Our one-hour morning flight from Baltimore/Washington International Airport to Atlanta was supposed to be an uneventful one. Until it wasn’t.
En route to Minneapolis for a family wedding, we planned to be at our destination in plenty of time to make the rehearsal that evening. Unbeknownst to us, five tornadoes threatened to hit the area just as the pilot prepared to descend. He cautioned us to remain in our seats and fasten our seatbelts.
We encountered some turbulence. Cries of fear filled the air as the plane lurched from side to side, then up and down like a giant rollercoaster. With joined hands, we prayed out loud, asking God for protection. Thirty minutes felt like hours as the pilot battled with the wind and lost. Diverted to Knoxville, Tennessee, we remained on the tarmac for three hours until the storm passed. Relieved, we arrived safe and sound in Minneapolis in the dead of night.
I’m reminded of another tumultuous storm that occurred. Jesus directed His disciples to get into the boat and proceed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. They left, but a fierce windstorm blew in unannounced. Raging waves crashed against the boat, filling it with water. Frightened, the disciples woke Jesus, believing they were going to drown. He rebuked the wind, and it stopped.
Sometimes, storms blow into our lives without warning and cause us to fear as the disciples did. We focus on the storm instead of Jesus. We forget who is in the boat with us. Jesus is with us in the storm of a distressing health diagnosis, financial woe, or relational strife. If Jesus allows us to encounter a storm, He will take us through it to the other side. The storm is not our destination.
Jesus knows where we’re headed even when we can’t see it because of the storm. He hears our cries and calms our storms.
What are some ways you can trust Jesus when you are in a storm? Remember, Jesus is bigger than the scary waves.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay and confused_me.)
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Daphne Goodman was born and raised in Liberia but has lived in the US for the past forty-two years. She is married to her husband Tony and is a mother to three young adults. She is a passionate intercessor and worship leader in her local church. Daphne loves God, His work in the lives of people, and the stories that flow from that. She is currently writing a devotional book based on Psalm 23, chronicling her journey with the Good Shepherd.