Mark 4:35-41 NIV
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. 38 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?”
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!”
The WORD Calms the Chaos
This IS a miracle! Jesus was crossing the Sea of Galilee
and going towards Gentile territory. In the barrier, this Sea of Galilee, in
between the Jews and the Gentiles, we have water. Water, soon to be stormy, chaotic
water. And then, with the WORD, the water calms in the midst of the chaos of
the lives of Jesus’ disciples.
Oh, how verse 35 reminds me of a dream I had of Jesus coming
to visit my house on Washington St. in Sidney Ohio.
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”
Just a bit of the verse, floods back
this memory of mine. Jesus asks for his disciples to go over to the other side.
In my dream, Jesus bids me “Can Billy come out to play?”
I have since, attempted to live out this
dream in my life, each and every day. I have evaluated my actions against this
dream as they occur. I have failed and I have succeeded to hear Jesus’ call. I have failed and I have succeeded to trust
and obey. It’s been a mixed bag, for me.
Anyway, my point here, is that Jesus
always bids us to go. Jesus bids us to follow, to trust in His direction. This discipleship
of Jesus is a restless movement. It’s a mission to follow Jesus.
We must be ready to leave the crowd
and walk the path Jesus calls us to walk. Can we walk to the cross of Jesus? “Can
Billy come out to play!”
But look at Jesus demeanor. Jesus is asleep! In the midst of the storm,
Jesus sleeps! Jesus’ entire demeanor, displays a posture of trust in God.
But then, look at the disciples. Sure,
we are perishing. But the WORD and Jesus far outreach human fears. The WORD
proclaims to have faith and believe! Stop living in fear!
You see, fear is real! Fear can become
panic! So, pray! But…
God does not share our fear and panic.
In our prayer, forget about telling God about fear and panic. Rather…
In our prayer, allow God to speak His
calm to us.
This calm is God’s POWER!
Jesus stills the storms of fear and
panic. When your mind and life is churned up with the troubles we confront on
all levels; turn and see the still, calm, waters of the love of Jesus. You see,
this world and this life are in the hands of God. Turn back to God in your
sinfulness, in your storms, in your pain, in your addiction, in your illness,
in the midst of your death. Turn to God and rely and place your trust in Jesus.
For, this stormy life is temporary. Life here and now, in this place, is temporary.
Life with God, is permanent and forever. Turn to God and live. Trust in God and
rely on Him.
In verse 41 we read:
41 They were terrified and
asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Who is this, that the water obeys?
Genesis 1:2, 6-9 NIV
2 Now the
earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the
deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
6 And God said, “Let
there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the
vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And
it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there
was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the
water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry
ground appear.” And it was so.
Job 38:8-11 NIV
8 “Who
shut up the sea behind doors
when it
burst forth from the womb,
9 when I made the clouds its garment
and
wrapped it in thick darkness,
10 when I fixed limits for it
and set
its doors and bars in place,
11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
here is
where your proud waves halt’?
Isaiah 51:10 NIV
10 Was it
not you who dried up the sea,
the
waters of the great deep,
who made a road in the depths of the sea
so that
the redeemed might cross over?
Jeremiah 5:22 NIV
22 Should
you not fear me?” declares the Lord.
“Should
you not tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
an
everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may
roar, but they cannot cross it.
Who is this we ask? This
IS God, the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. This IS God. This IS God
the creator. This IS the God of your salvation. Humble yourself in the presence of God’s awesome
works of creation and love. Commend yourself to God, even when the going is tough.
Yes, in this trust and faith
Billy comes out to play and to follow Jesus in trust. I’ll fall down day after
day, but I have a friend that will pick me up, dust me off, and call me to
continue on, today, tomorrow and forever. Thank you, Jesus!
How about you?
May God bless you today
and always.
I leave you with a song my grand-daughter, Kaiya, liked as she attended a Week of Mission last week serving together with other youth. These kids followed Jesus out that door to play…
Enjoy
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