The Other Side Of The Storm

“On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” [1]

It was approaching midnight. We had to pass through the Arbuckle Mountains in Oklahoma as we journeyed to Kansas. The Arbuckle Mountains aren’t really mountains; rather, they are steep hills set in some incredibly rugged terrain. Our three children were asleep in the back seat, Lynda was in the passenger seat, and I was driving. Suddenly, the loudest crash imaginable shook the car, wakening the children and causing Lynda to scream in terror. We had driven into a Midwestern thunderstorm. Such storms come on suddenly and often give scant warning of what is about to break over the land. It is somewhat common that the blackness can mask violent tornados that snake downward to wreak devastation before withdrawing again into the glowering clouds.

The lightning flashed seemingly within mere meters of the car; and each time the thunder crashed the vehicle shook. Rain pelted the windshield so violently that the wipers were unable to keep the windows clear to allow me to see what might lie ahead. I had lived through numerous severe storms, having grown up in Kansas and having lived in Texas for more than ten years. We have witnessed hail the size of softballs smashing down. Our family has hunkered down in our car, and at other times in our house, as tornadoes roared overhead. We have on numerous occasions witnessed heavy rains, colloquially known as “toad stranglers and gully washers.” However, never have I experienced a thunderstorm that seemed to be so close to the ground, a storm in which the thunder deafened as did that storm that one dark night in the Arbuckle Mountains.

For almost an hour the terrifying storm raged, as I doggedly willed the Oldsmobile Cutlass to go just a little farther, praying the entire time for God’s protection for our family while Lynda vainly tried to comfort the children. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the thunder ceased, lightning no longer flashed past the car, and the rain stopped. We had passed through the storm. Behind us, we could see the lightning continuing to flash and still hear the thunder crashing. However, looking up, we saw an open sky, a pale moon, and bright stars. There was peace on the other side of the storm.

Something like that happened once as Jesus’ disciples rowed a boat across the body of water we know as the Sea of Galilee. To call it a sea may be a bit of a stretch in the estimate of many people. Nevertheless, it was thirteen kilometers across the water and that meant a boat was required to get to the settlements on the eastern shore.

When the men began what should have been a brief journey, there was no wind, so the men set to with the oars. Thirteen kilometers isn’t all that far, but it still meant that some time would be required in the boat for the men to cross the sea. Using the sail would usually mean they would enjoy a leisurely trip. There were oars for those times a boat was becalmed or if one needed to make better time. They hadn’t gone far when a storm broke over the sea. It was unlike any storm these men had ever experienced. It was violent, almost evil as if directed by some malevolent foe.

The men struggled at the oars, pulling hard to make headway against the waves. However, their efforts were futile. They could make no headway. And the waves were so massive that the little barque was filling with water, about to be swamped. Momentarily they would be thrown into the water and the boat would be broken by the violence of the waves. The disciples had never felt such terror as they felt at the moment. Numbered among these disciples were fishermen, men used to being on the water in all sorts of conditions! And they were terrified at what they were witnessing at that time. And through all this, the Master was asleep in the stern of the boat.