Dugout Devotions | Singing in the Storm
John Wesley and the Moravian Hymn Sing
Late that day he said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side.” They took him in the boat as he was. Other boats came along. A huge storm came up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink it. And Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, sleeping! They roused him, saying, “Teacher, is it nothing to you that we’re going down?”
Awake now, he told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, “Quiet! Settle down!” The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass. Jesus reprimanded the disciples: “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith at all?”
They were in absolute awe, staggered. “Who is this, anyway?” they asked. “Wind and sea at his beck and call!”
Retell the story to your kids. Something like this:
One evening, Jesus and His disciples decided to cross the Sea of Galilee. They got into a boat, and Jesus, who was very tired, fell asleep. As they were sailing, a huge storm came up. The wind blew really hard, and the waves were so big that water started filling the boat. The disciples were very afraid and woke Jesus up, shouting, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
Jesus got up and spoke to the wind and the waves. He said, "Quiet! Be still!" And just like that, the wind stopped blowing, and the waves calmed down. Jesus then asked His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
The disciples were amazed and said to each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
Ask them if they have ever been scared during a storm. Invite them to tell you which parts of the storm were scary and what made them feel less scared.
Then, tell them about John Wesley’s experience on a ship during a storm. As you tell them the story, invite the children to rock back and forth like they were on a ship. As you continue to tell the story, invite the children to rock harder and harder.
John Wesley was on a ship traveling to America when a terrible storm hit. The ship rocked back and forth, and everyone was very scared. But there was a group of people on the ship, called the Moravians, who did something surprising. Instead of being afraid, they sang songs and prayed. John Wesley saw their faith and calmness and realized that they trusted God completely, even in the middle of a scary storm.
Tell your children from these stories; we can learn to trust God no matter how scary things seem. Just like Jesus calmed the storm for His disciples and the Moravians trusted God during the storm, we can remember that God is with us and will take care of us.
Use these questions to continue the conversation with your children:
Can you think of a time when you were really scared? How did you feel, and what did you do?
How do you think the disciples felt when Jesus calmed the storm?
What can we do to remember that God is with us when we are afraid?
How can we help others feel less afraid by showing them God's love?
Invite your children to pray this prayer with you: Dear God, thank you for always being with us, especially when we are afraid. Help us to trust you like Jesus' disciples and the Moravians did. Give us peace and remind us that you are in control. We’ll talk to you later. Amen.