One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”
– Luke 8:22–25
There’s so much in this story. I want to point out two things that lead us to pray.
One, I want to point out the confusion in the disciples as Jesus is sleeping in the middle of the storm. And they go wake him up and like, “Don’t you care? We’re perishing here!” Have you ever been… Or are you now in a challenge in your life, in this world, a storm so to speak… And you’ve wondered, “God, do you see what’s happening here? Do you care about what’s happening here?”
We wouldn’t say we think God is asleep. But the reality is we sometimes think, “God, why aren’t you acting in this way or that way? Why aren’t you doing this or that? Do you really love me or this person who’s walking through this?” Then second, what happens when Jesus wakes up and rebukes the wind and the waves and they cease? There’s a calm, and he looks at them and says, “Where is your faith?”
Luke 8:22–25 reminds us that God is with us during the storms of life.
It’s so interesting. It’s at this point, that Luke tells us they were afraid. So you’d think they’ve been afraid of the storm. Now they’re afraid that the storm is gone and the man standing in front of him has authority to rebuke the wind and the water. Only God himself has that authority. They are realizing that the man standing in front of them is God himself and they are in awe. That is ultimately the point of the story. Not that the storm’s challenges in our lives will end soon, none of us has that guarantee.
But we do know that no matter what this world brings us, that God who has authority over all creation is in the boat with us. You are never alone in the storm. God himself is with you. Ultimately he will bring you through. So God, I just want to pray this picture over, particularly anyone, everyone who right now is walking through trials, challenges, tribulations, storms, grief, whatever it might be that the world is throwing at them.
God, I pray that in a fresh way in this moment, they would know they are not alone. That you are not asleep, that you never slumber or sleep, that you tirelessly work on behalf of your people, that you tirelessly work all things together for the good of your people. That even, just like the storm, was designed to bring these disciples greater revelation of yourself. You use storms in our lives to show your love, your power, your grace, your mercy, your strength, your hope, your comfort in deeper ways than we could ever realize if there was no storm in this world.
Luke 8:22–25 reminds us God is working even the hardest things together for our good.
So God, we praise you for your promise to be with us. I pray that people would feel that promise in a fresh way right now. You just saying, “You’re not alone. You’re not alone. I’m with you. I am with you.” And they would realize who you are, the one who has authority over all creation, has authority to work all things together, even the hardest things together for our good.
In this, oh God, I just pray for all filled, fearful, faithful perspective of you and the storm around them. Oh God, we praise you for the promises we have, your presence, the purposes you’re working out. God, we pray for people who don’t know you in all these ways. Lord, we pray you’d help us to encourage others in storms around us today, other brothers and sisters in Christ with these truths.
God, we pray you’d help us to share the gospel with people who are walking through hard things in this world, but don’t know your promises and your presence in this way.
Prayer for the Turkish-speaking Kurd People
Lord, we pray specifically today for the Turkish-speaking Kurds of Turkey. Six and a half million Turkish-speaking Kurds. God, please cause the good news of your grace, of your love, of your sin-conquering death-defeating mercy Jesus to spread to the Turkish-speaking Kurds people, to millions of them.
Lord, we pray for that on their behalf, please save them and bless all, including really good friends of mine in Turkey who are working to make this good news known there. God, we pray all this according to your Word, in Jesus’ name and the name of the one who commands the winds and the waters, the one who has all authority in heaven and on earth. Who says, “I will be with you always.” We pray in his name. Amen.
