"Jesus, do you care?"

Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know

His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Have you ever been outside and out of no where, a massive storm shows up? The kind of rain and wind that send you you running to the nearest shelter? I have. The sky turns pitch black in the middle of the day and it can be scary!  You start thinking of your home, your property, maybe even loved ones and wonder just how much damage will this storm do? When will it end? 

The storms of our life can happen at various times and places (work, home..). It can include relationships, emotional states, dreams, nightmares, illness and the list goes on. Sometimes they hit us out of the blue.

When will it end? Jesus, when will you do something? Will I come out of this alive-physically, emotionally or spiritually speaking? 

Do you ever feel like he's sleeping, while the storm crashes around you? 

I do. 

Sometimes I think, "What happened? Everything was peaceful and I was full of joy and then_______ happened out of no where!" You can fill in the blank for yourself - things like broken relationships, illness, change in lifestyle/schedules, and changes at work and so much more, can all feel overwhelming. "Will I come out of this alive?" 

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.

Read the full story in Mark 4:35-41. The disciples were so scared because a "great windstorm" came out of no where and started sinking the boat they were on (I would be too). But what made all the difference in this story? They looked to Jesus to calm the storm. They didn't know how or what He would do - they just cried out to Him. "Jesus, do you care?" Whoa, what a lesson. How often to I cry out to Jesus in my storms? I usually come to Him saturated to the bone with the rain of worry, self-righteousness ("I can do this") and eventually, the feeling of being overwhelmed. But He doesn't mind embracing my sogginess. When I listen in the midst of the storm, I can hear Him saying... 

Be still, and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

Still. Be still, and know that I love you. Be still, and know that I waste NONE of your pain. Be still.... stop striving, struggling.

Perspective. Jesus doesn't always calm our storms when we cry out to him, does He? No. But he can ALWAYS calm his child. 

Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;

 bear patiently thy cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In ev'ry change he faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav'nly Friend

Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

The storms will end. No matter what kind they are. And the miracle? Jesus will turn it into something for our good and His glory! What hope! Amazing Grace!  

Whether in this life or when we cross into our eternal home - there will be a day with no more storms. Joy is waiting. Jesus is waiting for us to call out to Him, the joy He offers can be ours today. Right now, in the midst of the storm. Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end...