That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” -Mark 4
The theme of storms is a frequent one as we deal with life. One author said, "we are all either just leaving a storm or about to enter one." Storms are part of our lives, but none of us like them! Storms are unexpected, unpredictable, unwanted, and always produce fear. The fear comes because suddenly, unexpectedly, we are not in control and that scares all of us!
In Mark 4 is the story of one such storm in the lives of the disciples. A storm that was planned by God to teach them, help them and illuminate them. It's a fascinating story and there is so much in the story that captivates me. As I read narratives like this I imagine I'm in the boat with them, wet, afraid, struggling, and then I look to Jesus and he's asleep! How could he be asleep? Doesn't he realize what trouble we are in? Doesn't he care?
And when storms come in our lives, just as Job asked in the midst of his storm, we all ask, "God, don't you care?" What they missed (and honestly we miss it too) is that God was in the boat with them! If they go down so does he! Doesn't it strike you as strange that Jesus was asleep? Don't you wonder at times in your own life, "is God asleep, has he forgotten about me, doesn't he care?" You may have actually said it out loud,
"God, WAKE UP! I'm in trouble."
But what we and the disciples miss is that God is with us. Do you realize how big those words are? God is with us. It means he's in the boat too! It means he's invested in you, in your life, in your storm. It means "he's got this!" It means, if you are in the storm and he's with you, it's part of his plan.
Ok, so I ask as I write that, how can a storm be part of his plan? Because in the storm our senses become alive, sharp, focused and we can see more clearly than we ever do in normal days. In this storm the disciples feared the storm, but in just moments their fears were redirected to Jesus, "who is this?"
Storms bring clarity. They focus our passions, our desires, our lives on what's most important. In a recent storm in our area the news crew interviewed a woman who had lost everything. As she stood in front of her devastated home, nothing left of all she had, she said, "we are so blessed, no one was hurt." And suddenly clarity comes to her life. The stuff can be replaced and in that moment, in the midst of losing everything, we discover that we have actually lost nothing at all!
As you face your next storm realize two things, 1. God is with you. This didn't happen without his presence or permission, and 2. He has a plan and purpose in the storm for your life. In the midst of your next storm will you discover it? Will you see that all of life is about knowing him and trusting him? Will you discover that he has never left you, he's with you....even in the midst of your storm.
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