My three-year-old niece is beginning to understand that she can trust Jesus in any situation. This became evident one night as she prayed before bedtime during a thunderstorm. She pressed her hands together, closed her eyes, and said: “Dear Jesus, I know You’re here with us. I know You love us. And I know that the storm will stop when You tell it to stop.”
I suspect she had recently heard the story of Jesus and the disciples as they crossed the Sea of Galilee. It’s the one where Jesus fell asleep in the back of the boat just before a squall nearly capsized the vessel. The disciples woke Him and said, “Don’t you care if we drown?” Jesus didn’t speak to them, but instead addressed the natural world: “Quiet! Be still!” (Mark 4:39).
Immediately, the water stopped splashing into the boat. The howling wind subsided. There in the silence, Jesus looked at His followers and said, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (v. 40). I imagine their wide eyes staring back at Him, as water coursed down their faces and dripped from their beards.
What if we could live today with the awe the disciples felt in that moment? What if we could view every concern with a fresh awareness of Jesus’ authority and power? Maybe then our childlike faith would chase away our fear. Maybe then we would believe that each storm we face is at His mercy.
