Peace, Be Still
It was a dark and stormy night… actually, that’s not entirely true. It was a calm and pleasant day. Everything seemed to be going well. Bart had just watched his new teacher just wow the crowds with his creative and amazing stories. More and more people were coming out to hear this new rebel rabbi whose showed amazing ability to interest the crowds and stump the local religious leaders. Yes, things were looking up for Bart. He had joined on with this new teacher. He knew there was a change on the horizon - a changing of the guard. The new teacher was becoming very popular, very well liked, very successful. After all, the crowds were growing so large that the teacher had to stand in boats in the lake just to find somewhere to preach from… the temple leaders would have to recognize their impact and influence.
After a day of stories about seeds and sowers, Bart noticed the sky was beginning to change colors; the soft, light blue of the afternoon was giving way to the red and orange and purple hues of sunset. Evening began to set in. And then the teacher decides its time to leave. "let’s go to the other side" he suggested. So, since he was already standing in a boat - they pushed off. No worries here. Its been a calm day, the moon is showing, no real wind on the lake. We’ll just glide across the water to the other side.
Bart considers the number of people who must be hungry to hear such a vibrant and entertaining teacher. In fact, he notices that as they push off from the shore, other boats begin to follow them as well. A little armada is formed, drifting across this wide lake.
The teacher lays down - hey, he’s been at it all day - he deserves a few minutes to relax and unwind. Bart and his new found friends lean back, watch the water drift by and maybe even indulge in a sea ditty or two.
Then, without any warning, the wind begins to rage. The water begins to break in large, violent waves. A storm has suddenly begin to wage war against these little rafts. Bart looks at Andrew and Simon - fisherman their whole lives - and sees that they too are surprised by this furious squall. Even they hadn’t seen it coming. They see water splashing into the boat, pushing them around, threatening to overturn them or sink them, whichever comes first.
Bear in mind - these are Galileans. Land-lovers. Even those who fished for a living didn’t like traveling on the open water. They’d push their boats a little out from shore and drag nets along the shore line to catch the fish closest their homes. But this storm threatened each of their lives.
Terror began to set in. Each of them could hear the squall calling their name, threatening their lives. Each man realized that this was the perfect storm; that there was nothing they could do. Some grabbed make-shift buckets and pails and began trying to throw the water in the boat back into the lake. Others began to recite prayers, best they could remember. Others were shouting at the storm, or shouting to the other boats… desperation was beginning to set in.
Then someone noticed the teacher. Asleep. Asleep? Here we are drowning, and he’s snoring? Why doesn’t he help us pail the water out? Where are all those great stories now?
Someone, no one seems to remember who, wakes him.
"Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?"
Bart looked right at him… and will never forget the look in the teacher’s eyes… it took him by surprise. The teacher didn’t react to the wind, to the waves, to the pailing, to the water… he had such disappointment in his eyes when they woke him.
He slowly rose to his feet - not as if he was in any kind of hurry. He walked to the front of the boat, glanced slightly over his shoulder. Everyone’s eyes were on him now. Even the people in the other boats had stopped pailing and shouting to see what the teacher was doing.
Then, he looked out into the storm - right into the center of it.. And he spoke. Softly, but firmly, and just loud enough to be heard. He didn’t seem to be speaking to anyone in particular - just to the wind and waves themselves. "quiet! Be still."
And everything got quiet. The wind stopped. The waves flattened. The lake was as still as it had ever been. The rain they thought they had felt had disappeared, the men stopped shouting. Suddenly, everything was calm. Everything except their hearts. Barthalomew’s, Peter’s and john’s were all beating so loud they figured all of Galilee could hear them.
First, he slowly surveyed the now calm lake and quiet sky. Then, slowly, Jesus turned to those new apprentices. With compassion and tenderness, but marked dissatisfaction, Jesus asked, "why are so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Then he sat back down, reclined and relaxed.
The water, the sky, the wind, the boat and the world was now at peace. But the master had been at peace the whole time; the storm never shook him, and that was almost as amazing and awe-inspiring as the simple words he had used to silence nature itself. … Bart could hear the question on everyone else’s lips that was on his own - what did we just witness? What just happened here? Who is this man that even the wind and the waves obey his very words?
Who is this man indeed? His name is Jesus. And the story you have just heard, is a true one. It is found in the gospel of mark, chapter 4, beginning in verse 35. It’s a fantastic story. And it’s not just a story.
Rarely do the gospel writers record an event simply for the sake of filling blank space on the page. And mark here isn’t trying to elevate the entertainment value of his account with a dramatic anecdote. He’s demonstrating a truth about Jesus that he seems to emphasize repeatedly - the inability of the world around him to influence or control Jesus.
