1 Jesus, I come to thee,
Longing for rest;
Fold thou thy weary child
Safe to thy breast.
Chorus:
Rocked on a stormy sea,
Oh, be not far from me.
Lord, let me cling to thee,
Only to thee.
2 Jesus, I come to thee,
Hear thou my cry;
Save, or I perish, Lord,
Save or I die. [Chorus]
3 Now let the rolling waves
Bend to thy will,
Say to the troubled deep,
Peace, peace be still. [Chorus]
4 Swiftly the parting clouds
Fade from my sight;
Yonder thy bow appears,
Lovely and bright. [Chorus]
Hymnal Page Scan: Choice Gospel Hymns: a collection of over three hundred hymns for all occasions of Christian work and worship page 205 | Hymnary.org
Audio Recording:
In Matthew 8:23-27, Jesus calms the stormy sea.
23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
(Matthew 8:23-27 NIV)
Jesus was asleep in the boat when the storm arose. In his commentary on Matthew 8, Matthew Henry explains that “Jesus slept at this time, to try the faith of his disciples, whether they could trust him when he seemed to slight them. He slept not so much with a desire to be refreshed, as with a design to be awaked.”
When the storm arose, the disciple’s faith was weak. They were very afraid that they were going to drown. Henry explains that “the prevalence of our inordinate fears in a stormy day is owing to the weakness of our faith, which would be as an anchor to the soul, and would ply the oar of prayer. By faith we might see through the storm to the quiet shore, and encourage ourselves with hope that we shall weather our point.”
The disciples went to Jesus and asked Him to save them. Jesus got up. First, He rebukes His disciples for their little faith. Then He rebukes the winds and waves, and with a word He calms them completely. Matthew Henry observes that God is both the God of grace, the Sovereign of our hearts, as well as the God of nature, the Sovereign of the world. He works out His will both in our hearts and in the world. Henry explains that “it is the same power that stills the noise of the sea, and the tumult of fear [in the disciple’s hearts].”
It is important to note that Jesus did this work easily – with the speaking of a word. And effectually – the winds and waves were calmed immediately and completely.
His disciples were astonished. “They had been long acquainted with the sea, and never saw a storm so immediately turned into a perfect calm, in all their lives. It has all the marks and signatures of a miracle upon it; it is the Lord’s doing, and is marvellous in their eyes.” We can find great comfort in this miracle. “He that can do this, can do any thing, can do enough to encourage our confidence and comfort in him, in the most stormy day, within or without, Isa. 26:4. The Lord sits upon the floods, and is mightier than the noise of many waters. Christ, by commanding the seas, showed himself to be the same that made the world, when, at his rebuke, the waters fled (Ps. 104:7, 8), as now, at his rebuke, they fell.”
The hymn “Jesus, I Come to Thee,” written by Fanny Crosby, is a believer’s prayer to God asking Him to calm the troubled sea in her soul. In the 1st verse, she goes to Jesus longing for rest. In the 2nd verse, she cries out about the urgency of her circumstances. The troubled sea is stilled in verse 3. And in verse 4 a rainbow appears.
Matthew Henry says that “the rainbow appears when we have most reason to fear the rain prevailing; God then shows this seal of the promise, that it shall not prevail. The thicker the cloud, the brighter the bow in the cloud. Thus, as threatening afflictions abound, encouraging consolations much more abound.” Genesis 9 Matthew Henry’s Commentary
So when you are singing through this hymn, envision the troubled waters in your soul, and remember to look out to the shore. It is certain that you will reach the golden shore of heaven, and we also know that Jesus will be with us through every storm on our journey through this life. And then envision Jesus speaking a word and calming those storms of doubt and fear in your soul. And then look up and see the rainbow that appears after the storm. The rainbow is a sign of God’s covenant with Noah that the earth would never again be destroyed by floodwaters. The Berean Study Bible says that the rainbow is a visible reminder of an invisible promise. “The rainbow is a perpetual reminder of God’s faithfulness and His promises. Just as He kept His promise to Noah, He remains faithful to His promises today.” Genesis 9 Berean Study Bible
Learning to Live by Faith 