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The story of Jesus calming the storm is recorded in the three synoptic gospels. The primary message of the story is we can always put our trust in God to protect us and deliver us in the midst of difficult times (the "storms of life"). In addition, the story describes a special relationship between us and nature. It is a relationship where we need not become alarmed even in the face of life-threatening circumstances.  The top half of the
painting depicts the energy and violence of the storm.
The paint was applied with a palette knife. Driving
rain was indicated by deep scratches made with the
knife.The bottom half of the image depicts peace and calm. It was painted with a sable bristle brush softly blending the pale, peaceful colors. The part of the story that grabs my attention are the words of Jesus, “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?” I am also intrigued by the disciples' wonder at how the wind and the sea obeyed Jesus's commands. What occurred shows that all creation is very much under Jesus's control. Jesus's words proclaim that even when we don't know how we will be delivered from the storms we face, we can still have faith that our deliverance is assured. I believe the story is telling us that we can choose to remain at peace, calm, and strong even in the face of threatening, troubling circumstances. I think the point is that we don't ever need to live like we're victims. He seems to be saying that we are above all such storms. This reminds of the verses in Genesis where it says that God created mankind in his image to have dominion over all the earth. God created us to live victoriously. Indeed, I think that's the message we can apply in our own lives today. Maybe we don't know how it will happen, but we can still trust that in the end, all things, even the worst of storms, will turn out for the best.  CREATE A FREE ONLINE JOURNAL -- CLICK HERE or HERE  
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