The Wonder of the Cross – 40 Days with the Music of Vicky Beeching
Day 18 – Tuesday after Lent 3 – Stronger than the Storm
To Read:
From the Scriptures:
Jesus Stills the Storm
23 And when [Jesus] got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 A windstorm suddenly arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a dead calm. 27 They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”
(Matthew 8v23-27)
From Vicky Beeching:
Stronger than the Storm
When we’re soaked by the rain of sorrow
When we’re battered by winds of change
When the world all around is shaken
And we’re deafened by crashing waves
We call out to You, to You
You are stronger than the storm
You are reigning over all
Faithful God You’re always in control
You’re the anchor of peace for our souls
With one word you can calm the ocean
Turning chaos to glasslike sea
Speak unshakable hope to our hearts
Be our fortress of perfect peace
We will trust in You, in You
Chorus
You’ll turn the darkness into dawn
We’ll feel the sunlight’s healing warmth once more
Chorus – repeat
You’re the anchor of peace
You’re the anchor of peace
You’re the anchor of peace for our souls
You’re in control
To Listen: Stronger than the Storm by Vicky Beeching
To Reflect:
Frequent readers of my words will know that I am a child of the Royal Navay and am named after the submarine HMS Andrew; on which my father was serving when I was born. I was baptised in the ship’s bell of HMS Narvik when I was six years old. My personal faith was nurtured by the loving members of the Royal Sailors Rest and fanned into flame through the precious gift of seven years at the Royal Hospital School; originally an institution of the Admiralty.
In recent years, in my role as an Honorary Chaplain to the Mission to Seafarers and the Sea Cadets, I have blessed vessels ranging from sailing dinghies to rowing gigs and RNLI lifeboats to Super-sized Container ships.
This does not mean I like going to sea. I enjoy being alongside the sea. I’m comfortable with the occasional trip on a ferry to the Isle of Bute. However, to my shame and embarrassment, I easily get sea-sick when going out into deeper waters.
I can never understand how my Dad spent 25 years of his life not only ‘at sea’ but ‘under the sea’, including several trips to the North Pole by submarine!
The words “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” are very close to my lips every time the ride gets a little bit bumpy and the waves are more than a gentle swell. With all that history one would think I would rejoice in Vicky’s words, and they are very appealing but…
Some of them stick in my craw;
You’re the anchor of peace
You’re the anchor of peace
You’re the anchor of peace for our souls
You’re in control
Yes, I like the idea of a life of riding peacefully at anchor
Yes, I look forward to, like the weaned child of Psalm 131, having a soul at peace.
No, I’m not at all sure I want our Beloved to be in complete control of my life!
Look, the idea has its merits.
The world around us is shaken with storms and all sort of danger which threaten to sink our frail barque. My life, something perhaps echoed by many of us, seems too often to be soaked by sorrow and overwhelmed by darkness. I need calm oceans, glasslike seas, and the healing warmth of the sunshine of God’s love to settle life.
But does it really mean I have to let go of control?
Does this really mean I let someone else take the rudder of my life?
Would this really result in my setting foot on a shore I had no intention of sailing towards?
Proabably yes.
But the alternative is to find myself floundering through life and become ‘lost at sea’. It will take some work on my wilfulness, it will be very hard for me to let go of control, but I know if I want to reach a Safe Harbour, I must hand over the wheel to the One who is the Captain of our salvation (cf. Hebrews 2v10).
To Pray:
O Saviour Christ,
we beseech Thee,
when the wind is boisterous,
and our faith weak,
and we begin to sink
even as we would fain come to Thee on the water,
stretch forth Thy hand, O Lord,
as of old to Thy fearful disciple,
and say to the sea of our difficulties,
Peace be still;
for Thy holy Name’s sake.
(Dean Vaughan)
To Do:
If you can walk next to sea, or even take a short trip out to sea, and listen for Jesus words of peace to the world around you.
If you can’t, and you can cope with it, visit a place in your life that has had a stormy history and hand over control of what happened then (or perhaps even affects you still) to the hand of the Captain of our Salvation.
oooOOOooo
If you would like to find out more about Vicky and her work here is a link to her Wikipedia entry. For a fuller picture her autobiography ‘Undivided’ is highly recommended
Please Note: These reflections are also published on my blog: suffolkvicarhomes.com on Bluesky as @suffolkvicar.bsky.social, and on my public Facebook page Suffolk Vicar – Rev Andrew Dotchin.
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Acknowledgements:
These Reflections, ‘The Wonder of the Cross – 40 Days with the Music of Vicky Beaching’ are copyright © Andrew Dotchin 2026 and may be reproduced without charge on condition that their source is acknowledged.
All of the music on the video clips are from YouTube and are © Vicky Beeching.
If you enjoy listening to her songs please consider buying her recordings. A full discography and other information about Vicky can be found on her website vickybeeching.com.
Scripture quotations are from The New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Prayers are from A Diary of Prayer compiled by Elizabeth Goudge and are copyright © 1966 The Estate of Elizabeth Goudge.
Suffolk Vicar 