And as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?” Luke 8:23-25 ESV

In today’s verse, Jesus tells the disciples to get into the boat and head across the lake. After doing what He asked, they probably started out confidently, but about halfway across the water, a violent storm kicked up and suddenly it looked like they were about to die. Now, I have never almost drowned at sea, but while we lived on a busy city street, it was not unusual for us to place, 911 calls, after hearing, the familiar screeching of brakes and crunch of metal outside our home. Once my wife even jumped in to help direct traffic after one particularly bad accident. And though we knew what to expect, it was always a shock to me as, I was frantically explaining about the latest crisis, when the operator would cut in and simply ask, “Where is your emergency?” I was dying tell talk about, broken windshields or stunned drivers sitting on the curb, but what they wanted to know first was our location. Ironically, since our fire station was only about 5 blocks away, we could hear the sirens the moment we told them our address. As I calmed down, the operator would then ask, “Are there any injuries?” at which point a second siren would begin to wail and then last, she would ask my name, address, and phone number.

No matter where we live, all of us will experience a crisis and find ourselves in storms. The Bible never explains how to avoid every emergency, but it does tell us that God stands ready to help us in them. If it feels as if Jesus has fallen asleep, don’t give up. The most important thing in every storm is that Jesus is in our boat! Remember the 911 operator’s order. First tell Jesus where your emergency is. Though He already knows, He usually waits until we cry out to Him, “Hey Jesus wake up!” before He answers. Secondly, tell Him about your problem. “We are all about to drown!” Is pretty specific. Don’t be vague, tell Him every detail. Last of all, give Him Your name. For our names to be written down in His book, we need to first give Him the name of Master in our hearts, because only He commands our wind and waves. With Jesus there are no emergencies, and when He is the Captain of our Salvation, our boat will never sink!