One April, I was lost in a snow storm on the ocean—alone, in a tiny wooden boat. The blizzard erased all vision of the land and sea. I tried not to panic, but I had no idea where I was for mile after mile of cliffed shoreline. Just when I was certain nothing could be worse, the engine broke down, leaving my skiff drifting toward the waves surging against the cliffs. My skiff could smash and I would end up in the frigid winter waters. I realized I could die. Where was Jesus?
The disciples knew they might die that night as well. For hours they fought the stormy seas with arms and oars until they had no strength left. They knew they could soon drown in those waves. At their lowest, a ghost suddenly appeared on top of the water! They screamed in terror. Even when Jesus clearly identified himself, they would not believe it was him until he stepped into the boat and calmed the storm. They could not believe he had such power. They could not believe he could love them that much. Finally they knew. They bowed and worshipped in awe, safe in his presence.
That night when I was alone in my skiff, just after dark, I too was saved. Jesus calmed my storm as well. Both for the disciples and for me, the true danger was not impending death, but disbelief. We didn’t believe that Jesus was who he said he was. We didn’t believe he could love us that much. Jesus came to us anyway. I bow and worship: “Truly you are the Son of God!” We are safe, now and always.
Leslie Leyland Fields is an Alaskan commercial fisherwoman and award-winning author of several books, including Crossing the Waters: Following Jesus Through the Storms, the Fish, the Doubt, and the Seas. Learn more at www.leslieleylandfields.com. This devotional content is adapted from Crossing the Waters, copyright © 2016 by Leslie Leyland Fields. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
