Whatsamatta, God! We're in trouble down here! Don't you care!
Where are you, God! Can't you hear us!
Say something, god! Wake up! Do something!
God, help us! Save us! Please!
The disciples were in a boat with Jesus on the Sea of Galilee. They had started their journey in the evening, so it was dark or getting dark. There is nothing more peaceful than a boat on the water. It was quiet out there, away from the crowds. The waves slapped against the side of the boat in a steady, soothing rhythm. The oars added their soft cadence. All in all, it was a wonderful counterpoint to the hustle and bustle of the day. Jesus, sitting on a cushion in the stern, fell asleep. He must have been tired. It had been quite a day.
But then the wind began to blow. That little sea was famous for its sudden storms, and this one came out of nowhere. It blew and it blew, and the waves smashed into the boat. The disciples panicked. It's interesting to note that at least four of them were fishermen. They had seen storms before. They had survived storms before. They knew what to do in a storm. We're surprised that they are so afraid.
But nobody who has ever been caught in a storm in a small boat, far from shore, will be surprised. There are very few places where one is more helpless and more alone than in a small boat in a store. The wind blows - and the rain falls - and the waves smash into the boat. Worse than that, the waves wash into the boat.
The sailor caught in such a store has much to do:
Have you ever been caught in a storm in a small boat? If you have, you know that it is scary - very scary!
The disciples, including the fishermen among them, were just as afraid as any of us would be. The fishermen were afraid, because they knew. They knew how much danger they were in. They knew the very real possibility that the boat would swamp and they would all go to the bottom. They knew that they very well might not survive the night. They thought of trying to swim - or to tread water - as the waves crashed over their heads. They weren't cowardly men, but they knew the score. That is why they were afraid. They knew the score!
And through it all, Jesus slept. There he was on his comfortable cushion in the stern of the boat sleeping through everything. How could he sleep! That were pretty amazing in itself. You would have thought that the rough ride would have awakened him. But there he was - fast asleep.
That was almost as upsetting as the storm. Jesus was their leader, and right now they needed some leadership. They wanted Jesus awake and alert. They wanted Jesus to take command of the situation - to get them organized. It was frightening to think that their leader would sleep through such a crisis.
They woke him. They said, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" Whatsamtta, Jesus! Don't you see what's happening! Don't you understand the danger we're in! Don't you care! We are your disciples, Jesus! We left our homes and our jobs to follow you. Now this storm is threatening to kill us all, and you are blissfully sleeping the back of the boat! Wake up! Take charge! Do your job! Save us!
Have you ever felt like that? You don't have to be in a small boat in a storm to feel like that! We all feel like that at times, and sometimes we feel like that most of the time. I would like to tell you that I am immune from such feelings. I would like to tell you that I have such faith in God that I am never afraid. However, if I were to tell you such a tall tale, I would be afraid. I would be afraid that God would strike me dead for lying from the ambo. No, the disciples were afraid; you were afraid; and I am afraid. That is part of the human condition. Eve Jesus, on the cross, would say, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" When hit by the storms of life, we all say:
Whatsamatta, God! We're in trouble down here! Don't you care!
Where are you, God! Can't you hear us!
Say something, god! Wake up! Do something!
God, help us! Save us! Please!
In her book, Two-Part Invention, Madeleine L'Engle talks about her husband's illness. They had just learned that it was much worse than they had originally expected. The cancer had spread. He would have to undergo surgery and chemotherapy. The prognosis was uncertain at best. It was one of those moments when we say, "God, help us! Save us! Please!"
Madeleine tells of her devotions on the evening of the day that they received the bad news. She read the Psalm for the day - Psalm 22:1. It read, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Of that experience she says, "Exquisitely painful timing. The psalmist's words. Jesus's words. I feel anguished. I feel that I have been kicked in the stomach and the wind knocked out of me. My spirit hurts."
And yet she was grateful for those words, because hearing them as they had come from Jesus' mouth made it all right that they had come from her own. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
When the disciples woke Jesus, they said, "Teacher, don't you care that we are dying?" Jesus didn't answer them directly, but turned instead to the wind and the sea saying, "Quiet! Be still!" And the wind ceased - and there was a dead calm. Then Jesus spoke directly to the disciples. He said, "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?"
