Bible Stories for Kids: Jesus Calms the Storm

Click the arrow to listen.

I hope you brought your rain gear for this adventure - Jesus Calms the Storm is another wet one!

Jesus Calms the Storm

After Jesus had spent a full day teaching on the shores of the Sea of Galilee he said to his disciples, "Let us go to the other side." So they left the crowd and got into a boat to cross over.

After awhile there arose a great and mighty storm on the sea. The storm was so great that the boat was being covered with the waves washing over it and began filling up with water.

While the storm was rocking the boat Jesus was fast asleep on a cushion in the stern. The disciples came and woke him up and said, "Save us Lord; we are going to die! Do you not care that we are perishing"

He said to them, "Why are you afraid, Do you still have no faith?" Then Jesus got up and rebuked the winds and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed and said, "What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?"

Matthew 8:23-27

Mark 4:35-41

Luke 8:22-25

Download Your FREE Bible Lesson and Activities!

Jesus Calms the Storm

What Would You Do?

Jesus Calms the Storm: The Disciples

Click the arrow to listen.

Okay, put yourself in the disciples shoes for just a minute. They're tired, it's been a long day. They're trying to get their teacher to the other side of the Sea of Galilee and here comes a monster storm.

Now, they've seen storms before, some of them were fisherman and knew how to handle a boat in a storm. But this storm was different - this storm was more like a hurricane! The waves were washing over the boat, the boat was filling with water, they thought they were going to really drown!

And what is Jesus doing? Sleeping!? How can he sleep at a time like this?! Can you imagine them shaking him awake, saying, "Wake up! We're going to die! Don't you care!"

Jesus Calms the Storm: Jesus

Click the arrow to listen.

Now let's put ourselves in Jesus' shoes.

He's tired, exhausted, bone weary. He's been healing and preaching all day. In his human body Jesus got worn out like we do and he desperately needed sleep. He needed sleep so bad that a monster storm didn't even wake him.

Imagine being fast asleep and being woken up very rudely, with frantic people yelling at you! (That's actually happened to us when our house flooded in the middle of the night because of a terrible rain storm. We were sound asleep when our mom came running in screaming at us, "Get up, get up!" Water was pouring in the windows and our beds were getting wet! It was crazy!)

We can kind of imagine how Jesus must have felt when his disciples were freaking out and wanting him to get up and save them!

Then he gets up and says to them, "Why are you afraid, Do you still have no faith?" Why do you think he says this to them? Well, they had been with him while he was healing and performing miracles earlier that day. They knew he could do miracles. But still their faith was so small.

Then he performs another miracle. He rebukes the wind and says to the sea to be quiet! Isn't that funny? He gets onto the wind and the sea and tells them to behave! And guess what? They immediately listen. He created them, and they obey him.

Jesus Calms the Storm: Us

Click the arrow to listen.

You know, we sometimes think that if we could see Jesus and touch him and talk to him like the disciples did, that our faith would be stronger. Yet there they were, within feet of Jesus and still they had little faith. So it doesn't matter if you're a disciple hanging out with Jesus or if you're a kid in the 21st Century, your faith can be big or small.

You know how you can get more faith? Ask Jesus. He'll gladly increase your faith and when you face a scary situation you'll remember the scripture in Isaiah 41:10 when God says, "Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not worry for I am your God. I will help and strengthen you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Return from Jesus Calms the Storm to Short Story Time Home

Return to Childrens Bible Lessons