You are Storm Proof: a Devotional on Jesus and the Storms of Cancer
“He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’” (Mark 4:40)
As a counselor, I have taught many stress management classes. Here’s the short version:
Our bodies are made to react to danger.
This reaction is called “fight or flight” for a reason: when danger comes, your body automatically makes your heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate increase. Why? So you can fight or flee the danger.
After the threat is gone, your body returns to normal.
Let’s say there’s a bear roaring at you in the woods. Your body immediately gets pumped up so it’s ready to either fight or flee the bear.
Part of stress management is recognizing that sometimes it’s not a bear. It’s a hamster, but you’re reacting like it’s a bear. There are days I get all wound up over little things and I keep reminding myself, “Karen, there’s NO bear! RELAX!”
But sometimes, there really is a bear. (Cancer is not a hamster. It’s a bear.)
One time, the disciples dealt with just such a bear. Well, not a real bear, but a real threat.
The disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when a deadly storm came up. Some of the disciples were fishermen. So, when they said, “We’re going to drown!” they knew it wasn’t a hamster storm, it was a bear of a storm.
Where is Jesus during all of this? He’s asleep in the boat. Apparently, when you are the Son of God, it’s not that hard to sleep during deadly storms. So, the disciples do the smart thing, they wake up the guy who does miracles to help them out with the storm.
I picture Jesus looking at them like they’re a little crazy. Jesus says to the disciples, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (Matthew 8:26a) Then, He calms the storm.
As a counselor, I’d say being frightened on a boat in the middle of a deadly storm is not crazy—it’s actually a pretty normal reaction. So, why is Jesus saying they should not be afraid? Because He knows that they—like you—are storm proof. Jesus knows that through His resurrection He placed a part of Himself, the Holy Spirit, inside all believers. This is what has made you a new creation. This part of Jesus that is in you cannot be touched by death, or sin and certainly not cancer. That’s why even in the face of life’s ugliest storms, even in the face of cancer, we can hear Jesus saying, “Do not be afraid. I have made you storm proof.”
Having conquered death and sin, Jesus has made you an eternal being, a child of God. Surely no darkness, no storm, no pain and no cancer can damage, mark or blemish Christ within you.
The question is, when you struggle with fear, do you remember Jesus made you storm proof? When the storms of life come, picture Jesus sleeping in the boat—and know that we too can miraculously turn away from our fears and turn to Him for strength and peace in the midst of the storm.
Pray: Lord, we thank You for making us storm proof. Push us to remember that You have conquered every storm for us. Hold us so we may rest. Amen.
Your turn: Take a moment to list your hamster storms—the small worries of life that can too easily cause anxiety. Lift each one up in prayer, asking Jesus to remind you when they come to mind that they are small worries. Now, write down one bear of a storm. Ask Jesus to remind you when this comes to mind that you are storm proof through Him.