The Storm on the Sea~~Mark 4:35-41

     

  It was evening.

At His word, Jesus and His disciples left the crowd and got into a boat, intending to cross the sea. Other boats were mentioned to be with Him at that point but are not noted in this text again.

The wind kicked up and the water became tempestuous. The boat immediately began to fill with water. The disciples found Jesus sleeping on a cushion in the boat’s stern. He must have been exhausted to be able to sleep through that violent storm.

By this time, the disciples were all in a panic. And now to find their master asleep at this time, oblivious to the imminent danger! They woke Him. 

“ ‘Teacher,’ ” they said, “ ‘do you not care that we are perishing?’ ” The situation was so dire that they sure that they were all going to die.

Here was a desperate plea for help, an inquiry to the Lord as to whether He cared, cared about their suffering, their trial. Would He come through to them in the midst of the storm when it mattered the most?

Jesus’ response is a reminder that He is the one in complete control of every situation. “And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

If you or I had been standing in that boat and yelled at the wind and the sea, what do you think would have happened? Nothing! The wind would have snatched your words away from you, the sea would have paid you no heed. We can pretend that we are in control of a situation that is way over our heads, we can fool thousands of others and even ourselves; but we are not the ones in control, God is.

A few words from our Lord and immediately the crashing of the waves ceased; the sea became flat and still; the wind’s breath was taken away; the thundering tempest calmed in an instant. All of nature stood in awe of its Maker.

And then Jesus turned to His dumbstruck disciples and asked, “ 'Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’ ”

After all that they had seen Him do, all of the miracles, the wonders, the incredible, the unbelievable, the impossible, after all this are they still in unbelief? Do they still not understand?

After having just been so terrified by the storm and certain that they would lose their lives, the disciples were once again filled with fear, this time a holy fear and wonder. And they asked each other, “ ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” ’

The storm on the sea was a real event, but it is more than just a historical account: it is a lesson about faith.

It is a literal example of a storm in life, a time when one is surrounded by fear and difficultly, when it seems that God is not there, that He is sleeping through the storm in the back of the boat. And when the waves crash against the boat, the sufferer cries out to Him, like Job did, and asks Him if He even cares.

That is a time to remember who God is. To realize that He is more than just on board with you, He is the One steering the ship: and He knows exactly where He’s headed.

Trials have their purposes (James 1:2-8; 12) we are called to trust God.