Kids, can I tell you a story? But first I have to ask you a question. Have any of you ever been out on a boat on a lake or on the ocean? I bet that was fun! So, when you were out on the boat, was it stormy with big waves or was it sunny and calm? Hopefully it was sunny! Being in a boat when it is stormy can be kind of scary. When a boat is out on the water and it gets really windy and stormy, the waves start to get quite big. And when the waves are big, they can tip a boat over or fill it with water. That’s not good!

Well, in this story, Jesus and the disciples were in a boat crossing a big lake. It was late in the day when they set out on their journey and it quickly got dark when night came. During the night, while they were still on the boat, there was a storm, a bad storm with lots of wind, rain and waves… big waves. The waves were so big that water was splashing into the boat and they were starting to sink!

Now in Jesus’ day, boats didn’t have any motors so they couldn’t just turn around and zip back to shore. No, they had to try to sail to safety… and that wasn’t working, and the storm was getting worse. Well, guess what Jesus was doing right then on the boat? He was sleeping! Can you believe that? He knew that God would not let them sink, so he slept. He had faith in God. The disciples though were very scared and thought that they were going to sink, so they woke Jesus up.

When he woke up, Jesus saw what was happening and he knew he could fix it. So, he said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” And do you know what happened next? The wind and the waves went away, and it suddenly became very calm. They were saved!

Pretty cool story huh? Even the mighty wind and big waves obey Jesus! So, we should remember that we can pray to Jesus whenever we need his help with anything. Just like the disciples did.

OK, parents, this story has important meaning for us too. Yes, it is a story of Jesus’s divine power over great storms, but there is more, something important for us to remember too.

When he said, “Quiet! Be still!” was he talking to the sea… or talking to us? You know, in our lives, we too face great storms – some thrust upon us and some of our own making. What do we do when these storms happen to us? Do we try to sail to dry land by ourselves or do we have faith that he can help us, he can save us… if we ask. 

Whether our storms are financial, relationship, health, or work storms, we probably need help navigating to dry land. If we are suffering and wondering why something has happened to us, ask for his help and intervention. We weren’t meant to get through these storms, through this suffering, on our own. He didn’t let something befall us, but he is here to help us through it. Every one of us.

So, we need to stop all the fretting and anxiety over our storms and stop trying to fix it only on our own. While America may idolize the person who solves their own problems, behind that person is our loving God who is helping to fix it.

In the Gospel he said, “Quiet! Be still!” telling us to slow down, telling us to be still and let him help. He istalking to us. And do you know what the very next line in the Gospel is? It says, “The wind ceased and there was great calm…” Having faith that he can still our storms and letting him do his work in our lives gives us release… and great calm. 

And while we may not be facing storms at this moment, he still calls us. Our lives are full of busyness, being overly booked, fitting it all in and we are stressed. This also is not what he meant for us. He calls us to quiet. He calls us to stillness so that we have his “great calm.” That calm is his gift to us. So, turn over the control of the boat to Jesus to get that gift, to find that calm.

The disciples woke Jesus to calm the storm, to bring control to their lives and we should too. 

“The wind ceased and there was great calm….”