Dangerous
storms have taken hold of many parts of the United States this week. Tornadoes,
flooding, and high winds are causing destruction, injury, and even death for
thousands of people. Very real storms of life are raging around them.
In
places not affected by dangerous weather conditions, storms are still raging. This
week, someone has received a diagnosis that will change their life. Another is in
the throes of depression. Still others are facing prejudice and discrimination
for their skin color, gender, or sexual identity. These are not storms of the
natural world, yet they are equally as real and frightening. In fact, all three
storms I mentioned above are storms raging right now in the lives of people
close to me.
“When the storms of life are raging,
stand by me,”
wrote the great hymn writer Charles Tindley in 1906. “When the world is tossing me, like a ship upon the sea, thou who
rulest wind and water, stand by me.”
These
physical and metaphorical storms remind me of the two stories in the Gospel of
Matthew where Jesus calms a storm. The first, in Matthew 8:23-27, tells of
terrified disciples in the midst of a great windstorm. In their fear, they wake
up a sleeping Jesus, who immediately calms the disciples and the storm.
The
second story, in Matthew 14:22-33, is much different. The storm arises without Jesus in the boat. But in the
midst of the storm, Jesus walks on the water toward the boat, encouraging them
to “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Then Peter, one of the disciples,
begins to courageously walk out on the water towards Jesus. After a few steps,
his fear returns, and he starts to sink. Jesus pulls him out of the waves and
helps him into the boat. Only then does the storm subside.
These
stories are similar in many ways, but you may have noticed one key difference.
In the first story, Jesus immediately calms the storm. In the second, the storm
continues to rage on even after Jesus appears, and only after Peter’s time of
faith and fear, of walking and sinking, do the wind and waves become calm.
What
this means is that sometimes Jesus sees us struggling in the storms of life,
and immediately takes those storms away. But other times, when the storms of
life are raging, Jesus simply stands by us. He does not take the storms away,
but instead catches us as he caught Peter, just before we sink completely into
chaotic waters.
Of
course, we’d prefer to always be rescued from storms. But that is not always
what happens. Sometimes storms last for a long time, and while they rage on,
Jesus is there not to calm the storm, but to calm us and make sure we don’t
sink while the storm continues. Our response is to cling tightly to God, and if
we are able, to praise God in the storm. If the storms of life are raging,
there is a God who stands by you. Praise be to God the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer
who stands by.