But it's better that Jesus didn't do that. Jesus didn't affirm them in their despair, but instead pointed to the way out of it. Jesus said to the wind and the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" and they were stilled.
Jesus spoke those words to the wind and waves, but he also meant them for his disciples. "Quiet! Be still!" That was what those disciples needed to hear. They needed the world around them to be peaceful and still, but they needed even more to be at peace within themselves. When our world is coming unglued, we need to hear Jesus say, "Quiet! Be still!" As much as need Jesus to calm the storms around us, we need even more for him to calm the storms within us. "Quiet! Be still!"
Madeleine L'Engle's husband died. It didn't happen suddenly. She had to watch as he declined day by day - and then he died. She felt empty - and she was full of grief. It was a confusing and terrible time. Then someone told her a story of a bishop who had lost his wife and child in a tragic accident. The bishop said to his people, "I have been all the way to the bottom. And it is solid."
In the worst storm of her life - all the way at the bottom of her life - Jesus said to Madeleine L'Engle, "Quiet! Be still!" And she put down her feet. And it was solid!
Jesus comes to us in the storms of our lives. When the wind and the waves threatens to undo us, we cry, "Do you not care that we are perishing!" And Jesus says, "Quiet! Be still!" He calls us to faith. He calls us to put our feet down - to discover that it is solid!
What storm are you in right now? Is it a problem with your husband or your wife? Is it a problem with your child? A health problem? Financial problems? Can't find a job? Or just plain discouraged? Turn your eyes for a moment from the storm to the savior. Tell Jesus what is on your heart. Go ahead and say it - "Jesus, don't you care that we are in trouble down here?" And then hear him as he says, "Quiet! Be still!" And keeping your eyes fixed on him, put your feet down - and discover that it is solid!
Where are you, God! Can't you hear us!
Say something, god! Wake up! Do something!
God, help us! Save us! Please!
The disciples were in a boat with Jesus on the Sea of Galilee. They had started their journey in the evening, so it was dark or getting dark. There is nothing more peaceful than a boat on the water. It was quiet out there, away from the crowds. The waves slapped against the side of the boat in a steady, soothing rhythm. The oars added their soft cadence. All in all, it was a wonderful counterpoint to the hustle and bustle of the day. Jesus, sitting on a cushion in the stern, fell asleep. He must have been tired. It had been quite a day.
But then the wind began to blow. That little sea was famous for its sudden storms, and this one came out of nowhere. It blew and it blew, and the waves smashed into the boat. The disciples panicked. It's interesting to note that at least four of them were fishermen. They had seen storms before. They had survived storms before. They knew what to do in a storm. We're surprised that they are so afraid.
But nobody who has ever been caught in a storm in a small boat, far from shore, will be surprised. There are very few places where one is more helpless and more alone than in a small boat in a store. The wind blows - and the rain falls - and the waves smash into the boat. Worse than that, the waves wash into the boat.
The sailor caught in such a store has much to do:
- If the boat gets sideways to the waves, the waves will flip it over, so the sailor must keep the boat facing into the waves.
- The sailor must also bail the water out of the boat. With any luck, the sailor will be able to bail the water out faster than the waves bring it in.
- And, of course, the sailor must try to stay in the boat. That sounds simple, doesn't it, but it isn't simple at all. Trying to keep one's footing - or even one's seat - in a small boat at sea in a storm is a full-time job.
- And then, of course, the sailor must pray. Any sailor worth his or her salt knows that the storm is far stronger than the boat of the sailor.
Have you ever been caught in a storm in a small boat? If you have, you know that it is scary - very scary!
The disciples, including the fishermen among them, were just as afraid as any of us would be. The fishermen were afraid, because they knew. They knew how much danger they were in. They knew the very real possibility that the boat would swamp and they would all go to the bottom. They knew that they very well might not survive the night. They thought of trying to swim - or to tread water - as the waves crashed over their heads. They weren't cowardly men, but they knew the score. That is why they were afraid. They knew the score!
And through it all, Jesus slept. There he was on his comfortable cushion in the stern of the boat sleeping through everything. How could he sleep! That were pretty amazing in itself. You would have thought that the rough ride would have awakened him. But there he was - fast asleep.
That was almost as upsetting as the storm. Jesus was their leader, and right now they needed some leadership. They wanted Jesus awake and alert. They wanted Jesus to take command of the situation - to get them organized. It was frightening to think that their leader would sleep through such a crisis.
