Like the Psalmist for today, my soul trusts in the Word of the Lord not only because the Lord secures my salvation amid my unworthiness, but because the Lord leads me to justice and peace amid evil, falsehood, deceit, arrogance, and wickedness on the part of others. My faith is not based only on living in an ideal world or what happens to me when I die, but also how I can draw strength and trust in God during the daily messes of life in an uncertain world. And we certainly do live in a messy world of uncertainty. I so often feel like I am one of the disciples, stranded out to sea on a boat swamped by waves in a violent storm. 

So, then, if I wish to be a disciple, even more should I trust that the Lord is with me. Over the years, I have learned to begin my daily prayers by acknowledging my fears and my lack of faith amid all the troubles of the world I would like to address. It would be so much easier to just ignore them and try to live a good, quiet life. But trouble always finds me, even if it is just in my inability to close out the troubles of others in my mind and heart. My commitment to following Jesus puts me right in the middle of the storms of life. And in the lesson in Matthew for today, we learn what to do about that. Just as Jesus rebuked the chaos of the winds and sea and brought about calm to the disciples, we are to subdue evil forces as we speak peace and justice over the waves in our own lives and the lives of others. 

That is not easy to do. But over the years, I have learned that if I subdue my own fears of evil forces and let the peace of Christ speak confidently in and through me, I can not only better navigate uncertainty, but I can also often even help others seeking God’s peace and justice. My prayer today is that we can all overcome the terror that so often surrounds us with a faith that grows stronger the more we face, not hide from, the storms of life.