Alone in the Storm

"Can we go upstairs soon?" Madison clutched her knees to her chest. She'd never liked the basement, and she didn't like sitting down here to wait out a storm.

Jenny, Madison's babysitter, nodded. "Soon, Mads. The storm will pass over soon."

Madison wasn't so sure. But then she had an idea. Last week's Sunday school lesson flashed through her mind--the story of how Jesus calmed the storm.

"I know what we have to do," Madison said. "We have to pray."

Jenny smiled. "I think that's a great idea."

Madison bowed her head. "God, please stop this storm right now. Amen." Then Madison stood and ran up the stairs. Jenny called after her, but Madison didn't look back. She had prayed. The storm was gone.

But the moment Madison flung open the basement door, a bolt of lightning lit up the room. Madison cried out in fear. She turned around and ran back down to Jenny as fast as she could, eyes filled with tears.

"Why didn't God stop the storm?" Madison asked. "I don't understand."

Jenny wiped Madison's tears away. "There's a story in the Bible where Jesus' friends are on a boat in the middle of a storm. Jesus walks out to them on the water and tells them not to be afraid, because He is with them. But you know what's crazy? He doesn't stop the storm right away. First, He invites his friend Peter to walk on the water to see Him, even though the storm is still going."

Madison frowned. "Why did He wait to stop the storm?"

"I don't know, Mads. The point is, Jesus is always with us, even when the thunder keeps rumbling and the lightning keeps zigzagging through the sky."

Madison thought about Jenny's words, and then she closed her eyes and said a new prayer. "God, please stop the storm. But even while it's still going, keep me safe with You."

Before long, Madison's heart was calmer and her tears were gone. As the noises of the storm faded, she said one more prayer: "God, help me remember that I'm never alone in the storm." -Becca Wierwille