Text: Matthew 8:23-27
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” —Psalm 46:10
Dominating the box office since its release in mid-June, Inside Out 2 is now the highest-grossing animated film in history, perhaps most relatably as a story that puts anxiety in its rightful place among all the other human emotions. A teenager named Riley has her mind headquarters hijacked by a character named Anxiety, and a long battle to overthrow its dominion ensues.
There is a compelling scene in the film when “Joy” penetrates the command center in Riley’s head, seizes the control panel, looks Anxiety in the face and declares, “Let her go.” It’s a game-changing moment for the teenager.
In Matthew 8:23-27, we see a similar anxiety-led hijack attempt on the disciples as they navigate a great storm on the Sea of Galilee. Their boat was being swamped by the waves and the disciples were in legit panic mode, but Jesus is soundly asleep in some remote part of the boat. The Sea of Galilee is well known for its sudden, violent storms, and the severity of this storm was evident in the fact that the disciples (many of whom were experienced fishermen on this lake) were terrified. What a dramatic contrast—the disciples are freaking out while Jesus seems to be auditioning for a “but-I-did-stay-at-a-Holiday-Inn-Express-last-night” commercial.
Have you ever felt like Jesus was sleeping through your storm?
The disciples sure did in that moment. We can sense the distress in their cry as they shake Jesus awake, pleading, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” No time for empty phrases heaped up in some long-winded, protracted prayer. No margin for quoting extended scriptural references or laying out a lengthy foundational case for why it is “worthy” for Jesus to intervene, or how God’s reputation is on the line if He doesn’t. When the boat is sinking and the clock is running out, there’s no room for any kind of manipulation tactics in prayer—just a pure SOS distress call.
I love the prayerful simplicity of these six words: “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”
Those words moved the power of God in the storm, but not without a little rebuke first. Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” The Greek word here is not “no faith,” but “ineffective,” “defective,” or “deficient” faith. Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. Here we can appreciate Spurgeon’s observation: “He spoke to the men first, for they were the most difficult to deal with: wind and sea could be rebuked afterwards.”
The disciples marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” In the span of a few moments, the disciples witnessed both the complete humanity of Jesus (in His tired sleep) and the fullness of His deity. They saw Jesus for who He is: truly man and truly God. They knew that He personified Psalm 89:8-9…
O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you? You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.
Sometimes God isn’t interested in the multitude of our words. He simply wants us to “be still and know that He is God” (Psalm 46:10). Sometimes He just wants us to marvel, knowing that He’s got this whole world in His grip, and every little trivial detail of our lives as well. Sometimes the best prayers are short and simple: Lord, save me from my anxiety today!
What kind of storm are you facing today that needs to be met with the kind of marvel and faith that recaptures the control panel, and declares: Let him or her go, in Jesus’ name. God’s got this!
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we understand that worry is just misplaced worship, making much of the wrong thing. It’s focusing on the storm rather than focusing on WHO has authority over that storm. Help us to have an effective faith, one that marvels with a kind of worship that trusts Your character over our circumstances. This kind of worship will at times leave us speechless and still, with a calm that knows You got this. Lord, conquer our anxiety. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- What does your “Inside Out” experience look like? What emotions tend to be at the control panel of YOU?
- When have you felt that Jesus was sleeping in your storm?
- What can we learn about Jesus’ rebuke of the disciples and the storm?
- Where has worry been a form of misplaced worship in your life?
- What needs to happen this week for your worry to be overtaken with proper worship?