Reflection:   Jesus was only part way through his ministry. He’d kept up an exhausting regime of preaching and healing, so much so that he needed to escape up the side of a mountain sometimes to be alone with his disciples in order to teach them. Now he was asleep in a boat carrying the disciples across the Sea of Galilee—and a storm was raging. The boat was being swamped and the disciples woke Jesus, fearing they were about to drown.

Jesus rebuked the storm and calmed the sea, then rebuked the disciples and calmed their fear. In effect, he said: “How can you think a mere storm will thwart the plan God has for us to bring the kingdom of God? Is God so feeble?”

So, when the storms come to you in the form of cancer (or whatever) and you feel a prompting from God, rebuke the storm in Jesus’ name and tell it to go. Then lean back into God’s love and know he can be trusted. His purposes will work out in the end—whatever happens – healing or not.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, forgive my fear. Lift my head so that I too will see the purposes of God and have the faith to fulfil my mission.