The Master has
been teaching all day and you have been surrounded by people. At the end of the day early in the evening He
has now told you to load up the boats so that we can go across to the other
side. The water is a place of peace for you and for some of His disciples it is
their second home as they are fishermen. You all look forward to spending some
time on the water and the quiet that is before you. Yet you and I know the rest
of the story from Mark 4:35-41
Mark 4:35-41 ( ESV )
36And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just
as he was. And other boats were with him.
37And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the
boat, so that the boat was already filling.
38But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him
and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
39And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be
still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
41And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who
then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?”
At some point in this journey across the Sea
of Galilee the wind begins to pick up to such a point that the Greek word used
here can mean a whirlwind. The waves
have become so fierce that they are breaking into the boat to the point that it
is dangerously filling up. Now if that is not enough you are experiencing all
of this in the dark.
Think about it brothers and sisters this is
a picture of what it is like for you and me when we are swamped and flooded
with trials. When will it ever end? Do
you feel as though you are surrounded by the darkness? There is nothing worse
than not being able to see. Not knowing what will happen next. All you hear are
waves crashing about you. Not only do you hear the waves but they are sinking
your boat. At any moment you feel as
though you could drown. Your dreams, hopes and plans are all covered by the
darkness. You get hit so hard in the gut by the waves of trials that you feel
as though you cannot even breathe.
Sometimes you question yourself. “Maybe
this is happening because of some evil I have done.” This could be true but I
don’t believe that this is the case here. His disciples had been obedient. They
had left all, they had obeyed Him. They
loaded up the boat as He had told them to do and now they were in the middle of
a storm that they have no control over.
It is at this point that they wake up
Jesus from His sleep and ask the question that we have all asked. “Don’t you
care about us?” Now wait Brothers and Sisters before we jump the disciples, how
many of us have done the same thing? What happens when our whole world falls
apart? What do we do when He just doesn’t seem to make any sense at all? What
do we do when those we cherish the most die or fail us in some way? Where is
He? One of the things I have to remember is that whether I see His hand at work
or not just like the disciples He is STILL in the boat with me. He is still
upon the throne.
What does Jesus do? Well He calms the
storm with just three little words that are spoken from His lips. This is how
powerful He is. He who created the earth and sea can certainly calm the storm
with just the whisper of His voice. The idea of the words used here is that as
soon as he spoke the storm ended.
He can make all things right again but the
key is HE WILL DO IT ON HIS TIMETABLE. Not mine. I so badly want the storm to
stop the very moment it starts but God often has other plans for us. He is not
weak but rather He wants us to grow in our faith and the only way that often
happens is through the storms of life. Here is the beauty of it though, it will
end when He wants it to, so that He can mold us into the men and women of God
that He wants us to be. He will not allow it to go further than what our faith
can handle.
“Why are you so afraid? Have you still no
faith?” How many times have I heard these words? Like many of you I become
fearful of things, situations, stuff I just don’t have control over. Therein is
the point, I don’t have control. The storms are going to come and they will
knock the wind out of us. Yet, during those times He wants me to realize I can’t
control them. He wants me to have the faith of a little child who is completely
dependent upon His Father. He is the one, “Whom even the wind and the sea obey.”
Does Jesus Care? As the old song goes, “I
know He cares, His heart is touched by my grief.” I know He cares when I do not even see Him as
being in the boat with me. He cares when everything falls apart. He will
protect us. He will guide us. He will do it in His own timetable. He wants me
to keep my eyes on Him and to trust Him while the storm passes by.
No comments:
Post a Comment