In this gospel, there is much going on around Jesus. Leaders trying to sway him, followers trying to influence him, people being used against him, religious leaders trying to trick him. Yet the world doesn’t move Jesus, he moves the world. Regardless of how the world is spinning around him, Jesus is the same. People can complain, followers will dessert, Pharisees ridicule, rulers plot and storms rage - but Jesus remains unfazed, unmoved and none of it robs him of an even an hour of sleep.
I love that Jesus sleeps in this story. First of all, it reminds me of his humanity - and his model for humans. Even the greatest man ever born needed to rest after a few hours of passionately calling people into the father’s kingdom, maybe there’s a lesson there for me. Jesus understood our need for rest and for Sabbath. We’ll talk some next month about Sabbath and rest.
I also love that Jesus is woken from his sleep by his people - not by the problem. The storm never rocks Jesus out of his rest, his disciples have to do that. Storms don’t sway Jesus. Storms don’t bother him; storms don’t interrupt his plans or expectations. He is constant and unending and unyielding to the tempests and winds and waves of life.
And I think part of the reason we’re given this story is to illustrate to us the peace of Jesus Christ. Jesus is at peace throughout the story. When the sea is calm and when it’s erupting, Jesus is at peace. He’s modeling for us the kind of undisturbed, calm, tranquil hearts and souls we are to have whether the days and times are calm or tumultuous. Remember this simple truth: Jesus does not promise to calm every storm in your life. Jesus does promise to calm you in every storm of life.
And that is what I want to share with you this morning. This morning, God wants to speak the name of peace to your life - and his name is Jesus. Your father who dwells among us and within us wants you to experience the peace that comes from and that is modeled in Jesus Christ.
First, we’re going to look at a few characteristics about storms. Because its in the storms of life that you discover your need and want for peace. Then I’ll give you a few words of encouragement about how to journey in peace in Christ.
Let’s begin with a prayer.
[brief prayer]
There are a few characteristics I’d like to highlight about personal storms in life that parallel the storm in Mark 4. These observations are fairly generalized, but I think you’ll find these insights useful.
And when I speak of storms, I’m not necessarily speaking about rough winds and waves you find on a lake. I’m talking about the kind of storms that come in life when you discover that someone else in the office has been speaking maliciously about you and your job is now on the line.
The kind of storm that come when every time you open your mouth you end up making a joke or comment that is hurtful or inappropriate - and your list of close friends is beginning to dwindle.
The kind of storms that arrive when you find out that someone who promised to love you has decided that their flame of love for you has dwindled and their eyes have drifted to someone new.
I’m speaking of the kind of storms you face when the pile of bills stacks up higher that the paycheck can manage at the end of the month.
The storm that comes when the phone rings and you find out that someone you love has been involved in a car wreck on I-240 and won’t be coming home again.
The storm you experience when you watch your mate pack their suitcase and you’re not going with them.
Storms of futility, failure, unfair treatment and terror. Storms brought own by your own mistakes or by nothing you did at all. The world in which we live can be a terrible place filled with storms of disappointment, disillusionment, difficulty and destruction.
Storms are common on these waters, aren’t they?
First of all, storms remind us of life’s fragility. We’d like to believe we’re tough people. We somehow get the idea in our heads that we’re going to retire someday. That we’ll raise our family, watch our children go through college, that we’ll become grandparents… We somehow start to believe that we know "Tomorrow" will come. We take next week for granted. Yet no one has promised us tomorrow, have they. We just assume we’ll get it. Trust me, it can be taken away in the blind of an eye.
Storms also reveal our soul’s vulnerability. We walk around with smiles on our faces and cheer on our cheeks. We put on our Sunday best and always say, "Oh, I’m fine." And every once in a while, for a just a moment, we even fool ourselves. We somehow trick ourselves into believing we’re just fine. We’re ok. We’re made of steel. Nothing can hurt us, no one can harm us.
But before long a storm reminds us of quite the opposite being true. Storms remind us of the vulnerability of our soul. We find out just how untouchable we really aren’t. We are reminded of how easy it is for someone else to step on heart, to tear into our soul. The unkind words, the cruel gesture, the indecent behavior, the spiteful attitude rip into our soul, forcing us back to the recognition of our vulnerability.
Storms prove our shortsightedness. Storms prove to us that we can’t see into the future. No one really knows what’s coming their way, how their life will pan out or how their relationships will end. We aren’t omniscient. And contrary to the promises of the occult and call-in-card-readers - no one has an inside track on how the days ahead will behave and treat you.
