During His ministry, Jesus performed more than 40 miracles, including healing the sick, changing the natural elements of nature and even raising people from the dead. A miracle is considered an event that occurs outside the bounds of natural law.
Each month, we will take a closer look at one of His miracles to understand the depth of His love for us. Understanding the miracles of Jesus can change your life, and it all begins with believing through faith.
One of the most well-known miracles in the Bible tells of when Jesus calmed the stormy Sea of Galilee. This miracle appears in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Jesus was looking to cross the sea to expand His ministry to the Gentiles. The disciples knew it was His will to go to the other side, and Jesus expected them to believe in the mission.
However, soon after launch, Jesus laid down to sleep, and a violent storm started brewing. The waves were breaking over the edge of the boat, filling it with water. Many of the disciples were fishermen by trade and were familiar with storms on the Sea of Galilee. However, this was no ordinary storm, and they began to fear for their lives.
Mark 4:37-41 tells us, “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down, and it was completely calm. He said to His disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!’”
Unlike His disciples, Jesus believed that they were going to make it to the other side. If Jesus was asleep, He must not have been worried, and so there should be no cause for them to be concerned either. After rebuking the storm, Jesus then rebuked His disciples, asking why they were so afraid and why they had wavered in their faith.
The disciples were too astonished by what they had just seen to attempt to answer. But little did they know at the time that they would have another chance to use their faith against a storm in the Sea of Galilee, only next time, Jesus would not be in the boat with them.
Even 2,000 years later, many Christians still sometimes panic during the storms of life. Storms in our lives are bound to happen. Some storms are so intense that even our deep and abiding faith may waver. Just like the disciples, being a follower of Jesus does not guarantee a storm-free life.
Although Jesus was asleep in the boat, He was very much in control of the situation. So, even if there is a time where you do not feel God is in control while you are weathering your storm, your faith is what God is looking for.
