The experience of the disciples on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 8:23-27) frequently repeats itself in the lives of the followers of the Savior to this day. We, who trust in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, set out on a course in life which we have not willfully chosen for ourselves but embarked upon only after prayerfully seeking counsel and guidance from the Word of God. For a time, all seems to go well, but before long all is changed. A sudden storm arises in the form of financial losses and reverses; sickness, sorrow, and even death enters our family circle; or some unforeseen crisis arises. Overnight the blue skies are blotted out by lowering storm clouds. The waves of tribulation and affliction run so high that they threaten to overwhelm us. To add to our distress, our deceitful heart conjures up all sorts of specters, whispering that our Jesus has turned against us, that we are such great sinners that He has withdrawn His grace from us, and that He is leaving us to perish in our misery, as we so richly deserve in view of all our sinning. All appears hopeless and lost, and despair wants to take over in our hearts.
The Voice in The Storm
How groundless were not the fears of the Twelve that night and their imagination that they were being haunted by an evil spirit intent on their harm. What they had mistakenly taken to be a ghost was none other than their beloved Lord Himself, coming to their rescue. They recognized Him from that dear voice of His coming to them loud and clear over the storm: “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid!” That instantly dispelled all their anxieties and fears. He did care. He was concerned. With Him near, help was at hand. And He didn’t disappoint them. At His bidding the wind and the waves ceased to rage, and they found themselves within the calm and serene waters of the shore for which they had been heading.
The Voice of Jesus Today
To us today Jesus no longer appears visibly and speaks audibly as He once did that night to the disciples. To us He now speaks in His written Word as we have it in our Bibles. Well for us in the storms of life if we are well acquainted with it and have even committed pertinent portions of that Word to memory, words like, “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” (Matthew 10:30) “For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee.” (Isaiah 54:10) To these and similar words of His we should listen, and not give heed to or look at the winds and waves threatening to engulf us. In His own time and way, He will rescue us as surely as He did the disciples.
The Final Storm
For all of us, sooner or later, there lies in store that most threatening storm of all when our faith will be put to its severest test, the hour of our departure from this world and life. Then too His voice will go out to us, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” May our eyes then be fixed on Him alone, and He will grasp us by the hand and lead us in safety through that dark valley of the shadow of death and bring us to that quiet and peaceful shore, where no further storms will ever again overtake us.
In this series we are reprinting Spokesman articles by early leaders in the CLC. Pastor James Albrecht is the curator of the series. Rev. H. C. Duehlmeier (1913-1986) was a charter member of the CLC. He served as pastor of several Minnesota congregations, notably in Sanborn, Morris, and Fridley. He was a longtime chairman of the ILC Board of Regents. This article is from the Lutheran Spokesman of September 1972. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
1913-1986
