I'm from California. We don't get storms. One of the first times I experienced an actual storm was when I was camping in a tent in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin.
Recently, we had a storm roll through Minnesota and I remember thinking "I am so glad I am not in a tent in the middle of this one. She's brutal." Then, a thought hit me and in an attempt to not lose the thought I opened the "notes" section of my iPhone and typed away.
Here's what came from some of my thoughts:
Storms mean something different to me depending on the place I'm in physically.
You see, if I'm inside of my house and I know a storm is rolling in, I know what I need to do to prepare. Stay inside. Light a good smelling candle for ambience. Watch a movie, read a book, text a friend, look outside. Wait it out. Simple enough right?
The external and internal foundation of the home is so secure, I don't need to think twice about whether there's more I could do to be prepared or if I'm going to be safe and protected.
The foundation I am hiding in is secure.
If I'm in a tent, my level of preparedness is kicked up a few notches (I'm also in this tent alone so survival is dependent on me, with the help of surrounding tent-mates through a screen window).
I pull all of my tent necessities away from the walls and towards the center so the water doesn't pool at the edges and leak in. I take out the 5 gallon garbage bag that is always stashed under my cot and throw my large duffel bag of clothes in there. I take that large duffel and toss it up on a storage bin as extra precaution. I grab my headlamp in the mesh overhanging above me and make sure it's easily accessible in case I need to evacuate my little home. My backpack has its rain cover on it already in case I need to make a run for it. My rainboots are by the door. My extension chord is unplugged, charger packed, and electronics are in there water-resistant bags. My windows are zipped tight. Finally, I check to make sure there are no leaks in the top or bottom of my tent.
The external and internal foundation of the tent is not the most secure place for me. I need to think a little extra to be prepared for whatever direction the storm takes. I even need to be prepared to evacuate and relocate myself and my essentials, leaving everything else behind.
The foundation I am hiding in is unreliable; not secure enough.
Have you ever found yourself in your home in a storm and STILL had all the "what if's" running through your mind? You felt safe physically but your spirit and heart still felt unsafe.
Have you ever found yourself camping in a tent and felt good about all the ways in which you prepared for whatever hits, and you STILL can't seem to fall asleep for fear that something could happen and you'd sleep right through it?
We can be in the most secure place and still have fears.
We can be in the most unreliable place, be prepared, and still have fears.
Now what?
The disciples faced a similar situation.
Traveling by boat or being in a boat was not an entirely foreign thing to them. It was both a sense of security and unreliability. They knew how to navigate there way around a boat, how to fish, and how to look at the current and waves. They also knew how to be prepared as best they could in case unlikely events occurred. Now they were no ship captains but they did know a few things.
Yet even still, fears arose when the waves arose; storms.
The difference in this story is that the opening verse says, "And when he [Jesus] got into the boat, his disciples followed him" (Matthew 8:23).
They followed the person of Jesus.
Now if you read the entirety of that story, you'll notice that the disciples still had fears, even with Jesus in the boat. They still panicked, doubted, and expressed very real and raw emotions. "The people cried out for deliverance beside the water, had fear, were rescued by God, and as a result, had faith in God..." (Moody Bible Commentary, 1467).
Our ultimate foundation is in the person of Christ. Who calms all storms with His words.
We are taking about actual, literal storms here. And I think this can apply to other storms in our lives too; mental, emotional, physical, relational, financial, spiritual.
We may prepare in different ways practically and physically for an actual storm, but may the root of our spiritual preparedness for any storm always be tethered to the person of Christ.
Whether we're in a house or a tent, literally and figuratively.
[Guided Prayer]
Father, the storm I am in feels insurmountable. The wind and waves feel too much. I'm even in a place of security on all sides and my fears are still creeping in. I've prepared in the ways I know how and I don't feel any peace or reprieve. Be my foundation. Be my peace. Not a feel-good warm and fuzzy feeling of peace, but shalom. Wholeness in the midst of chaos. I need it. But more than anything I need you.
In Jesus' name, amen.
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