I’m writing this blog on Tuesday, November 5…election day.  There are a multitude of uncertainties swirling around this evening.  Who will win?  Who will accuse whom of voter fraud?  More than one pundit anticipates some level of civil war or some never before seen political gymnastics to keep a winner from being seated in the White House.  It may actually take some states days to tally votes and if the election is as close as some believe, we may not know who our new president is for a week.  Meanwhile tensions will rise and accusations will fly.  It seems that we are navigating extremely stormy seas.

There are several responses to this dilemma.  We can convince ourselves that none of this matters and ultimately it will not affect us. Life will go on as it has.  But these things will affect us.  Our freedoms, our finances, our security will all be touched by these outcomes one way or another.  Another response may simply be days of anxiety, fear and, perhaps, anger.  In our hearts we may be looking for someone to blame for the way things turned out and our anticipated losses and pain due to these outcomes. A third response, a better response  can be faith.

We all remember the account of the disciples crossing the sea of Galilea one night.  In that part of Israel, violent storms can come up quickly and without warning.  That night was such a night. It was dark, the wind suddenly howled, waves began to build and break over the boat Jesus and his disciples were in. Their  concern was not unfounded.  They were in true danger.  Galilea is not huge nor unfathomably deep, but many men have drowned in those storms.  Several of Jesus’ followers were fisherman on Galilea and they knew when they were in real peril.  

As their anxiety grew, they began to look to their leader for courage. But, their leader was unavailable.  Jesus was sound asleep.  Perhaps, they thought he had no grasp on how much danger they were in.  After all, he was a stone mason not a fisherman. They shook him awake and asked if he even cared if they were about to die.  Jesus stood and rebuked the wind and the storm immediately dissipated.  He also gently rebuked them for their lack of faith. To their credit, their impulse to cry out to Jesus was on target. He is always the one to run to. 

However, his rebuke about their lack of faith concerned two things.  First, they had little faith that their heavenly father was aware of their predicament or that he would protect them in the face of that danger.  We usually expect God to keep us from the storms rather than seeing us through the storms. So, when storms arise, we assume his care for us has failed.

Secondly, Jesus may have been reminding them that he had given them authority to do what they were asking him to do.  He said on several occasions if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can command a mountain or a mulberry tree to be cast into the sea and they will obey our command.  Sometimes our faith fails in remembering who our Heavenly Father is and sometimes it fails in remembering who we are in Christ…his beloved children.

In the midst of stormy social and political seas, we must remember both.  God can and will protect us and provide for us in the storm. He will not always keep us from the storm but will see us through it.  Jesus slept soundly because he was totally convinced his Father’s care for him was greater than the storm. Tonight, he invites us to sleep soundly as well.