Mark 4:35-41
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!”Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
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With which character do you most relate?
As I look more closely at this passage, I really see more than just Jesus and the disciples. There are also the people on the shore looking from a distance. There are those in the other boats going through the same turmoil as those in Jesus’ boat. But of these 4 characters, I would have to relate to the disciples. Despite having Jesus near, there are storms that come in life, storms that are so large that there’s nothing I can do but run to Jesus in desperation.
Be a disciple: Has Jesus ever led you into a storm? Does it ever seem like he is asleep in the stern?
To be honest, I have not had a really stormy life. People look at my upbringing and think it was unusually difficult. And looking back, it probably was, but it didn’t seem that difficult at the time. When I was a youth, there were the usual struggles that every youth has to deal with, but added to that was the stormy marriage of my mother and father, the absence of my parents due to second jobs and navy sea duty, and so on. But at the time, we didn’t know better as kids, and we just went with the flow. That was perhaps the stormiest time in my life, and yet it did not cause me to run to Jesus. Later in college, I am sure the things that my stormy upbringing did to my way of thinking, my insecurites, my strivings had an indirect impact on my coming to Christ. I was desperate for meaning and purpose. My drive to be successful was overshadowed by its shallowness. In the end I sought Christ (or really, He sought me), and I honestly never felt like he was “asleep in the stern”. In fact, my experience was that He has always been active, always pursuing.
Be in one of the other boats: Have you ever been caught up in someone else’s storm?
Now this a good question. And yes, I have on several occasions. Some people have come to me feeling terribly isolated with the feeling that God doesn’t care enough to do anything about their situation. I feel helpless for them because there is nothing I can physically do to help them. I can pray and provide strength through the Scriptures, but I admit there are times when I wished so much that I could do something more. And yes, there are times when I wonder where God is for them. The earlier verses in Philippians have been helpful encouragement for these times, and certainly ones that I can point people to during these times of affliction. But I know that sometimes words alone don’t always seem like enough. It is in these times I think that we as the church need to be a lifeline to people. I’m not suggesting the church replaces or obstructs a person’s leaning on Christ, but there ought to be someone to go through the storms with.
When I think of this story, I admit that I don’t relate well as a person in the storm. But it is true that I see people often in that situation. Where is Jesus during their storms. My prayer is that I can direct them to the “Silencer of storms” and walk with them and show them that Christ really does care.