Jesus Still Brings Calmness in the Middle of the Storm

Over the past several years, I have read many presidential biographies. One was Leadership in Turbulent Times, in which the author shared about four U.S. Presidents who faced very difficult situations. Reading about these events in our nation’s history reminded me that our country has experienced great trials.  

The past year has been a tumultuous one in many ways for our nation, and for many nations around the world—perhaps more than at any other time in many of our lives. Myriad problems have arisen in our world, and it feels like everything that can be shaken is being shaken. 

The good news is that Jesus can still give us peace in the middle of the storms of life.  

Matthew 8:23 tells us that Jesus, “got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” 

We still serve a storm calmer.

Here are two truths in this Scripture, that can meet you in your storm today: 

Jesus can still calm the storms in your life 

Jesus wants for us, and from us, the same thing He wanted from the disciples in the middle the storm—to have faith in Him.  

Nothing is too difficult for Him. His arm is not too short to save. He can handle the problems in our world, and in our lives. If you can trust God with your eternity, you can certainly trust Him with your tomorrow.  

One of my close friends ran an ultra-marathon this past fall. He had always talked about how he wanted to do this one day, but I never believed he actually would. He trained for months, including running a marathon just for training! The day of the ultra-marathon, he stayed in touch with a few friends along his route for the first 50 miles, and then everything went dark. His phone battery was low, but he also needed every ounce of energy he had left simply to focus on the road ahead of him. He was utterly exhausted and shivering cold. The next morning, 30 hours after he started, I heard from him that he had crossed the finish line. When we spoke on the phone later that day, he said, “every step was pain after mile 50.” He did it, and he is already dreaming about when he can do it again! This blew my mind and made me rethink what is possible in life. If it’s possible to push your body to this ultra-marathon level, what is impossible with God?  

Nothing is impossible with God. We need to remove our limits on God and trust that He is always working for our good and can still do the impossible in our storms today. 

Jesus can give you peace in the middle of the storm 

Jesus could take a nap in the middle of the storm. When He awoke, He was assessing His disciples’ faith and wanted them to be able to have peace in the storm too. God is honored when we trust Him right now, even in the middle of storms in our life. Trust that God is able. Trust that God is on His way with help. Trust that God is with you. Trust that God can give you His peace no matter what happens. 

I don’t know what you are facing or feeling right now. Maybe it’s difficulty at your job. Maybe you’re struggling with providing for your family. Maybe there’s a health issue. Maybe it’s emotional trauma from something you’ve experienced. But I do know that God cares about you more than you can ever realize. 

Sometimes God changes our circumstances, and sometimes God changes us. Either way, know that God can work in your situation—your storm—even in the very middle of it. 

Do you believe that nothing is too hard for the Lord? Even in the middle of your current circumstances? 

Even if Jesus doesn’t calm your storm right now, He can calm you.

Matt Brown

Matt Brown is an evangelist, author of Truth Plus Love: The Jesus Way to Influence, host of Think Eternity with Matt Brown, and founder of Think Eternity—a ministry dedicated to amplifying the gospel every day through podcasts, devotionals, videos, live events, and more. Matt and his wife, Michelle, have three children and live near Minneapolis, Minnesota. You can follow Matt at @evangelistmatt and thinke.org.