Jesus walks on the storms that frighten us. He’s a present help in time of trouble.

“The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders,

the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.” Psalm 29:3 NIV

It was a storm, but they had been in storms before. They had crossed the Sea of Galilee before. It was uncomfortable being tossed by the waves, straining at the oars and still only partway to their destination.

And Jesus had sent them out to experience this difficult time! The Bible says that He ‘insisted’ they go. (Matthew 14:22 NLT). The NIV says He ‘made’ them get in the boat and head for the other side.

Jesus then dismisses the large crowd He had just miraculously fed and goes alone into the hills to pray.

I can only imagine what He prayed … surely an important part of his prayer was for his disciples. It had to be. He knew his time with them was short. They had much to learn before Jesus left them and they would take his message and be responsible for starting the revolution that is still gaining strength today.

Somewhere between 3 and 6 a.m. – in the darkest and most despondent time to be facing adversity –Jesus comes walking on the water … the very water that was their greatest threat at that moment. They desperately needed to see that what threatened, intimidated and frightened them, He walked on. Their problem was under his feet!

That’s powerful enough to hang your faith on.

And when Jesus stepped into their boat and into their fears … the storm ceased!

We may not be in a boat, but there are troubling waters surrounding us and threatening our lives. We, too, need to see Jesus walking on these waters. The nations of the world are all shaking. We desperately need to see that which we fear being subdued under his feet.

In a time when we all are calling for peace, hope and a rescue, may we grasp that when Jesus gets into the boat, we have all three.

This is the time to see this storm as something God can use to build our faith. For us to complete the task of evangelizing everyone, everywhere … we must be sure that our faith has its anchor in the One who controls winds, waves and viruses.

“You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.”

Psalm 89:9 NIV