Meet King Xerxes. We find him at the beginning of the book of Esther where we learn he rules 127 provinces, a massive empire considered by historians today as the most powerful of the ancient powers. It is estimated it included more than 2.9 million square miles of land spanning Asia, Africa and Europe, from India to Greece. This was the height of the Persian empire with about 50 million people living under Xerxes’ control – around 44% of the population of the entire world.

We come across him throwing a flamboyant 180 day party for all his nobles and officials, the military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces (Esther 1:3), followed by a 7 day extravagant feast. This is a massive banquet – over 6 months of feasting! Imagine, the finest crockery, most luxurious silks and linens, his best silverware – probably gold in his case – the best of everything. He shows off his wealth, his power, his influence.

At the end of all this feasting, King Xerxes decides he wants to show off his Queen. In the culture of Persia at the time, the man was the ruler of the house, and the wife was expected to obey him. Nowhere more so than in the royal household. So he summons his wife. What does she do? She refuses to come.

You might be tempted to think “Go Girl! Girl Power! Not giving in to male chauvinist demands. Respect!” But in that place and time, what she was doing was exceptionally disrespectful. It was disobedient. It was rude. It was disloyal – it was quite treacherous really. He was seething with anger. He had been shown up, embarrassed by his wife in front of all the most important people from across his 127 provinces, after months of wining and dining and a small fortune spent laying on an lavish show to highlight how magnificent and powerful he was. In one moment his wife had completely undermined it all.

Fast forward several hundred years to Matthew 8 and we find Jesus and his disciples in a boat. The disciples are paralyzed with fear of a storm they find themselves in. Don’t mistake this storm for the sort we have from time to time that causes train delays. This was a monumental storm and they had real fear.

The Sea of Galilee is a notoriously dangerous lake. The height of surrounding hills and their cool, dry air, combined with the low level of the lake – hundreds of feet below sea level, it’s shallow depth, and semi-tropical, warm, moist climate, causes temperature and pressure changes that result in strong winds descending directly to the sea, with the hills acting as a funnel. This can cause sudden, violently strong winds to whip up the waves into deadly weapons without warning.

Yet Jesus sleeps. The disciples wake him up, begging him to do something. This man who has no earthly riches or government position, perceived to be the son of a carpenter, simply orders the wind and the waves to be still. And they obey.

Woah! The violently powerful wind and the mighty waves obey him and just stop?! That’s pretty much how the disciples reacted. In shock and awe they turn to each other saying  “who is this man, that even the wind and the waves obey him?”

The contrast between the two men – the two kings – is extreme. One is arrogant, all flashy pomp and circumstance but without authority over his own wife, the other servant-hearted and humble, washing filthy feet and riding into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey (Matthew 21), but with authority to silence the strongest of winds and the fiercest of waves in an instant. One shows us his extravagant ego, the other his extravagant power. Just as King Xerxes’ banquet was superficial and futile, everything we face is superficial in comparison with the power and authority of Jesus.

Whatever storm we’re going through in our lives, whatever circumstances or challenges we’re facing, whatever sin we’re struggling with, whatever addiction, shame, hurt, all of those things that can cripple us and take up all of our thoughts and all of our energy… all of those things are powerless in the mighty power of God. Even the wind and the waves obey him.

Don’t be taken in by flashy looking answers that make bold claims but have no real power or authority. The simple truth is that Jesus is the real power and authority and he is all we need.

If you are facing a situation so big, heartbreaking, frightening or impossible that you don’t know where to start and are feeling overwhelmed, think of Jesus sleeping in the boat and put your trust in him. You too can find peace and rest in the middle of the storm.

When we lift our eyes to Jesus, we lift our eyes to the King of Kings. To Elohim, to Yahweh, the great I am, Provider, Healer, Redeemer, Saviour. We don’t lift our eyes to some superficial, powerless, ineffective being. We lift our eyes to the one who is above all things. He alone has the authority and the power to command even the wind and the waves. All authority and power belong to him. Any circumstance, king or kingdom or principality that ever existed, or ever will exist, is no match for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.