Worldwide attention to what’s going on with the earth’s climate has intensified in recent years. While the research and public discussions today relate to the world’s climate as a whole, climate conditions and destructive weather have affected people since the most ancient of times.
In different parts of the Bible there are mentions of storms and droughts. The Sea of Galilee in Israel, for instance, was and is prone to violent or heavy winds. The geography of the sea (really a large lake) and its surrounding land, together with the climate of the region, makes it susceptible to sudden, strong storms.
During one of these, Christ Jesus was out on the lake in a boat with his disciples (see Mark 4:36–40). According to the Bible, the wind raged and the waves beat into the boat, nearly filling it with water. Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat. When the disciples woke him because they were afraid for their lives, the Bible says that “he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?”
