DESPERATE men and women all over the world, look with stricken eyes at each other, the rich keeping a social distance and the poor, having no place to keep that luxurious space between. “God help us!” the people, the world over cry. And I hear my mother’s beautiful voice from childhood kitchen singing a song I grew up with. It is a scene in which Jesus and his disciples are crossing the sea in a small boat, when a furious storm breaks out. Their vessel is tossed from side to side like a matchbox.
Petrified, they look around and find their Master unperturbed, fast asleep in a corner of the boat. They rush to him, wake him up, as my mother sings with urgency, ‘Master, the tempest is raging! The billows are tossing high! The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness, No shelter or help is nigh; Carest Thou not that we perish? How canst Thou lie asleep, When each moment so madly is threat’ning A grave in the angry deep?’ And they watch as He gets up, looks the storm in the eye and commands, “Peace! Be still!” and the storm subsides. I hear my mother’s song continuing the reaction of the amazed disciples as they look at one another and whisper, “The winds and the waves shall obey Thy will, Peace, be still! Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea, Or demons or men, or whatever it be, No waters can swallow the ship where lies, the Master of ocean, and earth, and skies; They all shall sweetly obey Thy will, Peace, be still! Peace, be still! They all shall sweetly obey Thy will, Peace, peace, be still!’
What strikes me, even at that young age, is that the disciples, even in their terror, ran with full faith to their Lord, and it is that faith in Him that worked. And then I hear her voice singing for each of us, “Master, with anguish of spirit I bow in my grief today; The depths of my sad heart are troubled—Oh, waken and save, I pray!
Torrents of sin and of anguish, Sweep o’er my sinking soul; And I perish! I perish! dear Master—Oh, hasten, and take control!” And then she sings out in pure exultation, ‘Master, the terror is over. The elements sweetly rest; Earth’s sun in the calm lake is mirrored, and heaven’s within my breast; Linger, O blessed Redeemer! Leave me alone no more; And with joy I shall make the blest harbour, And rest on the blissful shore!
“Thank you ma,” I whisper, “for speaking through song, words now etched in my heart and I pray be etched in our world, though one thought comes to my mind; they ran to their master because they knew He could calm the storm! Do we know our Master that well? To have that faith at this moment? If we do, then let’s run to our Lord and ask Him to take control..!
