Here is a piece I wrote for our newsletter for October.
When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”
John 6:16-20
Just the other night a group of pretty intense thunderstorms passed through the area. They knocked down trees in town and the church was without half of its power the next day. School was canceled in Carson City due to power outages from the storm. The storms had high winds, constant flashes of lightning followed by rumbles of thunder, and plenty of rain.
Our kids were in bed when the storms picked up intensity, and they were both awake. Elijah, who is almost 4 now, has become convinced that he enjoys thunderstorms, even if they do get a bit scary, so he was doing pretty good that night. Alexandra, on the other hand, just turned 2 and did not care for the noise and flashes of lightning at all. I was working on an outline for our Bible study on Wednesday and I heard Alex crying in her room. I went in and through tears she said to me, “thunderstorm” in a way that let me know she was ready for them to be over. So I picked up my little girl and told her we’d watch the storm together. We sat in the rocking chair in her room, pulled up her shade, and watched the lightning flash and the tree branches whip around in the wind. We rocked. I said, “Doesn’t the lightning look pretty?” Her tiny voice meekly responded, “yes.” I’m not sure she believed it, but things were ok as long as she was rocking with me. My little girl needed my presence, and that was fine by me. I try to soak those moments up because I know they don’t last forever. Children grow up and become more independent. The moments of her sitting with me, rocking, taking comfort in my holding her will most likely grow fewer and farther between. But my heart as a father is to hold her and be with her through that storm.
Later, I wondered how often we take time to simply sit with God and be in the presence of God. The gospel of John, which I cited above, is the gospel that focuses most on God as Heavenly Father. What is your relationship with God like? Do you have prayer time where you can just sit in the presence of your heavenly Father? I wonder, if I have a longing in my heart for my children, and I’m a sinful human being, then what must God, our creator and heavenly Father feel towards us?
In the Gospels we get a story of Jesus walking on water towards the disciples. Above, I’ve included the account found in John’s gospel. Do you notice that they are in a storm? Things seem unsure and dangerous. In the midst of that storm and darkness, Jesus walks on water to his disciples. They were terrified, but hear Jesus’ words to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Jesus tells us if we have seen him, then we have seen the Father. If we know Jesus we know the Father. If we receive Jesus we receive the one who sent him. In Jesus we see that God does not leave us alone in our tears when the storms of life rage around us. In Jesus we see that God even enters into the storms of our lives to be with us. “It is I; do not be afraid.”
As I remember rocking with my child, comforting her, being with her, I imagine how God wants to be with us and hold us through any storm that comes. You were not meant to battle life alone. Take time to connect with your heavenly Father, your God, and let God care for your weary soul.