Hurricane Ophelia has been a huge news story all last week in Ireland. Cork bore the brunt and fury of the storm and lots of photos and stories were shared. The sheer scale of the hurricane was also revealed during the week. The Irish Weather Buoy Network (IWBN) confirmed that it recorded one individual wave off the Waterford coast, which reached a startling height of 17.81 meters (58.4 feet). Another eye opening figure was the recording of a gust of wind by Met Eireann, on Fastnet Rock, off the West Cork coastline, which reached 190kmh. Clearly this was no ordinary storm and we also remember and pray for the people who tragically lost their lives as a result of the storm.

While storms have always been around, their frequency seems to be increasing and there is a definite link to climate change. There are storms recorded in our Gospels and one in particular happened with Jesus and his friends while out on a boat.



The storm whipped in without warning and they feared for their lives. Despite being experienced fishermen, they were petrified as the waves crashed into their boat bringing it to near sinking point. The disciples feel Jesus didn’t care and was doing nothing to help. Jesus told them they had little faith, and with that he calmed the wind and the sea. The silence and quiet that followed was almost deafening. The disciples were in awe and amazed at what happened.



The story of any storm has spiritual significance for us. We all experience our personal storms, from worry, uncertainty, ill health, family problems, financial pressures, bereavement, stress and much more. These storms can be a difficult place to be. On our own it is nearly impossible and that is why we need the love, support and positivity of family and friends to help us through. We turn to Jesus, for help too, asking him to calm our personal storms.



Interesting in the story of ‘Jesus calms a storm’ – it seems the disciples felt initially, that Jesus didn’t care at the height of the storm. We too can feel that God has let us down or wasn’t there to help us in our personal storm. God is never the cause of the storm but is always there to help us through it. It is good to know that we are not on our own and it is always good to know that others are there to hold the light for us, to encourage us and to get us safely through. We pray for quiet and calm in whatever our personal storm may be.

Thought For The Week is updated each Monday with a photo change each day