DAILY PRAYER

“Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea so that the boat was being swamped by waves, but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’  He said to them, ‘Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?’” (Mt. 8:23-27)

There are times we may feel out of control (lost, fearful, pained, and even terrified).

Although some were experienced fishermen and knew well the tumult of the waters, the storm must have been particularly fierce that day.  They panicked at the predicament they were in.

Filled with fear they cried out: “We are perishing!”  They must have been overwhelmed less by the unusually severe weather than they were by the devil’s temptation to value life and safety over trust and Providence.

Jesus taught them the essential lesson: God is in charge. “He was asleep…” is to say that Jesus was resting in the security of the Father’s hands.   Even Jesus’ journey from Gethsemane to Calvary was a testament to His trust in God.  For a person of little faith, the cross looks like a dead loss. 

Trust is not without a price.  Sometimes, as with the martyrs, it cost their blood.

“He rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. The men were amazed and said, ‘What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?’” 

He who calms the wind and controls the sea can care for us in more profound ways than we ever could imagine: He is the bridge between death and eternal life.

Reflection and commentary

Psalm 5:11“All who take refuge in you will be glad and forever shout for joy.”

OUR PRAYER CONTINUES