There is a story of a man who, when asked once during an interview about his greatest quality, responded with the phrase “I sleep during storms.” 

It was a way of expressing resilience and calmness in the midst of adversity, remaining untroubled and composed even when faced with challenges or turmoil – much like how one might sleep peacefully despite a raging storm outside – because they are confident all is well. The story highlights the importance of inner peace and the ability to maintain a sense of tranquility regardless of circumstance. It’s a theme that the Lord continues to bring up with me over these last couple of months.

In March, my husband and I had the wonderful opportunity to spend 10 days in Alaska with dear friends. It was both beautiful and refreshing to step outside of our merry-go-round cycle to just breathe and be present in the moment. For those of you who know my husband is into night sky photography, here is one of the beautiful photographs he took of the aurora while we were there:

But all too quickly we were back, and a series of big and small events began popping like hot kernels all around, making our generally peaceful life feel like it had been hit with the drama of a teenager. “For crying out loud”, as my mom used to express, what next! Every few days I was writing out another expression that had captured my attention along the way:

Success is measured in eternal impact…

Never settle for the world’s account of reality…

God won’t give you a desire He won’t fulfill…

Know the difference between busyness and fruitfulness…

All of it pointed to a heart’s cry for things to slow down, to rest, to try and understand some pretty heavy emotional stress from circumstances beyond my control.

So I was intrigued by this story of the man who’s greatest quality was the ability to sleep during storms, and began to dwell on just exactly where this inner peace comes from. I couldn’t help but think of a story that is true life and not a metaphor – the story of when Jesus was asleep in the boat on the Sea of Galilee during a storm…

23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. - Matthew 8:23-26

Jesus actually slept during the storm.  As a matter of fact, through all of the hissing of the pharisees and the political “gotcha” games they attempted poorly to play; through all the pressing in of the physically needy crowds who didn’t fully understand their spiritual depravity or the time of their visitation; through all the dealings with demons, healing the sick, feeding and teaching multitudes, taking the time to pour into and love His disciples despite their pigheadedness – Jesus lived His life in a relaxed, calm state, knowing who He was, comfortable in His calling, purpose, and authority.

Speaking of authority, something else I can’t help but ponder about the story of Jesus sleeping during the storm is how the disciples immediately marveled at it. Have you ever given much thought about the authority of Jesus? Bear with me as I wrap up this post with yet one more thought… I heard something recently that got me to thinking more about it: Jesus, by choice, restrained Himself from acting as God while He was here on this earth.

I want to say that one more time for my own sake, so that I can comprehend the depths of what that means:

Jesus, by choice, restrained Himself from acting as God while He was here on this earth.

Okay, so in case I’m not the only one blown away by this each and every time I ponder it, it means that everything He did – all the healings, all the miracles, all His acts, were all performed as a man – NOT as God.

Think about it… If Jesus were to act as God apart from the Father, it would have completely blown our chances of salvation out of the water. Why? Think about the time when Jesus was in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan (Luke 4:1-13). If Jesus had given in, allowing Satan to have his way…

• He would have been acting in disobedience to the will of the Father
• The act would have been for dark purposes, even if it appeared otherwise
• He would have given Satan exactly what he wanted – which was authority over Jesus as a (birthed) man

Each point alone is worth a dozen sermons. The important thing to rest your hat on is that Jesus did none of that. He stayed in obedience to His Father and by doing so opened the door and showed us the way – not only to salvation but also to a victorious, powerful life in His kingdom both here now and throughout eternity!  It is here that we can grasp the meaning of being full of the Holy Spirit so that we, too, can have that same power and authority that comes from a place of rest, to do all the things He did, and more… AS. A. MAN. And because He did it all in His humanity – as a man submitted to God, so can I. So can we!