Storms and Our Savior (Mark 4:35-41)
I am headed to my home state of Texas tomorrow morning to spend time with my grandmother who is fighting cancer. The last time I flew to Texas by myself was this time last year when my mom was recovering from open-heart surgery. Both are a reminder to me that storms of life will come. For believers in Christ, storms allow us an opportunity to see how big life is, how small we are and how much bigger God is.
Storms in life and storms in nature most often times occur without warning and without expectation. I think that is why storms are so scary. Many nights, Mark and I have awakened with a child in our bed because of an unexpected, middle-of-the-night storm. To watch the dark, shadowy trees shake in the wind, to hear the rain beat on the roof, to jump at the crack of thunder, and to shutter with each lighting strike, brings fear to even the most secure hearts of all ages. Storms can kill, steal and destroy on earth, but God still holds us in the palm of his secure hand.
In Mark 4, Jesus and his disciples had experienced a day with people crowding around them. By the time evening came, Jesus and the disciples were in the boat moving away from the crowds. Leaving the crowd behind is significant I think. Sometimes, we need to get into the boat and leave the crowd behind in life for a little while. Maybe we need to do this to get ready for the storm that is on its way.
Moving away from the crowd may look different in each of our lives. For me, it means having the discipline to remove myself from some social activities to spend time with God. It may mean saying no to some things that would crowd out that time with the Lord. It may mean just quietly reflecting. It may mean taking time to walk and pray with distractions put to the side for a few minutes. It may mean hiding a few minutes from those I love, in order to be filled by the One who loves me so much more.
After time away from the crowd, the storm may still catch us by surprise, but we will have an assurance of Jesus’ presence. Mark 4:37 said this was a furious squall that sent waves to swamp the boat. When was the last time you were in a furious storm of life? How did you respond? Do you wish you had a do-over?
I think what I love about God’s Word is that we get to see real people respond in not-so-spiritual ways sometimes. It reminds me that they were in process just like me. It is evident that they had days of great faith and days of little faith. On this day, in Mark 4, the disciples responded in a panic! They woke Jesus up in full martyr mode saying, “Don’t you even care if we drown?”
I cannot count the times I have cried out to Jesus saying, “Hello Jesus! Do you see the storm I am in? Where are you? Are you sleeping? Is this supposed to be happening? Do you see how furious things here are? Have you noticed my boat is swamped?”
Don’t you love that we can just pour our sad:( little hearts out to our great big God and He sovereignly responds with “Quiet, Be still!” You see we are back to the reason they were in the boat in the first place…to be alone with Jesus. Sometimes the storm comes to my life to remind me that only Jesus has the power to command stillness and quietness in life.
By Mark 4:41, the disciples were still terrified, but they weren’t just scared of the weather now. They were humbled and broken realizing they were in the presence of someone who held the power to life and nature. He was not just a good teacher, He was the God of their universe and He is the God of ours too.
Jesus must have looked at them with love when he said, “Why are you still so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” What is the storm you are facing that you need to trust God with? Is God trying to grow your faith through it? Has fear gripped your heart in such a way that you are screaming in the boat for help, but doubting that God cares or hears or will act?
A turning point for the disciples was when they realized that Jesus was bigger than the storm. Have you surrendered your storm? Are you convinced that God is bigger than your storm? God can calm a storm in three words… “Quiet, be still!” He is the only one who can calm the storm of our hearts. Won’t you let him?
Storms in life and storms in nature most often times occur without warning and without expectation. I think that is why storms are so scary. Many nights, Mark and I have awakened with a child in our bed because of an unexpected, middle-of-the-night storm. To watch the dark, shadowy trees shake in the wind, to hear the rain beat on the roof, to jump at the crack of thunder, and to shutter with each lighting strike, brings fear to even the most secure hearts of all ages. Storms can kill, steal and destroy on earth, but God still holds us in the palm of his secure hand.
In Mark 4, Jesus and his disciples had experienced a day with people crowding around them. By the time evening came, Jesus and the disciples were in the boat moving away from the crowds. Leaving the crowd behind is significant I think. Sometimes, we need to get into the boat and leave the crowd behind in life for a little while. Maybe we need to do this to get ready for the storm that is on its way.
Moving away from the crowd may look different in each of our lives. For me, it means having the discipline to remove myself from some social activities to spend time with God. It may mean saying no to some things that would crowd out that time with the Lord. It may mean just quietly reflecting. It may mean taking time to walk and pray with distractions put to the side for a few minutes. It may mean hiding a few minutes from those I love, in order to be filled by the One who loves me so much more.
After time away from the crowd, the storm may still catch us by surprise, but we will have an assurance of Jesus’ presence. Mark 4:37 said this was a furious squall that sent waves to swamp the boat. When was the last time you were in a furious storm of life? How did you respond? Do you wish you had a do-over?
I think what I love about God’s Word is that we get to see real people respond in not-so-spiritual ways sometimes. It reminds me that they were in process just like me. It is evident that they had days of great faith and days of little faith. On this day, in Mark 4, the disciples responded in a panic! They woke Jesus up in full martyr mode saying, “Don’t you even care if we drown?”
I cannot count the times I have cried out to Jesus saying, “Hello Jesus! Do you see the storm I am in? Where are you? Are you sleeping? Is this supposed to be happening? Do you see how furious things here are? Have you noticed my boat is swamped?”
Don’t you love that we can just pour our sad:( little hearts out to our great big God and He sovereignly responds with “Quiet, Be still!” You see we are back to the reason they were in the boat in the first place…to be alone with Jesus. Sometimes the storm comes to my life to remind me that only Jesus has the power to command stillness and quietness in life.
By Mark 4:41, the disciples were still terrified, but they weren’t just scared of the weather now. They were humbled and broken realizing they were in the presence of someone who held the power to life and nature. He was not just a good teacher, He was the God of their universe and He is the God of ours too.
Jesus must have looked at them with love when he said, “Why are you still so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” What is the storm you are facing that you need to trust God with? Is God trying to grow your faith through it? Has fear gripped your heart in such a way that you are screaming in the boat for help, but doubting that God cares or hears or will act?
A turning point for the disciples was when they realized that Jesus was bigger than the storm. Have you surrendered your storm? Are you convinced that God is bigger than your storm? God can calm a storm in three words… “Quiet, be still!” He is the only one who can calm the storm of our hearts. Won’t you let him?
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