And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. – Mark 4:39
Recently, my wife and I went on a vacation to Hawaii. Neither of us likes flying, and we had flights from Portland to Honolulu, and then to Maui. Going into Maui, the ride got pretty choppy and I became nervous. My wife and I were holding on to each other for support, although we realized it must have been typical turbulence when we looked around and everybody else was just sitting there normally.
In retrospect, that flight really was not bad. Our flight home, however, was much worse. The turbulence was terrible. I have flown several times in my life, and I knew this was serious. The plane would jerk sharply from side to side, then up and down. You can imagine how concerned my wife and I were, considering that we get nervous even with normal turbulence! I probably prayed for at least an hour on that flight, and my wife and I even said a little prayer together before we landed.
As I was praying, the Lord brought to my mind the events recorded in Mark chapter 4, when Jesus and His disciples were traveling in a boat and a powerful storm swept in during the night. The disciples became quite scared, and probably with good reason. But Jesus was in the back part of the boat, and He only had to say, “Peace, be still,” and the waves became calm. That account brought real comfort to me in the plane; although I had no control over the weather that day, I knew Jesus did. I am thankful that after a long ride, we landed safely.
Jesus’ words are not only powerful enough to calm physical storms, but He can also calm fearful hearts. Trials are sure to come our way, but we never have to be afraid. We can rest in knowing that Jesus commands them all. If we have His Word planted deeply in our hearts, it will speak peace and comfort to our souls, no matter how frightening circumstances may seem.