Jump  Start # 3224

Mark 4:41 “And they became very much afraid and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’”

Our verse today comes from the powerful story of Jesus calming the storm. Jesus had told the disciples to cross over the sea to the others side. A mighty storm came. The waves were above the boat. The boat was filling with water. Mark uses the expression, “a fierce gale of wind” arose. Within those words are where we see the expressions of an earthquake. This wasn’t a gentle spring shower. This was violent. The boat was shaken. The disciples were drenched. I expect they were bailing water, pulling ropes and doing all that they could.

They awakened the sleeping Jesus with the plea, “We are perishing.” We are going to die. You understand the sudden shock and the rapid heart beat when a car pulls out in front of you and you nearly or you do have a crash. Fear is racing through their hearts. I expect Matthew, who had a desk job, was most fearful. When all hope seemed to be gone, they awaken Jesus. The Lord spoke and the sea became calm. Now, the Lord had to calm the disciples. Our verse ends this, with “they became very much afraid.” The storm was over, but not their fears.

In all of this, there are some important lessons for us to see:

First, storms come. They always do. For Israel, leaving Egypt, it was Pharoah’s advancing army after them. For the three young Jewish men in Babylon, it was a fiery furnace. For the prodigal, it was a famine. For us, it’s the phone call in the middle of the night telling us that a loved one has passed away. It comes as the doctor looking over our latest tests has a serious frown upon his face. What he is about to say is not what we want to hear. It comes when one of our grown kids tells us that he is getting a divorce.

There are always storms. It’s hard to predict and know when they will come, but they always do. And, unlike airplanes approaching an airport, storms in our lives do not wait one at a time. They often come from all directions at one time. And, these storms make us scared. They steal our sleep at night. They make us worried and stressed.

Second, those close to Jesus get scared. That’s what we see in our passage. Their faith wasn’t as strong as it should have been, but these are the ones who have seen Jesus do the impossible over and over. Sometimes the shepherds get scared. Sometimes the preacher gets scared. Storms will do that to us.

Third, faith makes all the difference. That’s the point Jesus was trying to get the disciples to see. Had they only believed deeply, they would have not been so shaken. Their faith wouldn’t stop the storm, but it would have clamed their hearts. We cannot control what happens around us, but we can keep the storms from coming within us. In the midst of a crisis, one often doesn’t think things out. Did they believe that Jesus came from Heaven and hand picked each of them so they would all drown in the sea? Is that how this story was supposed to end?

We need to realize that our faith won’t make the storms pass, nor will it immediately bring sunshine to dark nights. But our faith will put a perspective, a hope and a promise before us. Our faith will remind us that God is bigger than any problem we face. Our faith will help us to see that God continues to reign from Heaven. He has not left His post, not for a moment.

Fourth, in time storms pass. They do physically and they do spiritually and emotionally. There are days when one wonders if he will ever smile again, but he will. Will I ever move past the tears, the pain and the fear? The answer is yes. Time heals. God heals faster. And, the hope we know is that none of these storms will pass through to Heaven. There won’t be any storms in Heaven. Troubles and trials will all stay on this slide of life. So, looking at this in the big picture, tells us that storms are temporary. Heaven is eternal. Storms are for the moment. Heaven is forever. We just need to hold on, look upward, and keep on with the Lord.

Through this powerful story we see the mighty hand of God. We see the compassion of Jesus. We come to understand that God is greater than anything we face. There are lots of things bigger than we are. But nothing is bigger than God. And, as long as we are with God, we’ll get through this.

I can only imagine these disciples telling others about how large the waves were and how intense the wind was. And, Jesus spoke and everything stopped. They understood that the storm didn’t just pass by. They knew that Jesus stopped the storm. It was the hand of God that changed things.

And, if Jesus can stop a storm on the sea, don’t you believe that he can stop a storm in your marriage? If Jesus can change the weather, don’t you think that Jesus can change a person?

Storms are bad…but they are no match for our God.

Roger