²³ And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. ²⁴ And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. ²⁵ And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” ²⁶ And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. ²⁷ And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” – Matthew 8:23-27 [ESV]

As a child, I was afraid of thunderstorms.

I mean, really afraid.

One clap of thunder in the middle of the night, one flash of lightning, and I would shoot out of bed, straight to Mom and Dad’s room. (They were young back then. They didn’t need the sleep.)

The thunder was like a starter’s pistol at the Kentucky Derby:

BANG! “And he’s off! Here comes Stormy Terror racing into the straightaway, arriving at his parents’ bedside in record time!”

One evening a storm came through. Just your basic Indiana summer storm. No sign of Jim Cantore or any storm chasers around. My dad, no doubt hoping for a peaceful night’s slumber without being awakened by his terrified preschooler staring at from the side of his bed, decided now was the time to face this problem head-on.

He took me out on the front porch, thunder rumbling and rain pouring around us. “Son”, he’s said. “It’s just a storm. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Jesus faced a similar situation. He’s in the back of a fishing boat, trying to get some shut eye. Up rolls a big rainstorm, sea swells slapping over the sides of the craft, filling the hull with water.

“Jesus!”, they cried. “Wake up! We’re going to die!”

These were grown men – fishermen for Pete’s sake! They should have known better! But… in fairness, without God, they had every logical reason to panic. At its deepest, the Sea of Galilee around 150 feet deep.

Not a pleasant way to go.

Jesus rebukes His disciples with a gentle, “O ye of little faith.”

Then He calms the storm, leaving the apostles in gob-smacked wonder.

This is point where my analogy falls apart a bit. You see, Jesus had the ability to stop the wind and the rain and the waves immediately. My dad… well, had a tornado dropped from that storm, we may well have ended up swirling around the edge of the vortex like the cow in The Wizard of Oz.

Here’s the points: I trusted my parents. They weren’t omniscient, omnipotent or omnipresent. But they protected me.

How much more can we protect our loving, sovereign Father God in all things, at all times? No matter the magnitude (real or imagined) of our situation, the LORD is always with His children. He will never leave us, never abandon us, never forget us. In the LORD we find our strength, our guidance, our supply, our wisdom, our protection, our direction…. After all, if is God is for us, who could possibly stand against us?

As for my early childhood years, I wish I could report to you that my fear of storms was instantly erased that night on the front porch. Alas there would be more mad dashes to my parents’ bedroom over the next few years.

But, just like the younger me of 50+ years ago, we need to remember to run to our Father when things go sideways, when life gets rough, when we just don’t know what to do. Stay connected with God through Jesus in both good times and bad, and remember to seek him first always.