OCTOBER 2, 2014
In
The Storm
Read: Mark
4:35-41
[Jesus] said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” —Mark 4:39
A storm was
brewing—not just on the horizon but also in a friend’s home. “When I was in
Hong Kong,” she shared, “the local meteorological service announced that there
was a superstorm approaching. But more than the storm that was looming outside
my window, there was a storm brewing at home. While my dad was in the hospital,
family members were trying to balance their home and work responsibilities
while also traveling to and from the hospital. They were so tired that patience
was wearing thin, and the situation at home was tense.”
Life can feel like a
storm—tossing us around with winds of misfortune, grief, or stress. Where can
we turn? When Jesus’ disciples were caught in a great windstorm and wondered if
He cared, they still knew where to turn. He demonstrated His power by calming
the howling storm (Mark 4:38-39).
But often He does not
calm the storm immediately. And, like the disciples, we may feel that He
doesn’t care. To calm our fears, we can cling to faith in who God is and what
He can do. We can take shelter in Him (Ps. 91:1). We can find His help to
relate to others with grace. We can rest in an all-powerful, all-wise, and
all-loving God. He is with us in the storm and cradles us through the storm.
Whether the wrath of
the storm-tossed sea,
Or demons or men, or
whatever it be
No waters can swallow
the ship where lies
The Master of the
ocean, and earth, and skies. —Baker
One need not cry out
very loudly; He is nearer to us than we think. —Brother Lawrence
Insight
Today’s passage from
Mark recounts an incredible display of Jesus’ power. As the Lord of creation
(Col. 1:15-17), Christ had the right and the authority to instruct the wind and
the waves and have them obey Him. Yet this miracle caused the disciples to fear
greatly, which prompted Jesus’ statement in verse 40. The disciples feared the
storm more than they trusted the one who was with them in the boat. Jesus tells
them (and us) to trust what we have seen in Him to get us through both the
literal and metaphorical storms of life.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
