The Bible has two stories of actual storms with people in sailing vessels and they illustrate how we are to respond to each of them.
Jonah’s storm was caused by God to bring him back on track to his Nineveh assignment. On the other hand, the disciples faced a storm in the boat and the moment Jesus rebuked it, it died down. Some theologians surmise that it could be a demonic presence that directed that storm as the other instances that Jesus engaged in rebuking were demons as He cast them out of people, and occasionally, disciples whose thinking were not aligned to the Father’s will.
When we are in a storm, it is important to ask ourselves “what storm am I in?”
Is it a storm of redirection or a storm of empowerment? Is it one that God is using to catch my attention and pull me back on the right track, or one that He is expecting me to grow in putting my faith into action?
Either way it is looked at, we need to realise that for both scenarios, there is a strong emphasis on responsibility: a precious commodity that we cannot afford to abdicate.
For those in the storm of redirection, the onus is on them to realise their destinies, repent, and turn back.
For those in the storm of empowerment, what we are expected to do is to take authority over it, not begin to cry out to God for help. Will He rescue us? Certainly. But it also means that we failed to learn from our last lesson with Him (think about the loaves).