Part 1
5 Powerful Truths from Watching Jesus In A Raging Storm
Mark 4: 35-41 says, “On that day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke Him and say, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’”
Let’s dive into 5 truths we can glean from watching Jesus with His disciples in a very literal raging storm.
- Being with Jesus may directly lead us into a storm. We see in the first few verses here that Jesus is the One to suggest to His followers to go across to the other side. There was purpose in their leaving and their destination, but He is unmistakably leading them onto a boat. There are times when consequences to our own actions bring about storms in our lives. There are times when storms in our lives have absolutely nothing to do with us – they’re not punishment or a consequence. Too, there are times when because we follow Jesus, storms enter our lives. But surely, if we don’t follow Jesus, we’ll never get to see His power in the storm.
- Jesus is with us in the storms. Jesus was with His followers in the storm. He was in the boat with them. Actually, the verse notes that His followers took Him with them in the boat. Jesus wants to be with us in our storms. He wants to be with us as our worlds turn upside down or the seas rage. Let’s invite Him into our storms. Let’s cast them at His feet. Let’s call upon Him to be with us, to do something. Let’s rest in Him knowing that however the storm turns out, the One who has control of the wind and the waves is with us.
- The storms are all TOO real and impacting. Just because Jesus was on the boat did not mean that the storm didn’t exist. It wasn’t even a light storm or a phantom of a storm that seemed real but had no real impact. This storm was “great” and it was “breaking into the boat.” Storms in our lives are REAL. And never once does God ask us to pretend that they’re not. Surely, He knows better than anyone how real they are and how much they impact us and those we love. Life is not without storms. In fact Jesus tells us they will (not might) come – but fear not, the One who controls the wind and waves is with You. Fear not, the One who heals and redeems and restores is with you. Fear not, the One who brings justice and vengeance is with you. Fear not, the One who guides is with you. Fear not, the One who LOVES YOU is with you.
- Jesus isn’t afraid even afraid when there is a storm. A reminder I put on my phone during a life storm of my own was this: “You don’t need to be afraid of what Jesus isn’t afraid of because you have Jesus.” Jesus is not afraid of my storm. He weeps with me, surely. We see that at the death of Lazarus in John 11. He is not heartless, but He is not afraid. And what a relief, right? I am SO glad that my God, my Defender, my Protector, the One who loves me is not afraid of the things past, present or future. I can rest knowing that the One who holds me is not afraid.
- We can be real with Jesus. I think oftentimes we feel that we need to handle trial flawlessly. I know that’s a burden I’ve placed on myself time and time again. I feel the need to make sure I am not doubting or just trying to trust and smiling through it, but honestly, my breakthroughs have happened most when I am finally real with the Lord. And if real means that you’re handling your trial like someone who trusts Jesus should, praise the LORD. But if youre not, friend Jesus wants us to be real. It’s in times when I’ve broken down and wept telling God that if He doesn’t show up for me I don’t know what’ll happen because I can’t handle things or fix them. Sometimes we really feel like the disciples did, wondering if God even cares or sees. Tell Jesus that. Mary is real with Jesus at the death of Lazarus. She doesn’t come out to see Him until He calls for her and when she goes she basically just says in disappointment that He could’ve done something if He showed up sooner. Let’s be real with Jesus who already knows our hearts anyway. Because when we take off the façade of how we’re doing, when we realize we can’t calm the storm, when we acknowledge our real fears and failures, is when Jesus is welcomed in to meet those needs, to heal the heart we pretended was fine, to show us His heart of love and to fix what we mess up and to calm the storms.
XO,
Meg