Good Morning Friends,
It will not be long before the official Hurricane Season begins and maybe we will be spared devastation but then again we might just learn something. Storms have a way of revealing what we’re standing on. They expose the strength of our footing, the depth of our trust, and the true object of our hope. Jesus knows this about us, which is why so many of the great moments of revelation in the Gospels happen on the water during a storm—where human control slips, where fear rises, and where faith is either exposed as shallow or deepened into something unshakeable. At Moorings Presbyterian Church, the first stained‑glass window on the west side of the sanctuary captures two of these moments: The first is Jesus and Peter walking on the water. It is a window of motion—wind whipping, waves curling, Peter reaching, Jesus steady. And it pairs beautifully with another water story: Jesus stilling the storm while the disciples tremble in a boat that feels too small for the sea.Together, these scenes form a single truth: the storms that terrify us are the very places where Jesus reveals who He truly is. So, How Will You Survive Life’s Storms?
Scripture Summaries in the Storms
Matthew 8:23–27 — Jesus Stills the Storm Jesus sleeps through a violent squall until the disciples shake Him awake in panic. With a word, He rebukes the wind and waves, and the sea becomes “dead calm.” The disciples are stunned—not just by the miracle, but by the question it raises: “What sort of man is this?” The storm becomes a classroom for Christology.
Matthew 14:22–33 — Jesus and Peter Walk on Water Hours before dawn, Jesus comes to His disciples walking on the waves. Peter steps out in faith, but when he sees the wind, he sinks. Jesus catches him immediately. The storm becomes a classroom for discipleship—faith that looks at Jesus stands; faith that looks at the wind sinks.
Luke 6:46–49 — Building on the Rock Jesus describes two builders: one digs deep and anchors his life on the rock of His Word; the other builds on sand. Storms reveal the difference.
Luke 13:18–19 — The Mustard Seed The kingdom grows quietly, steadily, until it becomes a sheltering tree where the birds of the air find rest. Even in storms, God’s kingdom is growing.
Psalm 119:89 — The Word Fixed Forever God’s Word is not tossed by wind or wave. It is the fixed point by which we navigate.
Message: Every storm in Scripture is doing two things at once: it is revealing our fear, and it is revealing Jesus’ authority. The disciples pictured in our stained glass in what looks more like a basket, reminiscent of the infant Moses in the Nile, think the storm is the threat, but Jesus shows them the deeper danger: a heart unanchored in Him. Peter thinks the wind is the problem, but Jesus shows him the real issue: a gaze that drifts from the Savior. Storms don’t create fear; they expose it. Storms don’t create faith; they refine it. And this is why the stained‑glass window matters. It is not simply art—it is theology in color. Peter is not walking on water; he is walking on the Word of Jesus: “Come.” The glass shows what the Gospel teaches: faith is not the absence of fear; it is the presence of Jesus in the midst of fear. I have been in storms at sea and even the birds sense it because they respond to pressure changes instinctively. But humans? We often ignore the spiritual barometric pressure. We wait until the winds rise before we cry out. Yet Jesus invites us to build before the storm, to root ourselves in His Word, to grow like the mustard seed into something that shelters others.The permanence of God’s Word—“firmly fixed in heaven”—is the foundation that outlasts every hurricane, literal or spiritual. The kingdom grows even in adverse conditions. The Spirit moves like wind, not to frighten us but to form us. And the storms that shake us become the very places where new growth emerges.
And So, the message is clear: We cannot avoid every storm, but we can be anchored to the One whom the storms obey. When Jesus steps into the boat, the wind ceases. When Jesus reaches for Peter, sinking stops. When Jesus speaks, foundations hold. When Jesus reigns, storms become sanctuaries. Maybe that’s why, even after the storm, we can celebrate. Not because the winds were mild, but because Christ was mighty.
Pray that the wind of the Spirit steadies us. Pray that we learn to pray rather than panic. Pray that God’s Word becomes our shelter—its leaves protecting, its branches embracing. Pray that obedience becomes our footing, firm and deep. Pray that the storms of life drive us not to despair but to dependence. Pray that our faith is perched securely on the Rock of Ages. Pray that after every storm, we rejoice in the new growth God brings with a prayer of storm-strengthened faith.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 