I must admit that I spent too much time watching The Weather Channel this past week as forecasters predicted the bombardment of snow, sleet, ice, and power outages expected to hit much of the country on January 25, 2026. And I must admit that I had some anxious moments trying to imagine the storm and its impact, worrying about power outages, and longing for it to be over already! Well, the storm came as predicted, but maybe not as bad as forecasted.
During the week of anticipating the storm, my mind also reflected on the storms we face in life. Anyone who has lived for any time at all knows that in life, storms will surely come, and often without announcing themselves. Just as a physical snowstorm may begin with a few innocent flakes drifting down, life’s storms frequently arrive the same way. Seemingly out of nowhere, we are faced with an unexpected job loss, a grim diagnosis, the painful passing of a loved one, or the sorrow of goodbyes. As the disciples were caught in the storm on the Sea of Galilee, we can feel overwhelmed by these trials, as if our boat were sinking.
A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling … 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!” (Mark 4:38-39)
Jesus’ response not only calms the physical storm but also addresses the fear and doubt in the hearts of His disciples. His words remind us that even at the height of the storm, there is a source of peace available to us.
Following Jesus does not insulate us from life’s storms, but we can take comfort from knowing that God promises to hold us fast through them. He can calm our hearts, and He may even quiet the very storms themselves.
When storms come, we are often tempted to doubt God. The disciples questioned Jesus even though they had seen His miracles firsthand. They looked Jesus in the eye, and they shared meals with Him every day—but when the storm arose, they took to panic stations of unbelief as if they’d forgotten who He was or what He was capable of doing. Don’t we often find ourselves there too? As soon as the turbulence hits—as soon as life’s winds and waves rise—our doubts and weaknesses burst forth, and we forget who it is who dwells within us and what He is capable of doing.
God does not prevent storms from coming. But He is a God who is both present through them and sovereign over them. Jesus not only stayed with the disciples during the storm, but He also displayed His power by calming the storm. As God, He had created the very sea itself. Why would the sea ever be a problem for Him? For us, too, even circumstances that seem hopeless and insurmountable unfold exactly as He has planned. When difficulties, fear, and pain persist, we can trust Him to give us a peace that “surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) and bring us through to a place of calm, whether it arrives in this life or only beyond the final tempest of death.
The question, then, is not “Will storms come in my life?” They surely will. Rather, we must ask, “When the storms come, will I believe that Jesus Christ can deal with them—and will I let Him do that?” He can lift the clouds of doubt fogging our minds. He can mend broken hearts. He can soothe our longings for love. He can revive weary spirits. He can calm anxious souls.
When we see Jesus as the Creator of the universe, the One who calmed the sea, and the One in whom everything holds together, then we, too, can experience the calming of the storm.