What Storms Teach Us

Just about all of us have friends and/or family going through a once in a generational storm in Florida as I write this. As I sit here in Northeast Ohio, the sun is shining and it is a beautiful day, but in Florida it is nasty. It is so easy to feel helpless about what is going on. If I could pull a Star Trek, I would beam people up here. But time and space prevents me from doing that. 

The seasoned fisherman were terrified. Storms, like hurricanes were common on the Sea of Galilee. But this one seemed completely out of the ordinary. The boat was being swamped. They feared for their very lives. And there was Jesus asleep like a baby on a cushion, an intentional act of rest, not one like dozing. These fisherman did not suspect that Jesus was unaware, but that He didn't care that their lives were in danger. Jesus calms the storm and says to them "Where is your faith?". (Mark 4:25-41).

What is it to be learned about storms?

1. Storms remind us of our human frailty. 
2. Storms remind us of the brevity of "stuff".
3. Storms offer an opportunity for human generosity and caring.
4. Storms remind us of who is the one who is in control.

Are Storms Predictable?

This summer seems to be especially unpredictable when it comes to rain showers. Seems like they are popping up every day. I wanted to get on my bike and it had just rained today. So I popped up my trusty Weather Channel app and looked at the weather by hour which looked like this.

Looking at the hourly at the time there was a two hour window where there was 0% chance of rain. Thus I had a two hour window to get my ride in which is pretty much what I needed. That is pretty cool that in the midst of a stormy, rainy day, I can squeeze my ride in. As I sit here typing this blog, the weather isn't looking too hot.

We wish that trials were like this. God tells us that trials come. In fact 100% of people experience trials. God says in James 1:2 to "consider it all joy when you encounter various trials" (emphasis mine). It is not if, it is when you experience trials. Like saying to Clevelanders, you will have snow this winter. So we pack salt and get the snow shovels. The trick to trials is to prepare for them so that when they come, we have the foundation to endure them. Earlier this week I went to a Pirates game as I was in Pittsburgh. There were forecasts for the game of rain so some of us (not me) brought an umbrella. When the storm did come, I went back under the stands for cover.

The disciples knew that storms on the Sea of Galilee were commonplace. They did not know when but as seasoned fisherman they knew they were coming. Yet when the storm came and even knowing they had Jesus in the boat they panicked. If we know that we have Jesus present in our lives, we can withstand the storms of life whenever they come. We can even grow through them.