Stormy Crossings
by John DePresca
People who live in my area of this great country are fortunate. On many winter days, a tee shirt and shorts can be part of your dressing ensemble, and a snow shovel is something you see being used on the national news. The outdoors are a big part of my life, and along with hundreds of thousands of other people, I am addicted to a thing called "fishing". Within fifty miles of my front door are no less than eight lakes that can take me into fishing ecstacy, not to mention countless ponds and creeks. To make things even better, I eat, sleep and live with my fishing partner. It is the exception rather that the rule for a fisherman to have his wife as a fishing buddy, but as long as she doesn't catch more than me, I can handle it.
One early summer day last year, we hooked up the bass boat and in about an hour the out board motor came to life on the water. On this trip, our teenage son joined us because he wanted to show the "old folks" how to put some fish in the boat. We were fishing a reservoir so to get to the spot we wanted it was necessary for us to follow the river channel for about fifteen minutes. The boat's depth finder registered up to seventy feet as we scouted the perfect place. Once sighted, I eased the boat out of the channel and maneuvered through the maze of dead trees and stumps to get in casting distance of the bank. This is a slow procedure because hitting a submerged object can take out a propeller, making for a long trip back to the dock using a paddle.
The conversation now turned to which lure would decide the winner of this particular fishing expedition. When I saw my wife and son's choice of bait, I knew I would be triumphant. Rummaging through my tackle box I reached for my guaranteed (so it said on the box) super duper, double bladed, chartreuse spinner bait. After tying it on the line, I headed for the front of the boat for my first cast. A clap of thunder interrupted my back cast as I looked to the south. In a matter of seconds the blue skies that promised a good trip were changed to a dark gray. Where did this come from?
Casually, I announced to the crew that it was time to head back to the dock to wait out the storm in the safety of the pick up; but before the words had time to sink in, a blinding bolt of lightning struck a tree on the bank, not a quarter of a mile away from the boat. We quickened our pace to get seated as the big drops began to hit the deck. Once behind the driver's seat, the outboard again came to life. The wind, coming out of the south, pushed the white capping lake against the stern of the boat.
The second bolt of lightning and the immediate sound of the thunder indicated the closeness of that strike. With our rain gear already on, and the rain pelting our heads, I slowly steered the boat through the stumps back toward the river channel. At one point the boat was broad side to the wind and a wave pushed us sideways into a dead tree. Half of the wave had come over the starboard side of the boat. It was time to put on our life jackets. With the bilge pump on, I turned the boat away from the wind and lightning began to strike all around us. With the wind and blowing rain at our backs the waves began to lift the back of the boat and push us forward. We glanced off another dead tree as the propeller hit a submerged stump. Then the motor stopped.
The wind blew sheets of rain against our life jackets and rubber rain suits. With no control of the boat, we were at the mercy of the storm, pushing us further away from the channel. I tried to restart the motor, with no luck. The bilge pump was still working but with the motor not running it would only be a matter of time until the battery would run down. Like a slow motion pinball game we bounced from dead tree to dead tree. I held on and knelt backwards on the back seat to look at the motor and noticed the fuel line had come loose. Reconnecting the line, I jumped back into the driver's seat and turned the ignition. At times like these you appreciate the sound of a running motor. With the river channel in sight, the storm slacked off a bit. The time between the flash of lightning and the sound of the thunder was getting longer. By the time we got back to the dock, blue skies could be seen on the horizon. Wet, shivering and thankful, we climbed in the pickup to watch the sun come back out.
On the way home that evening I couldn't help be reminded of the account found in the book of Mark. In Chapter 4, verses 35-41 we are told of a storm that suddenly came up on the Sea of Galilee. This body of water is not a sea, as we think in terms of an ocean, but a lake about thirteen miles long and about eight miles wide. A formidable challenge for primitive boats with no motors. It is located in the Jordan rift, surrounded by the hills of the Golan Heights and is noted for sudden storms due to downdrafts which make the lake sit in the middle of a wind tunnel. In Jesus' time, many of the people who lived along its banks depended on fishing for their occupation and they were aware of the potential danger of going out in a boat at the wrong time. Many of them only fished close to the shore so in the event of one of these storms they could get back to land in a reasonable amount of time.
Jesus, who had been preaching to multitudes of people during that day, was very tired by the time evening came. Only on rare occasions did the fishermen attempt to journey across its eight mile width, so you can imagine their surprise when Jesus said, "Let us pass over to the other side", especially when it was getting close to dark. We are told that other boats joined in the crossing. When Jesus got in the boat, He went to the stern and fell asleep on a cushion. Then came the squall. Not just a rain storm. In Matthew's translation, the Greek word seimos is used. This word means an earthquake!
Put yourself in the place of the disciples at this moment. You have been fishing these waters all of your life and you know better than to go out in a boat under these conditions. Can you imagine the conversation on board? "What are we doin' out here?" "I don't think this was the best idea in the world." "We're about to die, and He's asleep" "We messed up this time." "Somebody needs to wake Him up, NOW!" Panic must be setting in as the boat is being buffeted from all sides by the wind and the water is coming over the sides. These are people that are facing a violent death, very soon. For almost three years some of them have been watching Jesus perform miracles but now they need help, and He is asleep.
Finally, they wake Him up and say, "Do you not care if we perish?" Jesus gets up and rebukes the wind and rain and suddenly there is calm. He then turns to them and says, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?"
In our Christian walk we experience storms of many kinds. Death, illness, financial woes, relationship and job concerns are just a few disappointments that can cloud an otherwise sunny day. Sometimes we panic just as the disciples did in that boat, but have we not also witnessed the power of Jesus Christ? Have we no faith? The disciples knew better than to get into that boat, but they did it anyway because of their faith. But when the going got tough, their faith went overboard. Many of us do the same thing. When the storm hits out of nowhere we also think God is asleep and not listening.
True faith must come through patience and trust. We don't inherit it from our ancestors. We have to know that we may not be on the same timetable that God has. Faith does not have to give us a explanation for everything that happens to us. Faith should be the reason we hang in there without having to know everything that God knows. Being faithful does not give us a free pass to physical happiness. Because we are faithful we are not exempt for storms nor immune from hurt and sorrow. Just as we get fat and lazy without proper diet and exercise, our faith does the same if we don't feed it properly or use is regularly.
Just about anyone can maintain their faith when things are going good. It is those storms that suddenly come out of nowhere that can test our devotion to God. When the bad times come, and they will, can we be able to look past the clouds and remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is always watching and is never, ever asleep. We may not always understand, but He is always there if we just call on Him.
By the way, about that fishing trip story I told you about earlier, there were eight nice fish in the boat by the end of the day. I contributed none of them.
