Stilling the Storm

Listen, do you hear what I do? (toot toot of large ship) Sure you do, it's a big ship blowing its whistle - maybe an ocean liner, or a tramp steamer. Now listen, I hear something else (toot toot of a small boat). Sounds like a little tug boat, doesn't it? Perhaps you have heard this sound many times on the little river steamers. Oh! what was that? (foghorn) Why, it's a foghorn.

You know, a foghorn doesn't sound so very beautiful but it's mighty useful for it is a sound made by a whistle or bell when there is a fog, on a stormy night when no lights can be seen and these whistle or bells are near where there are dangerous rocks that might sink a ship. Then the foghorn sings its monotonous song over and over (foghorn fading into the distance) and warns all the ships to stay away from the dangerous place.

One night Jesus went out in a boat with His disciples. He had been talking to hundreds of people all day long and when night came and the people went home Jesus and His disciples got on the boat to go to the other side of the sea.

The water was full of little ripples slapping gently at the sides of the boat, and just a little breeze was blowing. Jesus was tired after talking to so many people and helping them all day. So very soon, He went to the back of the boat and lay down with His head on a pillow.

Suddenly the wind began to blow hard - a great storm of wind came up. Now the sea wasn't calm with little ripples of water. The waves were big. They got higher and higher. The ship was rocking from this side to that. The waves would rise higher and higher - then splash and crash they would spill in to the boat until there was water everywhere, and the disciples were afraid. But Jesus was lying down, fast asleep.

He was so tired.

At last the disciples were so scared they couldn't stand it any longer. They hurried to Him and woke Him up. "Master," they cried, "don't you care if we drown? Save us!" Then Jesus woke up. He saw the storm and the waves, but He said, "Why are you afraid?" And he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, saying, "Peace, be still," and just that quick---everything was quiet--no wind--no splashing, roaring waves--no storm. The sea was calm, and peaceful, and quiet, and beautiful.

Then Jesus said to the men, "Why are you so fearful? Why don't you trust Me?" And everyone on the ship was surprised to know that even the wind and the waves and the storm had to do what Jesus commanded.

You know, I think God put that true story in the Bible so that whenever people got in trouble and were afraid, they would remember that Jesus can take care of them. Of course, if He could make a storm stop just like that, He can do anything. Sometimes trouble and temptation come to us just like a storm but Jesus will always keep us safe if we belong to Him.

The Bible says: "But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord. He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them: He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them because they trust in Him." That's from the 37th Psalm. and because it's in the Bible, we know that it is true.