Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.

Mark 4:38-39 (NLT)

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I love the weather in Arizona, even the very hot summer months. We have many neighbors that are snow birds and miss the lovely evenings, mud toads, and monsoons. But strong winds have been blowing for several days and I’m not fond of the wind. The last time we drove to California, a huge wind and dust storm enveloped our car for miles. Everyone crept down the freeway and I peered through the cloudy windshield so that I could keep track of the preceding car and white lines in the road. By the time we arrived at our hotel, I was exhausted from the exertion of the drive.

It must have been quite a gale for the disciples to decide to wake Jesus. They were experienced fishermen! But they feared for their lives and knew that Jesus had the power to save them.

And with a word, the wind obeyed and the water was calm.

Do you have storms in your life that are about to take you down? Job loss? Medical issues? Marriage in turmoil? Children struggling? More month than money? You’ve tried to do everything you can do to solve the problem but it persists and even gets worse. Like the exhaustion I experienced from battling the dust storm, are you ready to give up before you reach the hotel?

Take heart, dear one, there is an answer to your problems — Jesus. He’s aware of your needs and has you in the palm of His hand. He promises to never leave you, keep you safe, and provide a way out. But…we have to ask Him and then listen. Think of a toddler that has a thousand questions and won’t stop for the answer. If that little one would just pause, the answer might be greater than the request.

Such is our God.