Mark 4:35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
The verses are easy to understand. Basically, a big storm swoops across the water and causes huge waves. The boat begins to take on water. Most likely, the other boats with them were suffering in the same way since they were probably similar boats. Though Jesus’ disciples are scared to death, Jesus was sleeping through it. His disciples ran to Jesus and woke Him up. Now, had this been anyone else besides Jesus, they too would have been full of fear as they realized the situation, but Jesus was not afraid. He rebuked the wind and told the sea, “Peace, be still!” No doubt the disciples were amazed by this, and now they are exceedingly fearful, wondering who Jesus was since He was able to calm the storm. Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith.
The main thought I want you to get out of this event is that we will all have storms that hit us suddenly in life. We may feel like we will drown in that storm, but like the disciples, we need to realize that we have a Savior, which is Jesus. When we use Him as our anchor, we can say what Paul did:
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
I have heard many people say they thought that God had forgotten them because they were hurting so much and didn’t see any immediate help. Some give up too quickly when times get tough and turn away from God. They think He is asleep like Jesus, but God is not sleeping. The storms in our lives always seem so strong while we are in the middle of them, but many times when the storm is over, and we look back, we can see more clearly that it was not as bad as we thought. Many times, we can also see where God was helping us through the storm.
When I think about a topic like this, many examples come to mind from the Bible, but the example I am going to use is found in:
2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Now we are told the specifics of what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was or how the messenger of Satan buffeted him exactly, but these details are not important. What is important is that Paul was bothered by these things, and he prayed three times that these things would go away, but they would not. We know how God answered Paul’s prayer. The answer was no because these things he was suffering from would make him stronger. God’s grace would have to be sufficient for him.
Sometimes those things we consider as storms will never go away, so we have to learn to work within the storms and use them to make us stronger in the faith. Now, some don’t like answers like this. But when you think about it, most grow stronger in their faith when they are tested. While you might not like it, the very thing you don’t like is designed to make you more faithful and will cause you to appreciate all the other things God has blessed you with.
So, whatever you do, don’t forget that whatever storm you are going through, God is there, and He will answer your prayers. Whether the storm has calmed down or is raging on, you can still be at peace either way because a faithful Christian knows that God is in control. You must trust in Him and use your situation to grow closer to Him.
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