Stormy Weather
November 15, 2015
Mark 4:35-41
It never fails, does it? Just when you think you’ll have some peace and quiet, someone comes to the door, or the telephone rings, you get a text message, the baby cries, a water pipe breaks, the boss calls for you! Peace is so precious, isn’t it? And sometimes, it’s so elusive.
This past Friday night was a typical night. Nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Yet it was! We quickly learned that Paris was under attack. People attending a concert, a soccer match, at various cafes . . . People expecting a quiet, peaceful, fun night . . . were thrust into chaos, panic and death.
It’s not supposed to be that way! I’m not going to make a political statement, this is not about politics, it’s tragic, it’s unnecessary. It makes our petty squabbles seem so pathetic and ludicrous. Lives were lost . . . for what?
We seek peace and we struggle to find it. We experience storms in the midst of a beautiful Friday evening. Our sense of balance in life is stolen. It could have been Chicago, Indianapolis, New York, anywhere! So, what do we do in the midst of the storms? We run, we hide, we cry out, we despair. We desperately want peace and security, but it seems to not come.
Peace . . . it seems so passive, yet it is such a powerful word, isn’t it? Yet, so often – peace is a stranger to most people. We accumulate lots of stuff, we live in such a fast paced world, we know the news as soon as it occurs. And included in all of that is a sense of peacelessness. Stress and anxiety are more prevalent then peace.
We are going to face many storms in our lives. Most of our storms will not be like the ones in Paris. They are just our everyday – ordinary struggles . . .
And in the midst of the storms where will you find peace? For so many people that is a deep longing of the heart . . . Peace, wonderful, powerful peace. How will that come? When will it arrive?
Today, we are going to take a break from looking at the church and yet, we are looking at the church. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus and the disciples had been tremendously busy doing ministry. Mark 4 starts out telling us . . .
1 Again Jesus began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.
The crowds were huge, there were so many people, it was easier for Jesus to teach from a boat. There was no rest . . . until Jesus gave them an offer they couldn’t refuse. Let’s listen to what happened at the end of the day ~
35 On that day, when evening had come, Jesus said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”
36 And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him.
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.
38 But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
39 And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” – Mark 4:35-41
It was the end of a busy day and Jesus made a great offer, let’s go to the other side, we can relax, eat and hang out. Sounds like a great plan. Let’s look at what really happened - - -
The key to understanding this story lies in one important question. Whose idea was it to get in the boat in the first place?
Go back and read the text. The answer is very plain. At the end of a busy day of ministry, a day where they spent hours ministering to the needs of people — after giving and giving of themselves, it was Jesus who said, “Let us go across to the other side.” I’m sure the weary and tired disciples were thrilled at this offer.
The crowds were huge and growing with each passing day. Everywhere they went there was a crowd. They came to listen, learn and find healing from the Master. Day after day they came, wanting to hear, desperately wanting to be near Him.
Several of the disciples were fishermen who intimately knew the Sea of Galilee. And that night the skies promised smooth sailing from the west to the east. They had made that journey many times in their fishing boats and they looked forward to a few hours of rest.
It all started very well. As the boat left the western shore, the lake was so calm Jesus decided to go to sleep in the stern, resting on a cushion. It’s not unusual for storms to suddenly emerge on the Sea of Galilee. All was calm one minute and before they knew it they were engulfed in a storm. The winds picked up, the clouds gathered and the waves were crushing the boat and water was filling it.
As the water entered, the disciples furiously tried to bail it out but the water rushed in faster than they could bail it out. The boat bobbed up and down as wave after wave crashed into it. Nothing could be more terrifying than to be on a boat in the blackness of night as it takes on water and slowly begins to sink.
Finally, the disciples woke Jesus up, asking him a question we’ve all asked in times of desperation. They cried out ~
Lord, do you not care that we are perishing?
Literally, the disciples were asking . . . Lord, don’t you care that we are about to be utterly destroyed in a painful and gruesome death?
It’s not different from the questions we ask the Lord when we’re feeling that way. We’ve been down that road before. We’ve asked . . .
Lord Jesus, don’t you care that my child is sick?
Lord Jesus, don’t you care that my marriage is falling apart?
Lord Jesus, don’t you care that my friends have deserted me?Lord Jesus, don’t you care that I have no money?
Lord Jesus, don’t you care that I feel so alone?
Lord Jesus, don’t you care that I want to give up?
Lord Jesus, don’t you care that my spouse died?
Lord Jesus, don’t you care that I lost my job?
Our list of questions can be endless . . . Finally, sometimes we’re simply crying out . . . HELLO?! ANYBODY HOME?
We feel like our questions and prayers are not being answered.
