In the first reading today from Genesis 19, we read about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Because of their wickedness, God had his sights set on them. But Abraham’s nephew, Lot, was in the region. Abraham asked that Lot be spared. So angels came and told Lot to get out of Dodge! They said that he and his family should not look back. But Lot’s wife looked back, and was turned into a pillar of salt. Guess she should have listened more attentively.
In the Gospel reading from Matthew 8, the disciples are in a boat when a violent storm whips up on the sea. Jesus is sleeping in the boat. (I can only imagine how exhausted Jesus must have been with his hectic schedule.) The disciples are overcome with fear and wake Jesus up, saying to him, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And Jesus calms the wind and the seas. Matthew 8:26 says, “The he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm.”
Storms will come and go during our lives. Some are more intense than others, some will last longer than others. When we try to ride out these storms on our own, we will undoubtedly have the same troubles as those disciples in the boat with Jesus. We must always remember that Jesus can bring great calm to these storms, just as He did for the disciples in the boat. The first thing we need to do is to invite Jesus into our boat. Then trust in Him to bring great calm.
Father, you know how troubling the storms in our lives can be. May our trust in Jesus bring us great calm in every situation. Amen.
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