"As they sailed, he (Jesus) fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, 'Master, Master, we're going to drown!' He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 'Where is your faith?' he asked his disciples. -- Luke 8:23-25

It's not uncommon to feel as though God sometimes cannot hear us, see us, or know what's happening with us.  Sometimes we feel distant from God to the point that when we pray, it's like talking to the ceiling.  Is this what it's like when Jesus is asleep in the boat?  Our lives are being tossed and turned by the storms around us, and where is God when we need him most?  Why won't he wake up and do something about our situation?  While it was true that Jesus was asleep, he had not left his disciples.  It's like he was asking them, "do you really think we were in peril, even with me right here in the boat with you?"  And then it's almost as if he calms the storm because he's irritated and wants to go back to sleep.  I'm not sure if it was like someone having to get up and change the channel on the tv because they can't find the remote and the others are too lazy to do it themselves, or if it's more like a parent comforting a scared child in the night.  Or maybe the way he rebukes the wind is like when you have to tell a barking dog to be quiet.  Either way, Jesus can see beyond the immediate situation.  When we find ourselves fretting over the storms in our life, we can trust that God is with us.  We may get tossed around and banged up a bit, but that doesn't mean we can't get through it.  Pray to God, and know he's there, even if you think he's sleeping.

Readings:  Deuteronomy 11:1-12:32; Luke 8:22-39; Psalm 70:1-5; Proverbs 12:4