During times of severe stress, we all have our “go to” strategies. For some it is the refrigerator, for others alcohol, for others it may be a friend, for others it may be working furiously. We have something outside ourselves that we grab onto as we face our own powerlessness. Most of these “life preservers” give us temporary relief, but few actually solve the problem.
Today, once again, we meet a group of disciples in severe stress. What was their “go to” strategy? (Matthew 8:23-27).
“As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep.”
I’ve heard that the “violent storm” is a translation of the Greek, indicating this was seismic of proportions—equivalent to an earthquake. What do you think the “go to” strategy was with these experienced fishermen? My guess is they started rowing furiously, thinking they could fight their way through the storm. I can see Peter yelling at the others to reach for the buckets and start bailing. If there were life preservers on board some grabbed hold of them and held them for dear life. They knew the end had come and there was nothing they could do about it. Their “go to” strategies were feeble next to the power of the seismic storm. Notice Jesus’ “go to” strategy; he was enjoying a needed nap and the behavior of the seas didn’t even wake him.
“They came and woke him, saying, ‘Lord save us! We are perishing!’ He said to them, ‘Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?’”
As a last resort Jesus became their “go to” strategy. They woke him from his nap knowing they were about to die. Then Jesus, in a matter-of-fact tone, asked them, what seems to be a dumb question, “Why are you terrified?” Duh, who wouldn’t be terrified on the verge of a sudden, unexpected death. Jesus didn’t have a drop of anxiety in his system; he was asleep in the safe arms of his Father. Then he added the rebuke, “Oh you of little faith.” Being disciples of Jesus and spending all their time with him, these disciples fed on the faith of Jesus. When Jesus was asleep, however, they had to muster up some faith on their own, and they had little. They had more trust in their own skills than in the protection of God, and so they panicked. As a last resort they screamed out to Jesus, “Lord save us!”
“Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”
Jesus had authority even over the most violent upheavals of nature. He was clearly more than a man. He was given divine authority over forces that mere humans cannot control. And, so, the winds and the seas obeyed his gentle voice.
We live in a time of rising storms. The social and political climate is in upheaval. Moral decadence seems to be growing like a rampant disease. Anxiety disorders are common. What is our “go to” strategy?
I suggest that we develop a new habit—going to Jesus in even the smallest of our storms, like when we are stuck in traffic and late for an appointment. Or when mild tragedies strike us or our family members. Before we are desperate, let’s get into the habit of saying “Jesus, save me.” If we have invited him into our hearts, then he is asleep inside us. He is waiting for us to wake him and ask for his help. When we seek his saving help in the small things of each day, we will automatically turn to him when severe waves begin to break over the boats of our lives.
Jesus lives within us. Why do we continue to apply our own “go to” strategies when we begin to feel stress? We declare him our Savior. Why not let him do the saving each day? Is he saying to us now, “Oh you of little faith”?