We’ve asked that question in a million ways a million times. We never question the Lord's compassion when things are going well. But God's compassion is not measured by our circumstances nor is His kindness limited to our understanding.
God cares just as much when the storms are raging as when the seas are calm. His mercy is not limited to the shining sun or the stillness of the waves.
When He awoke, Jesus spoke three words: "Peace, be still!"
And just like that the storm ended. It’s encouraging that Jesus rebuked the storm — not the terrified disciples. To them He simply said, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" Implicit in those words is a lesson we all need to learn.
The disciples were afraid because they were used to being in control of life. They knew how to handle hard situations. There wasn't a weakling among them. And yet, when put in a life-threatening situation beyond their control, their faith turned to fear.
Instead of putting them down, Jesus simply says, "Have you still no faith?" The answer is yes - - - and - - - no. The had faith in Jesus. They truly believed in Him. But their faith, though real, was not yet full-grown. And how do you get the faith that enables you to survive the storms of life? The only answer I know is to get in the boat with Jesus and ride with Him wherever He wants to go. Even when it makes no sense to us . . . if He calls you . . . He will go with you!
Sometimes we need to go through the storms in order to discover our faith. We wish we didn’t need to go through storms. We wish they didn’t exist. We wish we didn’t have to go through hardships to grow and mature and discover more about ourselves and life . . . but the fact is there are storms in life.
Sometimes we create them
Sometimes others create them
God knows about the storms . . . all the time.
There are not storms which are a surprise to God.
So it is for all of us who follow Jesus. There are no shortcuts in the storms of life.
The storms of life are not a detour.
They are not a mistake.
They are not a trick or a trap.
They are not sent to destroy you.
Your storms are not a surprise to God. God’s expectation of us when we’re in these situations is that we will cry out to the Lord in utter desperation, even asking — "Don't you care that I am perishing?" And in that moment — while still in the midst of the storm, when the waves are crashing and you feel like you’re drowning — — in that moment, the Lord stands and declares ~ “Peace, be still!”
So that you will not miss the point, let me say it again. Who told them to get in the boat in the first place? Jesus! It was His idea all along. Did He know about the storm in advance? Of course He did. And He told them to get in the boat anyway. Did He warn them in advance? No, because that would have ruined the lesson they needed to learn. After all, if you knew you were going to enter a stormy time, would you really get in the boat? No way!
All of us have moments — most of us have many of them — when we feel utterly alone and forgotten by God. When life crashes in around us, even after we’ve tried to do all the right things in all of the right ways, there are still times when we feel God has completely left us. There is no avoiding those moments of utter despair.
In those moments we have a choice to make. Either we choose to believe that the Lord is not surprised and will use the storm for His own purposes and good will ultimately come out of the storm. And that may mean – we never know the good, but we trust that good will come.
OR we choose to believe that the Lord has abandoned us. And we become bitter and distant from the Lord.
I don’t believe we can manipulate God into avoiding the storms or somehow making them suddenly disappear. If anything, this story is meant to teach us the opposite. Sometimes our path takes us into the storm. Sometimes we see the clouds gathering and know it’s coming. More often the winds suddenly rise up and our life, which had been so smooth and so well-planned, suddenly turns upside down and we begin to sink beneath the waves.
Here are a couple things to remember - - - If you are with Jesus . . .
– The boat will never sink
– The storm will not last forever.
We seem to think that if we are Christians, we should have some type of exemption card, kind of like a DO NOT GO TO JAIL card in Monopoly. Bad things should not happen to us. And when they do we’re shocked, wondering ‘how could this happen?’ I paid my insurance, I went to church, I gave my money, I helped and served, I’ve been kind to my neighbors. So . . . why, why is this happening to me? Isn’t God supposed to watch out for me? Doesn’t He protect those He loves?
Ah, yes, He is. It makes no sense at the moment — and maybe it will never make sense . . . yet we are called to trust in Jesus all the time. To trust that His plan is the perfect plan. His plan is better than our plan.
Are you in a storm at this very moment? You’re not there by accident but by your Father’s design. He does not intend to hurt you even though you feel like screaming because your pain is so great. You’re not alone though it may feel that way. You may have lost everything, but you have not lost the Lord. He is still with you. He promises never to fail you or abandon you.
The Lord told Joshua 9 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid or dismayed, for the Lord your God will be with you where you may go.
Yes . . . be strong, be filled with courage . . . the Lord is with you!!
No . . . don’t despair, don’t be afraid . . . the Lord is with you!!
Fear not. Keep believing. The Master of the sea is with you! When you look back, you will see that your faith has grown stronger by the storm you passed through.
What a Christ we serve! Even the winds and waves obey Him!
