and what He has done for us on the cross to bring us salvation. So many times during the storms of live we forget Jesus is in the boat with us. Or we ask in our despair: what are you doing Jesus?! Don’t you care that my life is a mess?! Don’t you care that I am struggling mentally and cannot go on? Don’t you care that I can’t find a job? Don’t you care I am so tired after looking after my lovely child all day and juggling house work and a paid job too? Don’t you care? Jesus cares! He is in the boat with us.

In the Bible we see that God promised he would never leave those whom He called for Himself:

“⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

This was a promise made to Joshua just after Moses died and just before they crossed the Jordan into the promised land.

After Jesus had given the disciples the great commission to go through out the world making disciples in his name, He promised to be with them to the end of ages.

” And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b

Notice Jesus says I am with you always. It doesn’t say: when things are calm and serene and the waters are clear. It does not say: when all goes wrong either. It says ALWAYS! Be encouraged – Jesus is in the boat now! God’s presence in our lives is a blessing indeed!

But you might say… Yes ok. Jesus was in the boat but He was sleeping.

Jesus, the Son of God slept trusting His mighty Father completely. I don’t believe, for one minute, that God wasn’t aware the storm was coming. He was still in control and Jesus knew he could sleep and trust God. Our saviour sets the example here. Resting and trusting His Father. Finding perfect peace in the middle of the storm.

Jesus has power over the storm!

At the precise moment He calms the storm! Jesus was not God when he was awake and human when he was sleeping. He was God and human all the same time. All the authority Jesus received from the Father was still his, even when he was in the boat sleeping. So much so that when the disciples wake him up the rebukes the wind and raging waters. In the Gospel of Mark 4 we read that Jesus said “Quiet! Be still!”. Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.  Remember, Jesus had already performed many miracles and we know that throughout the Bible God is pointing us to His Son. What authority he has over all things on earth!

This is the same God who created all things, He had already rescued his people from Egypt, he parted the sea for them to cross on dry ground, he gave them food and water and saved them from their enemies while they were in the wilderness… He gave them a king (imperfect, but who was later called a man after God’s own heart) He gave them many prophets to point them back to Him and to point to Jesus himself. Finally, God become a man and died for us in the person of his Son Jesus. This is the same God right there in the boat. And of course he can calm the storm and he did. Another amazing blessing: to see God in action through the storm.

That does not mean that all storms will be calmed in our lives and it does not mean the minute we cry out for help things will get better. Be encouraged though. The same Jesus that can do all things is in the boat with us. He has power and authority to do whatever He chooses to. He is sovereign over all things and sees all things.

Jesus asks: Where is your faith?

There is a challenge for us in this passage too. In verse 25 we see a very important question Jesus asks his disciples:  “Where is your faith?”.  See, the disciples were still working out who He was, but most of us know who Jesus is! Where is our faith? Through crisis and storms, where are we putting our faith? Celebrities who seem to fancy themselves as “gurus”? Friends? Teachers? The welfare system? Doctors? Family? Wealth? Our success? If you said yes to any of these, I have bad news for you! You will probably be disappointed. If our faith is placed in things or people, we ,like the disciples in the passage have forgotten who Jesus is. We must put our faith in Jesus all the time. He is our maker and our rescuer. Jesus has completed the worked He was sent to do and He wants to bless us. He has given us his Spirit and He has promised He will be with us always.

When you find yourself thinking “if only” or “what if” in the midst of the storm remember that Jesus calls us to be His friend and to be in the boat with Him. Jesus is in the boat. He has all power and authority over the storm. Most importantly remember you must put your faith in Him. Remember who He is.

God bless.