A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
--Mark 4:35-41
Can you conjure up the image of a lake in your mind? Hear the sounds of the water lapping the shoreline. Smell the fishy, earthy scents in the air.
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What a long day it has been.
We started the day on the other side of this lake. Jesus has been telling all kinds of parables to explain the Kingdom of God. He’s talked about seeds and lamps. He’s talked about sand, and rock, and even mustard! Some people seemed to understand exactly what he was talking about while for others, his words went right over their heads. Even we, the disciples, would need time alone with Jesus so he could explain everything to us. Every now and then we would pull him aside and bombard him with questions. He was so patient with us as he explained.
And we were tired at the end of the day. When Jesus finally said, “Let’s go over to the other side”, we were glad to leave the crowds for some relaxation. But that’s NOT what we got…at least that’s not what MOST OF US got.
Everyone loaded up. There were others boats that followed along with us, too. We knew Jesus was tired. He settled in the back of the boat on a cushion and was soon asleep. Some of the other guys rested, too, but I was one of the rowers as we made our way to the other side.
All of a sudden, the wind picked up! We were being thrown around on the water and the waves got large enough that they broke over the boat. We were nearly swamped! Now, everyone was wide awake…well, almost everyone.
There was Jesus, still sleeping like a baby. We couldn’t believe it! Didn’t the sound of the storm scare him like it scared us? Couldn’t he hear the thunder and the crashing of the waves? Didn’t he feel the cold water splashing on him?
Irritated, we finally jostled him awake. “Don’t you even care if we drown?!” we asked him. And then “that” looked passed over his face. The look that we saw every time we disappointed him…which was more often than I would like to admit.
He stood up. And he spoke to directly to the wind and waves. He shouted, simply, “Quiet! Be still! We just stared. What in the world was he doing? But the storm listened! The wind died down, the waves settled, and it was completely calm. Completely calm.
And next, he turned to us. We were surrounding him, quiet and terrified. He looked around at each of us and asked, “Why are you afraid?” And then, “Do you still have no faith?”
That question hit us hard. We have given up our careers and our lives as we knew them to follow Jesus. And yet, when times got tough, he was exactly right—we didn’t have the faith to know that he would get us through the storm.
And after he settled back down for some more rest, we realized that Jesus was much more than just a great teacher of the scriptures. “Who is he?” we asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
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And what about you? Are there times in your life when the wind is blowing and the waves are knocking you around…and yet, Jesus seems to just be sleeping.
Why is God ignoring me? Where is He? Can’t he see that I’m hurting? (Shout) “Don’t you even care if I drown?!”
You know, I think there are really three ways this can go.
I believe that through many of life’s storms Jesus is resting in the background. We must learn to deal with the storms that life throws at us. We must develop coping skills and a world view that uses those storms to make us stronger.
Let me ask you a question. In this story, had Jesus abandoned the disciples? Had he grabbed a life preserver and left them to fend for themselves? Had he? No. It was a storm. A normal storm…yes, storms are normal. So they got tossed around a little. So they got a little wet. Some of them were raised as fisherman. They had the skills to weather this storm. And Jesus was going to let them do just that.
Why? How can we know all of the reasons that Jesus, that God, allows storms to brew up in our lives? Yet, we know that He does…when all He would have to do is shout, “Quiet! Be still!” I can’t tell you that I always understand, but I can tell you that these storms where we feel alone and abandoned are not in vain.
In Paul’s letter to the people of Rome, we learn in Chapter 8 and verse 28 that all things work together for good for all of those who love God and are called according to His purposes. All things work together for good. Even the storms where we can see absolutely NO GOOD, God will use them for good in the long run. He promises!
So that’s the first way that Jesus may react to the storms in our life.
Through other life storms, I believe that Jesus is beside us fighting the wind and waves. He doesn’t shout, “Quiet! Be still!” But we feel his presence at these times. We take strength from him to battle these storms. Have you been through a storm such as this when you knew God was with you helping you through it? A classmate of mine has a young son who has battle cancer his whole life. She feels God’s presence and does not feel abandoned. She knows that Jesus’ arms are wrapped around her on most days holding her up. I can tell this from her blog that she uses to journalize their days and praise God for their blessings. Amazing.
And sometimes, I think that we’re asleep. That’s right. Sometimes I think Jesus fights battles for us that we are oblivious to. Spiritual battles… some with Satan himself…for our very souls. We don’t know what battles Jesus helps us avoid through his presence in our lives. Do you ever wonder?
Well, do you realize how many people were spared on 9/11? Have you read the stories of uncanny coincidence that saved lives? Maybe a vacation had to be cancelled so a man didn’t get to get on the plane. Maybe a woman took a cigarette break and the plane ran into her office while her elevator was making it’s way to the ground. Maybe a computer glitch made a stewardess have to fly to another city instead of riding with her normal flight crew to Los Angeles. These are not random “what if’s”, these things actually happened according to CNN in a 10-year Anniversary article that was run.
Although some people may say it was “luck” or just “coincidence”. I say no. Although timing may affect good or bad things that happen in our lives, I also believe that sometimes we are just spared…for whatever reason.
But believing this also means that sometimes I believe we are NOT spared…for whatever reason. God is sovereign. We won’t always understand, because you see…we are NOT God. We are not omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. We are not love…full of grace and mercy, justice and holiness. We simply can’t always understand. But no matter what, Jesus is always there during our storms, whether he is resting in the back, active beside us, or dominating in front of us, he is always there…if we ask him to be.
Have you asked him to be there? Do you doubt his presence in your life? Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?
Friends, trust in him. Trusting in Him doesn’t mean that things will always work out the best for YOU. It means that things will work out for good in the long run.
Remember…even the winds and the waves obey him. He is Jesus Christ our Lord, Son of the Living God. Amen.
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