Jesus Calms the Storm - Peace in The Midst of Chaos

Jesus Calming the Storm: Peace in the Midst of Chaos

“Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. – Mark 4:39

In this 48” x 60” oil on canvas painting, Jesus Calming the Storm, I was deeply moved to capture one of the most powerful miracles of Christ recorded in Scripture. Found in Mark 4:35–41, this account shows Jesus commanding the wind and the waves to be still, demonstrating His absolute authority over creation itself.

When I envisioned this piece, I wanted to step into the perspective of Jesus—looking out at the raging sea breaking around Him. The disciples, behind Him in the boat, were filled with fear as the storm threatened their very lives. Yet in the middle of the chaos, Jesus stood in perfect peace. My desire was to paint the contrast between overwhelming fear and unshakable presence—the peace that only Christ can bring.

The Two Faces of Fear

In this passage, Scripture highlights two moments of fear: Fear of the storm.The disciples were terrified as the waves crashed into their boat, convinced they were about to perish. Their cries of panic rose as they looked at Jesus sleeping—seemingly unaware of their danger. Fear of His power.After Jesus rebuked the wind and spoke to the sea, the storm immediately obeyed. In that moment, the disciples were struck with a different kind of fear—an awe-filled reverence. They asked, “Who is this man? Even the wind and waves obey Him!” (Mark 4:41).

Jesus responded to their fear with a question: “Where is your faith?” It was not simply about surviving the storm but about remembering who was with them in the boat.

Our Storms Today

Life is still full of storms. They may not be crashing seas, but they rise up in our hearts, homes, and even our nation. When chaos surrounds us—when sickness, loss, or uncertainty threaten to overwhelm us—it can feel as though Jesus is “asleep.” We wonder if He sees our pain, if He notices the water rising around our feet.

But this painting is a protest against fear. It’s a declaration that storms never have the final say. His presence, His peace, and His authority are greater than any wave we face. His very breath brings life and dismantles death.

The Power of His Presence

Something the Lord often reassures me of is this: He is closer than my next breath.

Immanuel—God with us—is not distant. He is with us in the storm, commanding peace even when the world seems to unravel. As you look at this painting, my prayer is that you would sense His nearness and hear His voice calming the storms of your own heart: “Peace, be still.”

Just as the disciples were invited to move from fear to faith, we are too. May this artwork remind you to lift your eyes above the crashing waves and fix them on the One whose name is above every name—Jesus Christ, Lord over the storm.

Communion - "Blessed, Broken, Given"

"Blessed, Broken, Given" 12" x 16" Oil On canvas

Proclaiming Christ Through Communion: More Than Receiving, It’s Releasing

When we gather around the table of the Lord, something far greater than ritual is happening. Communion is not merely an act of remembrance, but a powerful proclamation of the gospel.

In 1 Corinthians 11:26, Paul writes, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

The word proclaim—sometimes translated as partake—is rich with meaning. It carries the sense of preaching, teaching, heralding, and announcing. Communion is not a passive act of receiving. It is an active declaration, a living sermon preached through bread and cup.

Communion: A Spiritual Proclamation

Every time we take the bread and drink the cup, we are preaching Christ’s death—not only to ourselves but to the world and to the unseen realm. Communion is a visible gospel, declaring that the cross is enough, that His blood has covered us, and that His resurrection power is alive within us.

It is both a reminder of what has been done and a release of what Christ is still doing. The table becomes a place where heaven touches earth, where His victory is proclaimed in power until the day He returns.

Receiving and Releasing

Too often, communion is thought of only as a moment of reflection or quiet remembrance. While it certainly is that, it is also much more. In the act of communion:

• We receive forgiveness, grace, and renewal.

• We release testimony, truth, and hope into the world.

Communion is an invitation to be both filled and poured out, to carry the message of the cross beyond the walls of the church.

Until He Comes

Every act of communion looks forward to the great day when Christ returns. Until then, each time we break the bread and drink the cup, we are echoing the eternal message: Jesus is Lord. His death brought life. His resurrection brings victory. And He is coming again.

May we never take lightly the sacred moment of communion. It is more than remembrance—it is proclamation. It is more than receiving—it is releasing. It is a foretaste of glory, and a declaration of hope.

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind | Oil on Canvas Reflection

"Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind" 24" x 20" Oil on Canvas

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind | Clay, Sight, and the Light of the World

There’s something striking about the way Jesus chose to heal the man born blind in John 9. He could have spoken a word, as He did in so many other miracles. Instead, He bent down, spat on the ground, mixed the dust of the earth with His breath, and made clay to place on the man’s eyes.

Why clay?

“We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”— John 9:4–5

With His own hands, Jesus returned to the very material from which mankind was first formed in Genesis.

“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”— Genesis 2:7

Clay was the beginning of life, and here in John 9, clay became the beginning of sight.

Clay in the Hands of the Creator

Throughout Scripture, we are reminded that we are clay vessels and God is the Potter. Isaiah declares, “We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8). Paul writes that we are “jars of clay” holding the treasure of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:7).

In this miracle, the symbolism becomes even deeper: Jesus, the Light of the world, takes the clay of creation and reshapes it to bring healing. With something as ordinary as dirt, He demonstrates the extraordinary power of God. It’s a reminder that in His hands, even our most broken, fragile places can be molded into vessels of glory.

From Darkness to Light

The man who had lived his whole life in darkness suddenly encountered the true Light. What was impossible for him—sight—was made possible by the touch of the Creator. This wasn’t just a miracle of physical vision; it was a revelation of who Jesus is. He is the Light who steps into our darkness. He is the Potter who reshapes and restores. He is the same Word who breathed life into clay at creation, now breathing new life into a blind man’s eyes.

The Painting’s Meaning

My painting, Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind (24” x 20” oil on canvas), seeks to capture this truth: that clay in the hands of Jesus is never ordinary. It becomes a tool of healing, a vessel of sight, a testimony of light breaking into darkness.

As I painted, I couldn’t help but see parallels between the strokes of the brush and the way God shapes us as clay. Progress photos remind me that art, like faith, is a process of refining, of seeing layers come together until the image is revealed.

What Does This Mean for Us?

We are all blind in some way until Christ touches us. We are all clay, fragile and easily broken, until we are held in the hands of the Potter. And just like the man at the pool of Siloam, we are sent out to testify of what He has done: “The man called Jesus made clay, anointed my eyes, and now I see.”

My prayer is that this painting would remind you that Jesus is still opening eyes, still shining His light, and still forming clay into vessels of His glory.