The tranquility following the storm—that’s what we need to regain our strength and find inner peace. Yet, is that truly what we strive to attain? Or do we persist in brooding over our worries and problems, allowing negative thoughts to swirl in our minds and instill fear in our hearts?
This Sunday’s Gospel recounts Jesus walking on the water and calming the “sea of fear” in the hearts and minds of the disciples. It encourages us to come to Jesus in the silence of our hearts and plead with Him to alleviate our fears and anxieties whenever life’s “storms” arise, whether they involve illness, financial crises, or turmoil in relationships.
Jesus urges us to feel His comforting embrace and the reassurance that these “storms” will pass, and that He is there to walk alongside us. He seems to be saying, “Don’t face this problem or issue alone. Let Me be with you, and let’s solve it together.”
In her meditation book, Jesus Calling, Sarah Young conveys a message from Jesus with these calming words:
“Stop worrying long enough to hear My voice. I speak softly to you, in the depths of your being. Your mind shuttles back and forth, weaving webs of anxious confusion. As My thoughts rise up within you, they become entangled in those sticky webs of worry. Thus, My voice is muffled, and you hear only ‘white noise.’
Ask My Spirit to quiet your mind so that you can think My thoughts. Do not be deafened by the noise of the world or by your own thoughts. Instead, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Sit quietly in My Presence, letting My thoughts reprogram your thinking.”
St. Augustine also advises us to listen for the voice of Jesus by quieting ourselves during times of crisis in our lives:
“For Christians who fear they are drowning in the world’s busyness, the worst thing they can do is panic. There can be no question of escaping the situation; we are many miles from land, and there is no help nearby. The one thing we can do is to withdraw, as it were, into ourselves, to find the Christ within, who is as powerful to calm the inner tempest as He was to subdue the waves on the Lake of Galilee.”
Indeed, may we hear the soothing voice of Jesus when a tempest comes—not in the heavy wind, the earthquake, or the fire—but in the whispering voice of Jesus, who tells us, “Take courage; it is I; do not be afraid.”
In Christ’s love,
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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