Our Response To The Unexpected

Our Response to The Unexpected

Scripture: Mark 4:35-41; First John 3:21-22; Second Chronicles 20:1-29

Good morning Strangers Rest. The title of the message this morning is “Our Response to the Unexpected.” I am going to open with a story recorded in the Gospel of Mark, where Jesus and His disciples experienced an unexpected storm. The disciples’ response was indicative of how we might respond in similar situations. Here is what is recorded in Mark 4:35-41. “(35) On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ (36) Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. (37) And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. (38) But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ (39) Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. (40) But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’ (41) And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’”

In this text, we see a situation that some describe as an attempt on the part of Satan to kill Jesus. Jesus had decided to cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Now remember that some of the disciples were veteran fishermen and could forecast storms, yet they all agreed to go with Jesus. This tells us that this was not a normal storm as we think of storms. This was a windstorm, and it came up out of nowhere. The disciples could not have forecasted this because the wind is invisible. If they saw dark clouds they could forecast that a storm was possible and that it would not be safe to go out on the waters. But, in this case, everything looked fine until they got on the waters and a fierce wind came up. This was not like the wind gusts we experience here in Kansas; this wind was bad. The Greek word that Mark uses to describe this windstorm is “mega” which denotes something of massive proportions. For example, we use the term when talking about computer memory (megabyte) and large Churches (mega-Church). This is the term that Mark used to denote this storm. It was fierce.

When it came upon them suddenly, the disciples immediately became scared and feared for their lives. They went to Jesus, who in the hull of the boat asleep, woke Him up and cried out to Him to save them. Jesus woke up, yawned, and stretched, walked up to the deck, looked at the situation wondering what all the fuss was about and then simply spoke to the wind and the waves and everything became calm. Now when Jesus spoke to the wind, Mark records, “there was a great calm.” In other words, there was a “mega” calm after Jesus spoke to the wind! After causing this mega calm, Jesus turns to His disciples and asked them a question. Now, I want you to hear the question that Jesus asked them in verse 40: “But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’” Jesus is putting the disciples on Front Street because, what He is essentially saying is this: “If you were walking in faith, you could have calmed the wind and the sea yourselves.” The disciple’s reaction to what Jesus said in the next verse tells us a lot about their faith walk at this point in time. The verse records the disciples saying, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” When the disciples woke Jesus up, I am not convinced that they knew He could manage the situation based on what they said here. I believe they were hoping, but not sure. This is what fear does to us – it makes us hopeful and doubtful all at the same time.

When we are responding to the unexpected we need to understand and remember that doubt and fear are two of Satan’s most powerful tools. If he can get us to doubt in our hearts the goodness of God and His willingness to come to our rescue, half of his battle is already won. He knows that doubt attached to prayer means unanswered prayer. First John 3:21-22 says, “(21) Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. (22) And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” Then James 1:6-8 confirms this as it reads “(6) But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. (7) For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; (8) he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”