They woke him. They said, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" Whatsamtta, Jesus! Don't you see what's happening! Don't you understand the danger we're in! Don't you care! We are your disciples, Jesus! We left our homes and our jobs to follow you. Now this storm is threatening to kill us all, and you are blissfully sleeping the back of the boat! Wake up! Take charge! Do your job! Save us!
Have you ever felt like that? You don't have to be in a small boat in a storm to feel like that! We all feel like that at times, and sometimes we feel like that most of the time. I would like to tell you that I am immune from such feelings. I would like to tell you that I have such faith in God that I am never afraid. However, if I were to tell you such a tall tale, I would be afraid. I would be afraid that God would strike me dead for lying from the ambo. No, the disciples were afraid; you were afraid; and I am afraid. That is part of the human condition. Eve Jesus, on the cross, would say, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" When hit by the storms of life, we all say:
Whatsamatta, God! We're in trouble down here! Don't you care!
Where are you, God! Can't you hear us!
Say something, god! Wake up! Do something!
God, help us! Save us! Please!
In her book, Two-Part Invention, Madeleine L'Engle talks about her husband's illness. They had just learned that it was much worse than they had originally expected. The cancer had spread. He would have to undergo surgery and chemotherapy. The prognosis was uncertain at best. It was one of those moments when we say, "God, help us! Save us! Please!"
Madeleine tells of her devotions on the evening of the day that they received the bad news. She read the Psalm for the day - Psalm 22:1. It read, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Of that experience she says, "Exquisitely painful timing. The psalmist's words. Jesus's words. I feel anguished. I feel that I have been kicked in the stomach and the wind knocked out of me. My spirit hurts."
And yet she was grateful for those words, because hearing them as they had come from Jesus' mouth made it all right that they had come from her own. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
When the disciples woke Jesus, they said, "Teacher, don't you care that we are dying?" Jesus didn't answer them directly, but turned instead to the wind and the sea saying, "Quiet! Be still!" And the wind ceased - and there was a dead calm. Then Jesus spoke directly to the disciples. He said, "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?"
- I wish Jesus hadn't said that.
- I wish Jesus had said, I feel your pain!
- I wish Jesus had said, "Of course you're afraid. It's dangerous out here."
- I wish Jesus stripped his shirt and tie it to reveal a big "S" on his chest. I wish he had said, "Don't worry. Superman will save you."
- I wish Jesus had acknowledged how difficult it is to be human - up against great odds - caught between a rock and a hard place - afraid - in despair.
But it's better that Jesus didn't do that. Jesus didn't affirm them in their despair, but instead pointed to the way out of it. Jesus said to the wind and the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" and they were stilled.
Jesus spoke those words to the wind and waves, but he also meant them for his disciples. "Quiet! Be still!" That was what those disciples needed to hear. They needed the world around them to be peaceful and still, but they needed even more to be at peace within themselves. When our world is coming unglued, we need to hear Jesus say, "Quiet! Be still!" As much as need Jesus to calm the storms around us, we need even more for him to calm the storms within us. "Quiet! Be still!"
Madeleine L'Engle's husband died. It didn't happen suddenly. She had to watch as he declined day by day - and then he died. She felt empty - and she was full of grief. It was a confusing and terrible time. Then someone told her a story of a bishop who had lost his wife and child in a tragic accident. The bishop said to his people, "I have been all the way to the bottom. And it is solid."
In the worst storm of her life - all the way at the bottom of her life - Jesus said to Madeleine L'Engle, "Quiet! Be still!" And she put down her feet. And it was solid!
Jesus comes to us in the storms of our lives. When the wind and the waves threatens to undo us, we cry, "Do you not care that we are perishing!" And Jesus says, "Quiet! Be still!" He calls us to faith. He calls us to put our feet down - to discover that it is solid!
What storm are you in right now? Is it a problem with your husband or your wife? Is it a problem with your child? A health problem? Financial problems? Can't find a job? Or just plain discouraged? Turn your eyes for a moment from the storm to the savior. Tell Jesus what is on your heart. Go ahead and say it - "Jesus, don't you care that we are in trouble down here?" And then hear him as he says, "Quiet! Be still!" And keeping your eyes fixed on him, put your feet down - and discover that it is solid!
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