STORMS, BOATS AND PRAYERS

The last little passage I shared from my book ‘Soul Fuel’ seemed to resonate with a lot of you.

So today I flicked through the pages for a while looking something useful. Something that might meet someone exactly where they are today.

Because let’s be honest, often most of us aren’t reading for inspiration when life feels easy. And it rarely does!

So I went looking for a piece that might steady the boat a little.

This was the one that felt right.

STORMS, BOATS AND PRAYERS

Storms and boats and prayers were made for each other.

Remember the disciples when they were out on the water with Jesus? They were ‘straining at the oars, because the wind was against them (Mark 6:48 AMP). They were ‘shaken and terrified’ (v. 50 AMP). And then Jesus showed up and spoke to the storm.

Jesus doesn’t always respond to our personal storms in the same way. Sometimes Jesus calms them, just as He did for the disciples. Sometimes He lets the wind and the waves continue to rage while He calms us instead. This is one truth that I’ve learned the hard way. When life starts to present a ton of challenges, we have no idea whether they’re going to be over in a flash or whether we’re going to need to dig in for the long haul. But either way, the instructions Jesus gave to His disciples hold true:

‘Take courage!’ He said. ‘It is I (I Am)! Stop being afraid’ Mark 6:50 AMP

When we find and show courage, we are obeying Jesus’ commands. We are doing life the way it is meant to be done, and He will never let us go under.

I’ve felt terrible fear in my life more times than I can count.

We all have.

At sea like the disciples, but also on mountains, in deserts, in hospital rooms, in hard times at home.

And that story from Mark always comes back to me.

The disciples straining at the oars.
Wind against them.
Making no progress.
Exhausted.
Afraid.

We all know that feeling, don’t we?

Rowing hard in life and somehow going nowhere.

Working. Trying. Pushing.
Yet the wind just keeps pushing us back.

It’s funny. We often think faith means smooth water.

But the Bible never promises calm seas.

It promises presence.

That’s different.

Sometimes Jesus calms the storm.

Sometimes He doesn’t.

Sometimes the storm outside still rages… but something inside us steadies.

And honestly, that second miracle might be the bigger one.

Because anyone can be brave when the sea is flat.

It’s that classic Mike Tyson quote!

“Everybody has a game plan until they get punched in the mouth”

We often think we know exactly where we are going when the trail is treating us well. But real courage is learning to hold steady when it isn’t.

I’ve seen this on expeditions a lot.

The storm hits and everyone looks around for the strongest person. The most experienced. The “leader.”

But leadership out there isn’t about having the loudest voice or even the perfect plan.

It’s about calm.

Slow movements.
Soft words.
“Hey, we’re OK. One step at a time. Stay together.”

Courage spreads quietly.

So does fear.

We choose which one we pass on.

And that’s what I love about Jesus’ words:
Take courage. Don’t be afraid.

Not a suggestion.

A command.

Almost like He’s saying,
This is how you’re meant to live. This is who you already are.

Courage isn’t pretending the storm isn’t real.

It’s holding the ship steady regardless.

It’s helping the person next to you tighten their life jacket.

It’s sharing the last cup of freshwater.

It’s saying a prayer for guidance before its your only option left.

It’s choosing faith over panic, one small decision at a time.

Over the years we’ve learned this the hard way:

Storms aren’t interruptions to life.

They are life.

They shape us.

They sand down the ego.

They remind us we need each other.

They teach us to pray.

And most of all, they teach us that we’re never actually rowing alone.

That’s the part we forget.

The disciples thought they were abandoned.

But Jesus was already walking toward them through the waves.

I love that image.

Not waiting on the shore.
Not shouting instructions from a distance.
Right there in the mess, feet on the water, coming closer.

And that’s how it feels for us too, if we look for it.

Strength arriving quietly.
Peace showing up unexpectedly.
A friend calling at just the right time.
Finding a bit more grit than we thought we had.

We don’t always get rescued from the storm.

But we will always get enough strength to keep going through it.

And that’s the greater gift.

So if you’re straining at the oars right now… tired, pushing into the wind, wondering why it’s so hard…

You’re not failing.

You’re human.

Keep rowing.

Stay kind.

Help the person beside you.

Say the small prayer.

And take courage.

Because the presence of God in the boat matters far more than the size of the waves around it.

We’re stronger than we think.

And we’re never alone out there.