A few years ago, I found myself walking through a season that felt like a Category 5 storm.

Not the kind with thunderclouds and rain, but the kind that keeps you awake at night. The kind that fills your mind with questions. The kind that makes you wonder how everything became so difficult so quickly.

Maybe you have been there too.

Perhaps the storm is a health crisis. Maybe it is a broken relationship. Perhaps it is financial pressure, grief, uncertainty about the future, or simply the exhaustion of carrying burdens that seem too heavy for your shoulders.

Storms have a way of revealing what is really happening inside us.

They expose our fears. They uncover our insecurities. They reveal where we place our trust. They have a way of stripping away the illusion of control and reminding us just how much we need God.

The disciples knew something about storms.

Many of them had spent their lives on the water. They knew the Sea of Galilee. They understood changing weather patterns. They knew what it was like to fight wind and waves.

Yet on two separate occasions, they found themselves caught in storms so significant that they feared for their lives.

What fascinates me is that Jesus handled each storm differently.

The first time, He spoke to the storm around them.

The second time, He spoke to the storm within them.

And in that second storm, the very thing they feared became the transportation that carried them exactly where God wanted them to go.

That truth has changed the way I view the storms in my own life.

Because sometimes God calms the storm.

And sometimes God uses the storm.

Sometimes the very thing we are asking Him to remove is the very thing He is using to move us toward His purpose.

The Storm Around Them

The first story is found in Mark 4.

Jesus and His disciples climbed into a boat and began crossing the Sea of Galilee. As they traveled, a furious storm arose. The winds were fierce. The waves crashed into the boat. Water began filling the vessel.

Several of the disciples were experienced fishermen. These were men who knew the water. Yet even they became terrified.

Meanwhile, Jesus was asleep.

Can you imagine it?

The disciples were panicking while Jesus was resting.

Finally, they woke Him and cried out:

“Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38 NIV)

I love the honesty of that question because if we’re being truthful, many of us have asked something similar.

“Lord, don’t You see what I’m going through?”

“Don’t You care about what is happening?”

“Why haven’t You done something yet?”

Jesus stood up, faced the wind and waves, and spoke three simple words:

“Quiet! Be still!” (Mark 4:39 NIV)

Immediately, the wind died down.

The sea became calm.

The disciples sat in stunned silence.

The storm around them had just encountered the Creator of the storm.

In that moment, Jesus revealed His authority over external circumstances. He demonstrated that no force of nature, no situation, and no challenge is beyond His control.

Sometimes, God still works this way.

Sometimes, He speaks to the diagnosis.

Sometimes, He opens the door.

Sometimes, He provides the breakthrough.

Sometimes, He changes the circumstances.

Sometimes, He calms the storm around us.

We rejoice when He does.

But that is not the only way He brings peace.

The Storm Within Them

The second storm takes place in Matthew 14.

The context matters.

Jesus had just performed one of the greatest miracles of His earthly ministry, feeding more than five thousand people with five loaves and two fish.

Then He instructed His disciples to get into a boat and cross the lake ahead of Him.

Don’t miss that detail.

The disciples were not outside God’s will.

They were not being punished.

They were not suffering because of disobedience.

They were in the storm because they obeyed.

Sometimes we mistakenly assume that storms are proof that we missed God’s direction.

Many times, the opposite is true.

Sometimes the storm comes because we are exactly where God told us to be.

As the disciples struggled against the wind and waves in the darkness, Jesus came walking toward them on the water.

Instead of celebrating, they panicked.

They thought He was a ghost.

Fear overtook them.

Notice what Jesus did next.

He did not immediately speak to the storm.

Instead, He spoke to them.

“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27 NIV)

That difference is profound.

In the first storm, Jesus addressed the wind.

In the second storm, He addressed the fear.

The first storm required Him to calm the conditions around them.

The second storm required Him to calm the anxiety within them.

The waves were still rolling.

The wind was still blowing.

The circumstances had not changed.

But Jesus wanted to change something deeper.

Their hearts.

Many of us spend our lives asking God to fix our circumstances while He is trying to transform us.

We ask Him to remove every challenge.

He wants to strengthen our faith.

We ask Him to eliminate uncertainty.

He wants to teach us trust.

We ask Him to calm the storm around us.

He begins by calming the storm within us.

That is where true peace is found.

