You Have Authority Over Any Storm You Can Sleep In

(Linda gave me this, for Christmas)

If I wore a badge and a uniform and was hired to serve our community as a police officer, then I could stop traffic. I would step onto the street, wearing my uniform and badge, raise my hand, and traffic would stop, without even saying the word "Stop!" I could do this because I had real authority.

Because of the authority conferred to me, I would not be in some big inner panic about this. I wouldn't be wondering, "How could this traffic be halted!!!" I'd be at peace about this, precisely because, in this situation, I had the authority to stop traffic when needed.

Jesus had authority. Matthew 8:23-25 reads:

²³ Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. ²⁴ Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

Jesus is sleeping through the "furious storm" that whipped up on the Sea of Galilee.

²⁶ He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

Bill Johnson says: “Jesus released peace to the storm. How do we know He had peace? He was sleeping. You have authority over any storm you can sleep in.” 

²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Even more amazing is the reality that Jesus confers his authority on all who follow after him. That's you, if you are a Jesus-follower. (See Luke 9 & 10, for example.)

To learn more about this kind of authority read: I Give You Authority: Practicing the Authority Jesus Gave Us, by Fuller Theological Seminary Professor Charles Kraft.