Be Still And Know

Matthew 8.26 NLT Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The Sea of Galilee is not large. It is about 13 miles from north to south and only about 8 miles at its widest point from east to west. Its location in the Jordan Rift Valley means that winds can quickly build up, and there are many accounts of violent storms on the lake. One might have thought that Jesus’ disciples, many of whom were experienced fishermen, would have taken such a storm in their stride but no, on this particular occasion they were terrified. They thought they might die and in their terror they cried out to Jesus to save them. Jesus was fast asleep but woke up to respond to their cries. He was appalled by their lack of faith, but duly rebuked the wind and the waves. The disciples were amazed by Jesus. They clearly still had a lot to learn about the kind of authority that he had. It isn’t only on the Sea of Galilee that violent