Peace is not the absence of problems.

Peace is the presence of Jesus in the middle of them.

When the Storm Becomes Transportation

There is another lesson hidden within this second storm that has become increasingly meaningful to me.

The storm was not merely something they had to survive.

The storm became transportation.

After Jesus walked on the water, after Peter stepped out of the boat, after fear gave way to worship, Matthew records something easy to overlook:

“And when they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.” (Matthew 14:34 NIV)

What happened there is extraordinary.

The people immediately recognized Jesus.

News spread throughout the region.

Crowds began bringing their sick, injured, and suffering loved ones to Him.

Matthew tells us:

“And they begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.” (Matthew 14:36 NIV)

Think about that.

The storm was not simply about the disciples.

The storm was carrying them toward ministry.

The storm was carrying them toward people who desperately needed Jesus.

On one side of the lake, they experienced fear.

On the other side of the lake, they witnessed healing.

On one side, they saw uncertainty.

On the other side, they saw God’s purpose unfold.

The storm carried them exactly where God wanted them to be.

I wonder how often we pray for God to remove the storm when He is actually using it to move us.

The disciples probably wanted calm seas.

Instead, they received something greater.

They saw Jesus walk on water.

Peter experienced the impossible.

Their faith was stretched.

Their understanding of Christ deepened.

And they arrived at a place where countless lives would be touched by the power of God.

The storm was not standing between them and God’s purpose.

The storm was helping deliver them to it.

That changes everything.

Perhaps the question is not always, “Lord, why am I in this storm?”

Perhaps the better question is, “Lord, where is this storm taking me?”

Joseph’s storm carried him to a palace.

Moses’ storm carried him to a burning bush.

Paul’s storm carried him to Malta, where many would hear the gospel.

The disciples’ storm carried them to Gennesaret, where an entire region would experience the healing touch of Jesus.

Sometimes God calms the storm because it has served its purpose.

Other times, He allows the storm because it is serving His purpose.

Looking Back at Our Own Storms

As I look back across my own life, I can see storms I never would have chosen.

The cycling accident that changed everything.

Seasons of waiting.

Times of uncertainty.

Moments of grief and disappointment.

At the time, I wanted relief.

I wanted answers.

I wanted God to make the storm stop.

Looking back now, I can see many of those storms were carrying me somewhere.

They deepened my dependence on God.

They developed compassion I could not have learned any other way.

They prepared me to help people walking through similar struggles.

They strengthened my faith.

The storm was painful.

But the storm was also transportation.

God never wastes pain.

He never wastes tears.

He never wastes hardship.

Even when we cannot see it, He is working.

Even when the journey feels frightening, He is guiding us.

Even when the winds seem contrary, He is leading us toward His purpose.

Jesus Is Still Our Peace

The disciples learned two unforgettable lessons.

First, Jesus has authority over the storm around us.

Second, Jesus has authority over the storm within us.

Sometimes, He stands and speaks to the wind and waves.

Sometimes, He looks into our fearful hearts and says, “Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Both are miracles.

Both are expressions of His love.

Both reveal His power.

If you find yourself in a storm today, remember this:

The presence of a storm does not mean the absence of God.

The waves may be high.

The winds may be strong.

The journey may be difficult.

But Jesus is still with you.

And sometimes the storm you are asking Him to remove is the very thing He is using to carry you into your next season, your next assignment, your next breakthrough, or your next opportunity to witness His faithfulness.

So, hold on.

Keep trusting.

Keep rowing.

Keep believing.

The same Jesus who spoke peace to the sea still speaks peace to His people.

And the same Savior who walked on water is still guiding His children safely to the other side.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for being our peace in every storm. Thank You that no wave is too high, no wind is too strong, and no circumstance is beyond Your control. When the storms around us rage, remind us that You are still Lord over every situation. When fear rises within us, help us hear Your voice saying, “Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Teach us to trust You when we cannot see what lies ahead. Help us remember that some storms are not sent to destroy us but to develop us, strengthen us, and carry us toward the purpose You have prepared for us. Give us faith to believe that even when life feels uncertain, You are still working all things together for good.

Lord, bring peace to troubled hearts, hope to weary souls, and courage to those facing difficult seasons. Help us keep our eyes on Jesus, knowing that He is greater than every storm we will ever face.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.