Over the last few weeks, and I guess for the immediate future, many are living in fear. Fear of being attacked by an invisible enemy, an enemy that seems to creating a perfect storm in our lives. Lives are being lost, jobs disappearing and because we can uniquely anticipate future events, we live in fear for our lives and jobs over the next few weeks. In an attempt to defeat the corvid19 virus we are self-isolating, or avoiding close contacts with others and running around buying lots of this and that ‘just in case’. How long will the storm last? We don’t know – weeks; maybe months. Now we fear for the long term negative effect on the global economy. Many of us seem helpless and perhaps alarmed that we can no longer control events. Science is trying to catch up, but can’t give instant answers. The pandemic is causing global melt-down!

It reminds me of the story of when Jesus and the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee. See Mark 8: 23-27. They were assailed by an almost perfect storm. They battled bravely against it. I can imagine them pulling down the sails, bailing out the water, doing everything they could to stay afloat, but living in fear for their lives when all their effort and sailing expertise seemed to no avail.

Then they suddenly remembered that Jesus was with them, but where was he, he should be with them helping to keep this boat afloat. They looked around and saw him sleeping peacefully in the stern of the boat! How could that be!  They woke him up and rebuked him and said “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown’.

Some of us who know Jesus might be saying that today – don’t you care Jesus that satan is attacking the world with this virus; that our loved ones’ are sickening and dying that we are losing jobs and that the global economy is in meltdown. The disciples in the boat with Jesus may have been also have been thinking. Why did Jesus allow such a storm in the first place! Many of us, especially those who don’t know Jesus, are maybe asking the question, “If there is God why did he let this happen.

What the disciples didn’t realise was that the very presence of Jesus on the boat assured their safety. There was no need to wake him up. He was in control all of the time.

When we have crises in our lives, as we are having now, and we try to control things by our own efforts we must remember that Jesus is in the boat with us and he is in control. He lets the storm happen because he wants us to re-evaluate our lives. It reminds us that wealth, AND ALL THESECULAR THINGS WE VALUE IN LIFE are of no consequence when dealing with a perfect storm. He wants us to draw closer to him, to give him control, to be the pilot in our lives. We are only safe if Jesus is in the boat with us, he can quell the storm. He is the expert. He will lead us through the storm into a safe harbour.

If you don’t yet know Jesus I invite you to invite him to join you in your life boat and to give him control as you battle through this storm. That is the best insurance you can have, that you will ‘live’ forever and enjoy the peace he gives you, which He bought for you as He hung on the cross at Calvary. The peace that he demonstrated as he lay on the cushion at the rear of that storm tossed boat.

Keep trusting in God! He is Good.

Rodney Shotter 21/03/2020