One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. (Luke 8:22-23)
A perfect storm is a rare combination of circumstances creating an unusually bad situation. The conditions are perfect for the storm. The term is named for Sebastian Junger’s thriller, The Perfect Storm, the true story of a sword-fishing boat, the Andrea Gail, that combated adjoining storms spawning 100-foot waves.
Here, the situation is perfect for the disciples. They were with Jesus, on a mission to spread His good news to gentiles on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. The disciples began their journey without praying, so when the enemy created the perfect storm, they sailed without protection. They had Jesus, but he was asleep. The clouds gathered fast; the driving rain and waves pounded their fishing boat. They still didn’t rouse him.
We want to yell, “Disciples, wake up Jesus.” In hindsight, we think they should have prayed before they were in danger. But, do we pray before adventuring to work or the store? It can be a jungle out there. Unfortunately, most of us wait to pray until we’re in danger. I hope we learn from this story. It didn’t turn out well for those aboard the Andrea Gail.
Father God, help me remember to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide and protect me and my family before I get out of bed in the morning. I know your protection is given lovingly when I ask for it. I pray in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
I totally agree with you, that we forget to pray until we are in danger or desperate. I try to remember to pray in the morning for all of my family and friends to be safe and protected. It is a good habit to have. Prayer first thing in the day gives me a more positive outlook too.
I forget to pray a lot. I’m fairly good at praying first thing in the morning. Praying for each new situation or person I encounter is more difficult for me.