A young father in a supermarket was pushing a shopping cart with his little son, who was strapped in the front. The little boy was fussing, irritable, and crying. The other shoppers gave the pair a wide berth because the child would pull cans off the shelf and throw them out of the cart. The father seemed to be very calm; as he continued down each aisle, he murmured gently: “Easy now, Donald. Keep calm, Donald. Steady, boy. It's all right, Donald.”
A mother who was passing by was greatly impressed by this young father's calm and caring approach. She said, “You certainly know how to talk to an upset child—quietly and gently.”
And then bending down to the little boy, she said, “What seems to be the trouble, Donald?”
“Oh no,” said the father. “He's Henry. I'm Donald.” (John Huffman, The Fruit of the Spirit Is Patience, www.PreachingToday.com)
That father was trying to find some calm in the midst of his storm. How about you? How about me? In these uncertain times, don’t we look for that calm assurance that all will be well? In the midst of our storms, don't we yearn for that stillness of soul even when the world around us is in turmoil?
Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Mark 4, Mark 4, where Jesus shows His disciples how to find true peace in the midst of a storm.
Mark 4:35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” (NIV)
Now, “that day” was a day of teaching for Jesus. He had been teaching his disciples about the power of His Word, and now it is time for their test. Now it is time to see if they really learned anything.
Mark 4:36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. (NIV)
The disciples obey their Lord immediately. Now that’s a good start! Jesus had been teaching from the boat (Mark 4:1), so they waste no time in leaving for the other side just as Jesus told them to. They take him along “just as he was,” even before he has a chance to shift positions in the boat and get comfortable. Even so…
Mark 4:37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. (NIV)
Literally, the waves kept spilling over into the boat so that it was nearly swamped. Even though the disciples did exactly what Jesus told them to do, they ran right into a terrible storm which threatened to sink their little boat.
Many people have the idea that storms come to their lives only when they disobey God. But often storms come because of our obedience, as the forces of evil oppose us trying to accomplish God’s will. You see, Jesus never promised us the absence of storms in our lives. He promised only that He would be with us through the storms, which He allows only to test and strengthen our faith in Him.
Mark 4:38 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?” (NIV)
I love the picture presented here. Jesus is at peace, so much so that He is asleep in the middle of this terrible storm. But the disciples are so clueless, they mistake his calmness for a lack of concern. So…
Mark 4:39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. (NIV)
Jesus said the same thing He said to the demons earlier (Mark 1:25 & Luke 4:35). Literally: be silent; be muzzled. And that’s exactly what happened – the wind stopped howling and the water was completely calm.
Mark 4:40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (NIV)
After Jesus rebuked the wind, He rebuked His disciples for their lack of faith. You see, they had failed the test. Even after all the miracles Jesus had done, even after all that Jesus had taught them, they still didn’t trust Him, and that’s why they were afraid.
Mark 4:41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (NIV)
They were afraid not only of the storm. They were afraid of Jesus, as well, as they witnessed His awesome power. You see, the greatest danger to His disciples was not the wind or the waves. No. The greatest danger was the unbelief in their own hearts.
Warren Wiersbe put it this way: “Our greatest problems are within us, not around us” (Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary). So no matter what is going on around you, make sure you have faith within. Make sure you are trusting in Christ. Make sure you are depending on the Lord. Make sure you are resting in Him; for then, and only then, will you be able to rest in the storm. 1st of all…
TRUST IN HIS WORD.
Depend on what the Lord has told you to do. Count on His commands.
In verse 35, Jesus told His disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” He made His will clear, and nothing can stop Him from working out His will.
God said, in Isaiah 55, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11).
God’s will, as expressed in His Word, is unstoppable. He WILL accomplish His plan. He WILL do what He said He would do, and He WILL give us the power to do what He asks us to do, as well. What He commands, He empowers. His precepts are promises of what we can accomplish as we depend on Christ. He told His disciples to go to the other side. So as they go, He will make sure they get there!
He just got finished teaching them that His Word is powerful, that it produces tremendous results (Mark 4:1-34). Now they have an opportunity to see it happen right before their very eyes. All they need to do is trust in that Word, and they will have nothing to fear – not the storms on the Sea of Galilee, not even the legion of demons they’ll meet on the other side.
