The Limits of Control, The Call to Trust

Written for Sunday June 22

Today's Readings

• Job 38:1–11 : God responds to Job from the whirlwind, proclaiming divine sovereignty over creation.

• Mark 4:35–41 : Jesus calms the storm, revealing his authority over nature and challenging the disciples’ fear.

Today’s Bible readings take us into some scary and confusing situations. In both stories, people are going through hard times. Things are going wrong. They feel scared and don’t know what to do. And they wonder where God is in the middle of it all.

Calm Seas

In the Book of Job, Job has lost almost everything—his family, his health, his home. He’s hurting, and he wants answers. He wants to understand why bad things have happened. He asks God to explain. But instead of giving Job a simple answer, God speaks to him out of a whirlwind—a powerful windstorm. God asks Job questions like: Where were you when I made the earth? Who told the ocean where to stop?

God’s questions don’t solve Job’s problems. But they help Job see that there is a much bigger picture. God’s world is full of mystery and wonder. And even when we don’t understand everything, we are still part of something bigger than our pain.

In the Gospel of Mark, we hear another story of people in trouble. Jesus and his friends, the disciples, are in a boat crossing a lake. A big storm comes up. The wind is loud, the waves are crashing, and water is getting into the boat. The disciples are terrified. They wake Jesus up and shout, "Don’t you care if we drown?” Jesus gets up, tells the storm to stop—and it does. Then he turns to his friends and asks, "Why are you so afraid? Don’t you trust me yet?”

Both Job and the disciples are dealing with fear. They feel powerless. They don’t know what will happen next. And they want to know that God sees them and cares. In both stories, God shows up—not with a magic fix, but with presence and power. God doesn’t always take the storm away right away, but God never leaves.

Sometimes we want God to fix everything quickly. We want a life with no problems or surprises. But these stories remind us that trust doesn’t mean everything is easy. Trust means knowing that God is with us even when life is hard.

God’s presence is more powerful than our fear. That doesn’t mean fear is wrong. It’s okay to be scared. These stories don’t tell us to pretend we’re fine. They tell us that we’re not alone.

This is especially important for people who find change and unpredictability really hard. Some of us need routines and calm spaces. Some of us get overwhelmed when things don’t go as planned. That’s okay. It’s normal to feel that way. What matters is knowing that God is still close to us, even when things feel like they’re falling apart.

Faith doesn’t mean we have all the answers. It doesn’t mean we’re always calm or always happy. Faith means staying with God, even when we’re in the middle of a storm. It means listening for God’s voice, even if it sounds different than we expected. Sometimes it might sound like quiet peace. Sometimes it might come through a friend’s kindness. Sometimes it might come through a story like these.

When life feels out of control—when plans fall apart, or people let us down, or we’re not sure what to do—these stories from the Bible help us remember something important. They remind us that God doesn’t disappear when things get tough. God is still speaking. God is still present. Even when we feel scared or lost, we are never alone.

And trust? Trust means choosing to stay connected—to God, to each other, and to the love that keeps holding us together. It means taking one step at a time, even if the path isn’t clear. It means believing that storms don’t last forever—and that we are held, even in the middle of them.

Prayers of Intercession: Call to trust the storm

Loving God,you speak in whirlwinds and still waters, in questions we can’t answer and in peace we didn’t expect. In this quiet moment, we bring our prayers to you—not with perfect words, but with open hearts.

We pray for our world, where storms of violence, war, and division rage. Bring peace to places torn by hatred. Bring safety to those fleeing danger. Bring leaders who listen, and neighbours who care. Show us how to be part of your healing.

We pray for those who are sick, afraid, or alone. For people in hospital beds and on long waiting lists. For those facing depression, anxiety, or grief.For anyone feeling forgotten or afraid. Bring calm to their storms. Wrap them in your presence, even when the waves are high.

We pray for ourselves. When life feels too big or too uncertain, help us trust. When we try to control everything, remind us we are not alone. Help us stay present, stay grounded, and stay connected—to you, to others, and to our own hearts. Give us the courage to take one small step at a time.

God of the storm and the silence, thank you for hearing every prayer—spoken and unspoken. Thank you for being with us in the chaos and in the calm and for calling to trust. Teach us to trust not in our own strength,but in your love that never lets go.

Amen. I encourage you all to comment on this post and if or how it resonates with you.

See you all next week. With all blessings Rev Glen