“He…rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.” Luke 8:25

Last summer when my husband was on a fishing trip with some other men, he phoned and said it was windy and really rough out. I could picture the boat getting slammed with the waves.

He was explaining to me later that calm waters are usually close in to shore, near the land which protects it. The rougher waters are out farther, in between the shallow and the deep, over the reefs. Apparently the depth of the water isn’t what matters in how rough it is. Interestingly, also, is more fish are usually caught in these rougher waters. That day they were offshore several miles, and they did get a banner catch.

I doubt anyone wants to get banged up and bruised from ‘rough waters’ we encounter in life….nor be nervous, suffer from angst, or be fearful. The rough waters we all experience at times can be calmed by the protective shore of Jesus. The Lord, Jehovah Shammah (Ezekial 48:35) is always there.

Jesus spoke to the elements, in nature, and they obeyed. He can also speak to our hearts, and supernatural calm can replace our rough waters. That is good news.

Sally Ireland Kennedy is the author of Irish Thursdays: More Little Parables, Words from the Heart, and 52 Little Parables from Ireland. She is a songwriter and the creator of Poppy the Penguin® preschool music video series. Sally lives in south Florida, with her husband Ben.