Helmer Heckel, of Excelsior, Minnesota, recalls emigrating from Germany to America in December, 1958. He traveled on the USS Butner, a transport ship, out of Bremerhafen, through the North Sea and into the North Atlantic. Huge waves pounded the ship, and every day seemed the same—water, water everywhere, to the north, the south, the east, and the west. Heckel says, “All we could hear was the monotonous grinding of the ship's engine.”
Finally, five days later, the scene changed dramatically. There was water to the east and the south, but to the west stood the Statue of Liberty gleaming in the morning sun. “We had come home,” Heckel recalls. (Helmar Heckel, Excelsior, Minnesota; www.PreachingToday.com)
Well, that’s what it’s like to follow Jesus sometimes. Waves of opposition pound against us with no change in sight. In all directions, there seems to be nothing but trouble, and the Lord seems to be asleep. Then the day comes when we realize that we have been moving according to His plan all along.
So don’t be afraid. Instead, depend on God’s Word. Just do what He tells you to do, and trust Him to get you where He wants you to go. Rest in the Lord, and so find rest in the storm. 1st of all, Trust in His Word. Then 2nd…
TRUST IN HIS PRESENCE.
Depend on His being right there with you. Count on His company.
Jesus was right there in the boat with His disciples. They had nothing to worry about, and neither do we. Jesus has promised us, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Psalm 46 says, “God is…an ever PRESENT help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
When the Titanic was launched, 16 skilled mechanics, all from the city of Belfast, were on her maiden voyage. The city was very proud of these men who had a part in building what they called The Unsinkable Ship.
Then news came that the Titanic had sunk in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and that all 16 had gone down with her. The city was overcome with grief. Grown men would meet each other in the street, burst into tears, and then walk away without saying a word.
An American preacher was in Belfast that week, and he was scheduled to speak in church that Sunday. All 16 mechanics were members of that church, and it was packed with their newly made widows, their orphaned children, dignitaries, and people from all over the city.
The preacher titled his message, “The Unsinkable Ship,” but he wasn’t talking about the Titanic. He was talking about the frail little boat on the Sea of Galilee, unsinkable because Jesus was there asleep on a pillow. (Paul Lee Tan, #1972)
You see, when you’re with Jesus, you’re safe. The storms may be great and your little boat very frail, but if Jesus is there, your ship is “unsinkable.” He will not let you drown in the sea of adversity. Instead, He will bring you safely through the storms to the place He wants you to be.
So don’t be afraid. Just trust in His company. Rest in the Lord and you will find rest in the storm. 1st, trust in His Word. 2nd, trust in His presence. And finally…
TRUST IN HIS POWER.
Depend on His might. Count on His authority & control.
The Gospel of Mark makes it very clear that Jesus has ALL authority. He has authority over the forces of evil. He has authority over sickness. He has authority to forgive sins. He has authority over the Sabbath. And here, we see that He has authority over the wind and the waves.
Jesus is Lord! He is in charge, so much so that all His creation must answer to Him. Therefore, we do not need to be afraid!
Mark Galli, in his book, Jesus Mean and Wild, tells about the time a group of Laotian refugees started attending the church he pastored in Sacramento. After the service one Sunday, they approached him and asked to become members. They had only a rudimentary understanding of the Christian faith, so Pastor Mark suggested they study the Gospel of Mark together for a few weeks to make sure they knew what a commitment to Christ and his church entailed. They happily agreed.
Mark says, “Those Bible studies were some of the most interesting he has ever led.” After they read the passage in which Jesus calms the storm, Mark began as he usually did with more theologically sophisticated groups: he asked them about the storms in their lives. There was a puzzled look among his Laotian friends, so he elaborated: “We all have storms—problems, worries, troubles, crises—and this story teaches that Jesus can give us peace in the midst of those storms. So what are your storms?” he asked.
Again, more puzzled silence. Finally, one of the men hesitantly asked, “Do you mean that Jesus actually calmed the wind and sea in the middle of a storm?”
Mark thought the man was finding the story incredulous, and Mark didn't want to get distracted with the problem of miracles. So he replied: “Yes, but we should not get hung up on the details of the miracle. We should remember that Jesus can calm the storms in our lives.”
