Finding God In The Storm

Finding God in the Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

When one walks by the still waters, admiring the delicate flowers and their sweet aromatic perfumes, listening to the wind ever gently rustling through a tall carpet of green grass and watch the autumn leaves tumble and float ever so gently to the ground; one can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of peace and joy. This sense of well being tends to grow when met with the normalcy of routines that have already proven to conquer the most difficult of our daily challenges. And yet standing on the mountaintops of the greatest blessings one can’t help but feel a tinge of terror knowing that living in a fallen world means that chance can arrive like a thief in the night, reek havoc and steal one’s serenity. Circumstances beyond one’s control can happen at a moment’s notice that are so heinous that they threaten to fracture hope in one’s very own existence! When we cannot find someone to help change our bleak circumstances fear grips our hearts and the once peaceful waters become turbulent and life-threatening. The following sermon is going to review the story of Jesus calming the storm to help accentuate the truth that no matter how violent the storm we are facing our hope lies Jesus who is in control and promises to rescue those whom cry out to Him!

The Calm Before the Storm (verses 35-36)

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

After having spent a full and exhausting day preaching about His kingdom in the parables of the sower (4:3-9, 13-20), a lamp on a stand (4:13-20), the growing (4:26-29) and the mustard seed (4:30-32) to hardened hearts, Jesus decided to go over to the other side of the lake. While it is possible that Jesus wanted a break from the “pressure of too much popularity in lakeside Galilee,” or wanted to expand His ministry to a new location, His primary reason for going onto the lake that day was most likely to demonstrate His authority over nature. The disciples, many of which used to be professional fishermen, got Jesus to enter the boat which would have been about 26.5 feet long, 7.5 feet wide and 4.5 feet high and had the capacity to hold about 15 people. The mention of other disciples entering other boats is not trivial information but is given to suggest that the miracle Jesus was about to perform would have many eyewitnesses! When Jesus entered the boat it is reasonable to assume that the weather was fine and the lake calm.

Like the disciples in this story one must decide how to handle the calm seas and mountain tops of blessings that come our way. When one reads the book of Judges, is it not apparent that “blessings” when not handled properly can be an enemy of spiritual purity? It seems like the more we receive the more we reduce blessings to nothing more than our “brilliant” navigation through life’s perils! Whom amongst us with good health, a wonderful family, lots of friends and a secure financial future can truly say that we are on our knees thanking God for what we have received? And when “our apparent success bubble” is busted and the hot air of pride in self is released who can honestly say that our “little” faith will move the mighty mountain of tribulation (Matthew 17:20) that is threatening to consume our peace and tranquility? We are more than conquerors (Romans 8:31-37) only when we stand firm in both good and bad times (Job 1:21) on the Rock of our Salvation (Psalms 62:6). David E. Garland sums up the connection of faith and our reliance on Jesus as follows:

“Those most open to receiving Jesus’ power in their lives are those who recognize their own desperate need of it. Those who are not open to his power are no less desperate but have convinced themselves that they do not need it.”

The Panic and Pleas of the Storm (verses 37-38)

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?”

Once upon the lake there arose a “fierce gale of wind” that was so intense that it is best described as a hurricane. Even though the disciples knew that the Sea of Galilee with its deep basins and mountains surrounding it meant that treacherous wind patterns could cause sudden violent squalls, they were far from prepared to experience a storm of such magnitude that it quickly filled and threated to sink their boats! Ironically it was these professional fishermen that were terrified while the carpenter, Jesus was serenely asleep in the stern of the boat. While the disciples most likely saw Jesus’ sleeping as “indifference to their safety in their hour of danger,” it truly demonstrated His trust in God (Job 11:18–19; Palms 3:5; 4:8; 121:3–4; Prov. 3:23–26) and contrasts with the terror of the disciples.” In fear the disciples woke Jesus and rudely asked Him “Teacher, don’t You care if we drown?” They must have wondered: was this their reward for having left everything to follow Jesus (Luke 18:28)?