We hear a lot about people who can't sleep. There are various sleep aids advertized on tv. People write articles about good sleep habits and ways to promote better sleep. Recent research even seems to suggest that getting more sleep may be associated with avoiding Alzheimer's and similar forms of dementia. It is apparent that for lots of people, getting enough good sleep is a big problem. Obviously that wasn't the case with Jesus. We see in today's Gospel (Mk 4: 35- 41) that Jesus and his disciples are crossing the Sea of Galilee at night when a squal hits the lake. Apparently there are huge waves and winds, and, Mark tells us, the boat they are in starts to fill with water. You can imagine the sounds of howling wind, crashing waves hitting the wooden sides of the boat, men yelling to each other as they try to keep the boat headed into the waves so it doesn't swamp. The boat must be bouncing up and down like crazy, as the wind and waves toss it. Can you imagine sleeping during that? I don't care how good a sleeper you are, it seems like it would be impossible to stay asleep with all the movement and sound and commotion. Yet, somehow through it all, Jesus stays "asleep on a cushion" in the stern of the boat. His disciples can't believe that He is asleep either, and, somewhat pointedly, ask Him whether or not He cares that they are all going to drown. You can imagine them thinking that He should at least get up and help them bail out the water before the boat sinks. Interestingly in Mark's version of this event, the disciples don't ask Jesus to do anything with the storm. Perhaps the idea that He could do so simply didn't occur to them. In Matthew's version of the same event, the disciples first reaction is to say: "Jesus, save us." Jesus says three words-- "Quiet. Be Still"-- and the whole storm ends, the sea instantly becomes calm and the wind stops. I can imagine that after rebuking the disciples for being fearful because they had no faith, Jesus goes back to His cushion and goes to sleep, while the disciples ponder just who it is that they are dealing with. While this story is presented as a real event (as it certainly was), there is also an easy metaphor to draw from this scene. We all have times when life seems overwhelming, when our fears or frustrations overtake us, when we wake up at 3 am and can't sleep. What to do? Perhaps we might imagine that we're with Jesus in that boat, and, drawing on Jesus' example and God's grace, tell those storms in our head "quiet-- be still." Maybe we might replace all the fear and frustration that we experience with a calm that comes from confidence in Christ. Maybe reminding ourselves that we're in God's hands and that God won't let us sink-- just as Jesus didn't let the boat sink with the disciples in it-- stills the wind and stops the waves in our mind. Unlike the disciples in Mark's version of this story, who probably didn't yet appreciate with whom they were dealing, we know that Jesus can calm any storm that beats down upon us. Perhaps "Jesus, save us" is the right thing to say at 3 am.