There was another stretch of awkward silence until another replied, “Well, if Jesus calmed the wind and the waves, he must be a powerful man!” At this, they all nodded vigorously and chattered excitedly to one another in Lao. Mark says, “Except for me, the room was full of wonder. I suddenly realized that they grasped the story better than I did.” (Mark Galli, Jesus Mean and Wild, Baker, 2006, p. 112; www.PreachingToday.com)
With all of our sophistication, let’s not miss the wonder here. Jesus is very powerful; therefore, we don’t need to be afraid.
Just rest in the Lord and you will find rest in the storm. 1st of all, trust in His Word. 2nd, trust in His Presence. And 3rd, trust in His Power.
In Today’s Christian magazine some time ago, Julie W. talks about the time she discovered her daughter, Allison, was smoking pot. Julie noticed her daughter’s weight loss, her pinpoint pupils, and her “who gives a rip” persona. Upon inspecting her daughter’s purse, she found a leopard-colored pipe and the unmistakable sweet odor of pot.
When Julie tried to talk to her daughter, Allison jerked away, stormed out of the room and within minutes was back to college. Julie says, “I knew what I had to do—abandon everything in my life and start to worry/fix/control full-time.”
Julie began spending most days by the phone. She evaluated Allison's reactions, gestures, and comments. Thoughts circled her mind like buzzards: What if she never stops? What if I never see her again? What if she overdoses? Or goes to jail?
Julie lured Allison into therapy by promising they’d go to an Italian restaurant before visits, but even that didn’t work. After just a few visits, Allison refused to see the counselor, dropped out of college, and stopped answering her mother’s calls.
Julie was convinced that if she forgot about Allison, even for a second, or enjoyed anything, something bad might happen. Several months later, after another night of little sleep, Julie glanced in the mirror. She says, “I could have passed for the addict: dark circles under hopeless eyes.”
So she called her friend Linda. Linda’s son, also an addict, had been sentenced to state prison. “You can't imagine all that's going on here,” Julie told her.
“Come over for coffee,” Linda urged; and when they got together, Linda just listened and then said simply, “You need help.”
Julie argued, “You haven't heard the whole story. I'm fine—my daughter, she needs help.”
To which Linda replied, “You're addicted to worry and control. I've been where you are.” Then Linda told her story. “It took me years to realize that I'm not in charge. God is,” Linda admitted. “By worrying, you're telling God he can't handle things.” Then she invited Julie to go to an Al-Anon meeting with her.
There, Julie met others just like herself and learned that worry was just as dangerous and addictive as alcohol or drugs. Julie didn’t think change was possible, but she new one thing for sure – she was destroying her life.
That night at home Julie got real with God. “Help me, God,” she prayed. “I can't do this without you.” Then she began to ask God for help each morning. She whispered to herself, “Not my job,” as worry, fear, or control tried to needle its way back in.
Two years after that first Al-Anon meeting, Juilie’s daughter, Allison, and she met for an impromptu lunch. Allison had gone back to the same therapist – on her own.
“You can't imagine how easy it is to study when you're not high,” Allison laughed.
“Nope, I guess not,” Julie said as she blinked back happy tears.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“For what?”
“When you didn't fix my problems, it scared me.” Allison said. “A few times I had to dig change out of the seat of my car for gas money. Some days,” she paused, “I didn't have food.” Then Allison continued. “I'm making A's. And look,” she handed her mom her checkbook. “I have money again.”
Julie concludes, “Recovery defies logic. It means doing the opposite of what feels natural. When I took care of myself and my addictions, Allison did the same.” (Note: The names in this story have been changed out of respect for their privacy. Julie W., “Not My Job,” Today's Christian, July/August 2008; www.PreachingToday.com)
Julie found rest in her storm only when she found rest in her Lord.
Stop trying to fix people – your spouse, your children or grandchildren. Stop trying to manipulate and control the circumstances. Stop the worry – that’s God’s job!
Our job is to trust Him. Just do what HE tells you to do and leave the results up to Him. Just rest in the Lord. Then (and only then) find rest in the storm.
