It was Jesus’ idea to travel to the other side.
With His disciples, He left the crowd behind, and journeyed by boat to a new place on the other side of the lake. A furious storm suddenly raged. Waves crashed over the boat, and they nearly drowned.
Meanwhile, Jesus slept on a cushion in the stern.
If you think about what he had been doing before this little boat ride, his deep sleep makes perfect sense. At least from my introverted (and sometimes-exhausted Mom) perspective. He had been teaching crowds of people, eating meals with people, and traveling about talking with them and healing them.
Mark 4 tells us the disciples took Jesus along in the boat, “just as He was.” And what He was, was completely exhausted. Fully human.
The disciples woke him, with an accusation. Don’t you even care if we drown?!!
He immediately yelled to the wind and the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” (verse 39) And to the amazement of His friends, they elements immediately stilled.
“They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!'” Mark 4:41
Another version words the question this way: “What manner of man is this?” Divine. Jesus was (is) God.
He calmed the storm we read of in Mark 4, and there we see His power over the weather.
But He doesn’t always calm the storm.
We all just watched Hurricane Harvey blow through Houston like a wrecking ball. Even though we live on the east coast, far away from that storm, some of our family is now deep in the process of gutting their home and rebuilding. Over here, we’ve been watching the destruction of Hurricane Irma and wondering what’s next.
Jesus tells us to expect storms–and not only weather-related storms. We’ve all lived through stormy seasons that had nothing to do with the weather. And we know we’ll see more.
So what do we do when storms come through our lives like wrecking balls? When they blow and destroy and we nearly drown?
These 4 Responses to Wrecking-Ball Storms will encourage your heart:
Remember God is with you.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Psalm 23:4
Cry out to Jesus.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. Psalm 107:28-29
Praise the Lord.
I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. Psalm 34:1
Trust Him.
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name TRUST in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You. Psalm 9:9-10
I hope you’re not up to your waist in water today, literally or figuratively. Then you can store these words away so they’ll be there when you need them. If you are under water, living through the destruction, I pray you feel God near and praise Him for that.
I pray He gives you eyes to see beyond the storm.
xoxo, Angela