Part 2

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 MORE truths we can glean from watching Jesus with His disciples in a very literal raging storm.

1. Jesus, in fact, has the power to stop the storm. *Major sigh of relief.* Friend, no matter where you are or what you’ve done — and I really mean that NO MATTER WHAT, Jesus has the power to calm the storm in your life, whatever that looks like.
2. Only Jesus has the power to stop the storm. Just a quick reminder that I need on the regular: Jesus is the only One who can do this. I cannot fix my own storms. I cannot fix my own mistakes. I cannot heal my own heart. I cannot control life. I am called to obey Jesus, I am called to reconcile, I am called to depend on Him, but only Jesus has the power to stop the waves and the wind in your life.
3. It’s interesting to note that Jesus didn’t nicely ask the storm raging on the disciples to please stop — He rebuked it. To rebuke is to “express sharp disapproval or criticism of because of behavior or actions.” In the perfect world God had planned and in Heaven that is to come, there is no sorrow, there are no tears, there is no pain. Jesus doesn’t sit back and smile or feel inconsiderate or careless about the storms in our lives. He cares. He hurts with us. And often on this earth, we see Him practically fight for us. Some healing and redemption will come in Heaven, but friends, while storms are inevitable and while Jesus is in them with us and while sometimes they seem to never end and while sometimes God uses pain for our good and His glory, God is not happily watching and standing by. He longs to heal, restore and bring justice whether on earth or when His kingdom comes – and it WILL.
4. Jesus tells the uncontrollable to be still and it does. Will we trust Him to do the same for us in our storms? Will we trust Him when He even calls US to be still, to trust, to have peace — because He does call us to do just that. The wind and waves obey Him, will we trust that? The wind and waves obey His call to be still, will we obey His call in our lives to be still?
5. Despite the storm, Jesus expects His disciples to have faith. He knows who He is, but do they fully realize Who is with them? Do we? Why are we afraid when He asks us to trust Him, the One who has the power to calm the storms? Maybe the storm seems too large. Maybe it seems all too evident that Jesus isn’t in the storm. Maybe we think He won’t calm our storm. Friend, in every storm, I encourage you to take a moment – or a million moments – and imagine that Jesus is standing with you, by your side. Imagine that in the height of your storm, Jesus is standing there bringing you assurance. Friend, realize that this is your reality. You don’t know what He’ll do. Will He calm the storm the first time you ask? Will there be years of waiting? Will you need to trust that even if He doesn’t fix this storm right here right now, He is good? I don’t know. I’m going to be real with you, friends. There have been major trials in my life that never concluded. In those same trials, Jesus assured me that answers and immediate fixes sometimes aren’t what come, that’s just reality. But He is present, He is with me, and He is my strength in those trials. He asks me to have faith – not that life will be good again, but in HIM. In the One who can and someday will calm every storm. He asks me to have faith in HIM, the One who knows the end from the beginning and has been walking with me through it all. He asks me to have faith in HIM, the One who can and does redeem and restore. He asks me to have faith in HIM, the One who actually never promises no problems but who does promise that peace, love, joy and strength can be found in Him through it all. He asks me to have faith in HIM, the One who promises He does and will fight for me. I think if we truly realized just who Jesus was fully, who He is, this One who fights for us and stands with us and stays with us in our storms, we would know we could trust Him like He wants us too. 

XO,

Meg