17 February | Youth
«But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.» Mark 4:38
In 2019, I had the joy of participating in the South American Division Pathfinders Camporee that happened in the city of Barretos, in the state of São Paulo. The event was attended by around 100,000 pathfinders from various parts of the continent. Among the clubs were three from my pastoral district.
As I started to set up my family's tent, one of the regional leaders walked by and said, “Be careful, pastor! It is very windy here. If there is a bad storm, this tent will fly like a kite.” At the time, I laughed. But, as a precaution, I tightened the moorings and sank the spikes even further.
One night, in the early hours of the morning, it started to rain heavily. It felt like a flood! In that moment, my wife and I woke up scared and went straight to the corners of the tent. We opened our arms and spent long minutes clinging to the fabric, trying to steady the tent on the ground. During all of this, as we were thrown from one side to the other, we laughed without stopping. The only thing that came to mind was the regional’s phrase: “This tent will fly like a kite!” I was already imagining the news that would break the next day: “Pastor and his family fly during storm.”
As the rain poured down, lightning lit up the inside of the tent. In one of the flashes, I saw my two children sleeping, as if nothing was happening. While Rosali and I did our best to keep things on the floor, the boys rested in peace. Then and there, I remembered Jesus sleeping in the boat, while the disciples struggled to control the vessel in the midst of the storm on the Sea of Galilee. How did Jesus manage to sleep in that situation?
Ellen White comments: “[Jesus] trusted in the Father's might. It was in faith—faith in God's love and care—that Jesus rested, and the power of that word which stilled the storm was the power of God. As Jesus rested by faith in the Father's care, so we are to rest in the care of our Saviour.” (The Desire of Ages, p. 336).
Who do you trust when the waves of problems rise in your life? Know that God is watching over you, even if you do not realize it. He holds the winds and calms the storms. Rest assured. You can sleep in peace.