He Calms the Storms

We have made it to the end of the week YES! It is FRIDAY! but not only have we made it to the end of the week Welcome to the tenth month of the New Year YES! my friends, it's October now that we have entered into this New month let us take a moment to reflect on these words of wisdom with so much change going on in the atmosphere these words will bring us comfort to help guide us on this ever-evolving journey to know that JESUS can calm any Storm that comes are way But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Matthew 14:27 READ MATTHEW 14:23–33 Jim was frantically sharing about problems he was encountering with his work team: division, judgmental attitudes, and misunderstandings. After an hour of patiently listening to his concerns, I suggested, “Let’s ask Jesus what He would have us do in this situation.” We sat quietly for five minutes. Then something amazing happened. We both felt God’s peace cover us like a blanket. We were more relaxed as we experienced His presence and guidance, and we felt confident to wade back into the difficulties. Peter, one of Jesus’s disciples, needed God’s comforting presence. One night he and the other disciples were sailing across the Sea of Galilee when a strong storm arose. All of a sudden, Jesus showed up walking on water! Naturally, this took the disciples by surprise. He reassured them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Matthew 14:27). Peter impulsively asked Jesus if he could join Him. He stepped out of the boat and walked toward Jesus. But he soon lost focus, became aware of the dangerous and humanly impossible circumstance he was in, and started sinking. He cried out, “Lord, save me!” and Jesus lovingly rescued him (vv. 30-31). Like Peter, we can learn that Jesus, the Son of God, is with us even in the storms of life! By Estera Pirosca Escobar REFLECT & PRAY Jesus, thank You that You have the power and authority to calm the storms in our lives. Help us to trust You. What storm of life are you going through today? What can you do to shift your focus from the storm to the One who can calm it? SCRIPTURE INSIGHT The gospels of Matthew and Mark describe two separate occasions when Jesus, in the presence of His frightened disciples, calms a storm on the lake of Galilee. In the first of these events, Jesus is asleep in the bow of the boat when a storm threatens to sink it (Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41). In the second, the disciples are crossing the lake by themselves when Jesus comes to them in the storm walking on the waves (Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-51). Although Luke describes only the occasion when Jesus was asleep in the boat (8:22-25) and John describes only the storm that occurred while He walked on water (6:16-21), the accounts in Matthew and Mark show us that by the time Christ stepped into the boat and calmed a storm with His presence, the disciples had already seen Him calm a storm with His command. Mart DeHaan