Tossed & Turned

Have you ever been on a boat in the midst of a storm? Many years ago, I was taking a large car ferry from Maine to Nova Scotia, Canada. It was a cloudy, raining September morning when we drove into the belly of the ship with all of the other cars, buses, and trucks. At that time, it was the biggest ship that I had ever been on before. The crossing was to take 3-4 hours and we were told to expect stormy seas. We found our way to the seating areas on the ship and took seats near the window. Well, as the ship departed and we got out to sea, the storm’s intensity grew and the wind and the waves beat against the ship. The ship began to move a little more than I liked, which made walking difficult and comical. I did manage to make my way outside to the deck just to see what it was like, but I didn’t stay long. It was a little scary. I was fortunate that I did not get sick as others were, but that was quite a storm we endured in making that crossing. I was glad when we arrived at our destination.

Since that time, I have been on other ships and seas and I’m happy to say….I haven’t experienced another storm like that one, at least on a ship.

These past few days, we may feel like we are on a ship being tossed by the sea; The waves of the Coronavirus; the waves of the stock market; the waves of childcare with school shut down; the waves of shortages of food and supplies; and the waves of fear are beating against our boat. It doesn’t take very long before we feel our faith being tossed and turned as well.

I am reminded of the story of another boat being tossed by the waves as found in Mark 4:35-41. Jesus and the apostles boarded a small boat and “a furious squall came up and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.” Can you just imagine it? Wouldn’t you be more than just a little concerned for your life? Sure, you would and so were they. In the midst of their worry and fear they looked to Jesus who was fast asleep. Really, Jesus was asleep!

In their fear, they woke Jesus and asked… “Don’t you care if we drown?”

Of course, you know that Jesus gets up – rebukes the storm and it stops! He then turns to his apostles and says… “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? Some translations record Jesus’ words as “You of little faith.”

​Today, as we sit at home and ponder all that is going on in our world that we don’t comprehend, we are all feeling the effects of the turbulent waters beating against our boats. Do we have enough faith? I hope so, because we know that we are not alone. The all powerful Jesus is right by our side. Find the peace to hold on in the midst of this storm by calling out to the one who will either to stop it or deliver us through it! Hold on! He is near!