Relax!

Matthew 8:26-27 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Imagine being one of the disciples in that boat, waves crashing all around, the boat rocking wildly. They were terrified, thinking this might be the end. But there was  Yeshua (Jesus), asleep in the same boat! He was with them the whole time, waiting for them to trust Him.

Isn’t that just like our lives sometimes? We’re in the thick of it, storms raging, calling out, “Lord, do you not see what’s happening to me?!”

But yes, He sees! The same Yeshua who calmed the sea back then is with us today. He knows what we’re going through, and at His command, our fiercest storms can turn into peace so profound it leaves us in awe.

So let’s find our peace, our “shalom,” in your storm … for it’s in these storms we learn of God’s faithfulness and when He displays His awesome power.    Let’s renew our trust in the Lord today — for God has great plans for those who will put their trust in Him.  So relax … He’s got you!

Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.

More Devotions

A “second time.” Jonah’s repentance gave him a second chance to obey the Lord and to fulfill his ministry. And he did it successfully. The apostle Paul tells us that “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” [Romans 11:29]. Jonah’s disobedience did not take away his calling as a prophet. The discipline of the Lord was fruitful in his life. But compare King Saul. He also got a second chance after failing to wait for Samuel [1 Samuel 13] and he disobeyed again, and lost his kingship [1 Samuel 15]. But even that took many years to transpire after David was anointed.

When the Lord gave Jonah a second chance, He didn’t change His mind about the prophet’s destination. He didn’t lighten the load or change the burden Jonah was destined to carry. There was no negotiation with Jonah where the Lord expressed understanding about his reluctance to go to Nineveh. God didn’t concede to send him to Tarshish just because he’d been heading in that direction anyway. Jonah’s disobedience and repentance produced a clear and simple result…

Jonah preached his 8 word sermon and the Ninevites were struck with the fear of the Lord and moved to complete repentance.

The king stood up (a sign of his serious intent), removed his royal robes (a sign of humility)…read more

We continue looking at Jonah, and find him in Chapter 4 displeased with God’s mercy toward Nivevah. The Assyrians were arch-enemies of Israel and among the cruelest nations in history. Instead of being elated that God spared 120,000 Ninevites Jonah preferred to see his own pronouncement of judgment executed by the Lord. “Let those Assyrians get what’s coming to them…

Back in the third century Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage wrote to his friend Donatus: “It is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered, in the midst of it, a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret.

When Yeshua (Jesus) was describing the societal atmosphere of His return, he said these peculiar words … “Remember Lot’s Wife.” It was a warning … and especially to the generation of believers just before His return.

For the next week or so we’ll be looking closely at the life of Jonah the prophet. Jonah was told to “preach against the city of Nineveh”, that was in the ancient kingdom of Assyria. Nineveh was a major city on the banks of the Tigris River about 500 miles north and east of where Jonah was; located on a contemporary map in modern Iraq, about 300 miles north of Baghdad. Archaeologists have found the ruins of ancient Nineveh right outside the Iraqi city of Mosul. Yes, the same Mosul that was taken last week by jihadists!