Please read: Matthew 14:22-33 / John 6:16-21 / Mark 4:35-41
We have a few stories of Jesus and his disciples as they encountered fear of the unknown. When you put together darkness, deep water and a stormy sea, you end up with fear striking deep in the heart of fishermen even.
All of these stories convey terror in the hearts of the disciples to the point where they cannot see a future for themselves. Yet, Jesus was with them, close to them, ready to rescue them at a moment鈥檚 notice. Whether they thought Jesus was a ghost, an imposter, or someone who didn鈥檛 care; they would discover, in spite of their floundering faith, that this one who claimed to be the Son of God did not abandon them.
As this COVID-19 virus makes its way around this earth and into the lives of one community after another, we too may have some questions about the future. As news reporters and economists seem all to eager to proclaim doom and gloom, we might be asking ourselves about how to control all of our surroundings, so as to ride out this storm unscathed. Still, as the markets discover new lows, we may realize that this storm is much more than we can handle. We might be wondering why Jesus is just sleeping through it all.
As this invisible virus finds its way into our lives, we may wonder if it is only evil spirits that we will find at work in our world and its chaos. We might even be saying to Jesus; If you are who you say you are, give us a miracle now. Like the disciples our fear and our little faith may be leaving us feeling scared about the future, scared about sickness, scared about the unknown.
I believe that in the midst of this global storm we are in together. Jesus is as close as ever, there in the storm, there in the midst of our fears, there as our faith is failing us. As always, Jesus is with us, close to us, ready to rescue us in a moments prayer. May God give us eyes to see this.
Let us pray, Lord, help us to hear your words: 鈥淭he kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe in this good news.鈥� Help us to see you coming to us in the midst of this storm. Help us to see you in the faces of people who are struggling. Help us to get out of this boat of fear and come to you; and catch us Lord should we fall. Give us your peace in our hearts, a peace we can share. Amen.
