In life, it’s a given, everyone at some point is going to
struggle with something. Recently i’ve
been looking at how Jesus calmed the storm in Matthew 8:23-27. In the early church the storm and the waves
were often interpreted as being the storms and winds of trials and persecutions
and the boat as the church. Sometimes,
life can get pretty stormy; in fact Matthew uses the Greek word for earthquake
when describing the wind, so life can even get as bad as a natural
disaster! We know that the storm that
Matthew describes was very bad in that the people on the boat were all
experienced fishermen and yet the storm is so bad that they cry out to Jesus
for help. “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Every so often, each of us feels as though
we’re in this position and we want to cry out for help. What’s interesting is Jesus reply to the
disciple’s. He gets up (from where he’s
sleeping) and rebukes the wind and the waves and suddenly, everything becomes
completely calm. Jesus is in total
control. It’s nice to look back to this
story for encouragement knowing that Jesus is in total control. Even more so, those that have decided to
follow him can rest in this security.
I work for NYFC in Chilwell school and I don’t know how often you go into school
but young people can be quite intimidating.
But I know that Jesus is standing there with me and is there and in
control. Initially I found my work in
Chilwell quite difficult, but with Jesus i have seen how much easier trusting
in him can make things. What’s
interesting about the final aspect of the calming of the storm is that the
disciples respond to Jesus with amazement.
Why? Not only is this because they have witnessed the power of Jesus,
but this is the first time in Matthew that he’s demonstrated control over
nature. In the Old Testament God
performs many miracles, the parting of the Red sea for example. Jesus is showing how much authority he truly
has. He has the authority of God. In our struggles, we know that Jesus is
ultimately in control and when he does something incredible, or works through
our lives every day we see his authority and power for ourselves in new and
incredible ways. I look forward to
seeing him work further in Chilwell and in NYFC.
Tim Stanyon is on placement with Nottingham YfC
He is currently studying theology at St. John's Nottingham