On Tuesday, November 21, 2000 I drove my family to Houma, Louisiana for the sole purpose of misleading my father into believing we just dropping in for a visit. I fully intended quite the opposite. For months, my family and I had secretly conspired to surprise this man on his 60th birthday with a family gathering of epic proportions. We had rented housing for everyone, bought plane tickets, planned travel maps, gathered photos, swapped phone numbers, decorated, baked, prayed and prepared for this grand gala.
I thought, as I went to bed in my father’s home, on Tuesday, November 21st, that within 24 hours I would be driving my father to this surprise party and gathering, reveling in festivity, enjoying the gifts of God that family should be.
I had no vision of what would actually take place in the next 12 hours. In my own short-sightedness, I almost never even saw the boat itself. I never imagined that as I drove through the Houma tunnel around 11:45 am on the November 22 that from oncoming traffic, a boat, pretending to be secured to a trailer, would suddenly become airborne and would into my lane running head-on into our family’s minivan. My plans for that day never including blacking out for 30 minutes or a visit to the Terrebonne Parish Medical Center. And its not that I’m especially uninsightful about the ways of life, I’m human. And whether we’re talking about baseballs, blackouts, birthdays or boats - Humans don’t know what’s coming at them. Storms remind us that we are shortsighted.
And mostly, storms feed on our fears. Storms live and grow as our fears live and grow. Storms rely on us being terrified and frightened. And in one specific corner of our existence. Most of the time, most of us live our lives under the presumption that we’ve got everything under our control. We believe that we are in control of our careers. I’m in control of my love-life. I am controlling my vehicle, my wallet, my time and temperament. I’m in control.
What we fear is what we can’t control. That boat coming across the stripped white line without any warning or anywhere to swerve our vehicle… That other person that infiltrates our marriage and steals away the affections of our mate… the co-worker that casts our reputation into doubt, the events and problems and storms that rage that take away any semblance of control from us.
The disciples weren’t afraid of the waves and the wind - they were afraid of their inability to control what the waves and wind might do to them. Our fear grows as we discover our inability to control what might or what is happening to us… And our terror multiplies when the thoughts begin to roam around in our head that maybe nobody’s in control here…
And that is what this story is all about. Someone is in control here.
Jesus.
Don’t mistake the person of Jesus being asleep for the presence and power of Jesus being absent.
You’ll notice - no one was thrown from the boat. No one drowned, no one even caught a cold for all we know. The storm was loud - but it was powerless to harm anyone - because of the presence of Jesus.
Listen to the gentle yet straight-forward rebuke of Jesus again: "He said to his disciples, ’Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’" Mark 4:40
You can almost hear Jesus asking, "Do you think I would have let you into the boat if there was even a chance you were going drown?" Jesus knew the storm was coming when he told them to push out and go to the other side. And he’s been here with them all along.
The passage is safe - regardless of how the world behaves - because of the presence of Jesus. Jesus does not promise to calm every storm in your life. Jesus does promise to calm you in every storm of life.
Now when I was younger and still thinking with a ’take control of the world’ mindset that we young, fiery kind of people were know for… I remember teaching this story and making the following statement: When Jesus rebukes the disciples for a lack of faith, he was telling them that they should have silenced the storm themselves. They should have said, Quiet, be still."
Today, I don’t know that I have much confidence in that teaching. There’s no record of Jesus giving his disciples authority over the elements. We have no demonstrations of Peter or Andrew stopping the wind or bringing rainfall or any kind of weather forecasting (although accurate weather forecasting does require nothing short of a miraculous gift.)
I’m not sure at all that Jesus is wanting the disciples or us to try to silence the storms of life. Instead, I think he’s demonstrating to us what it means to traverse these storms in peace; in his presence. What the disciples should have done is stand up and shout, Quiet! Be still - not to the waves, but to one another. "We’re with Jesus! What can thunder, lightening, wind and rain to do us."
After all, the Apostle Paul writes: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31
So it is with us. We’re with Jesus. It is his presence, his power, and his tranquility that brings us peace. Remember, the prophet Isaiah names Jesus as the Prince of Peace.
That’s what it means to have faith - to have absolute confidence in God’s constant ability and desire to make his presence, his power and peace visible and tangible in your life. Faith is that pure, prominent, restful confidence in God’s provision, leadership and intervention in your life.
This morning let me tell you - Jesus brings peace. And we sure could use peace, couldn’t we. Whether we’re talking about busy and harried people - or just the normal family with 2.5 kids around the mall and in-laws at Christmas time. We are a people in need of a supernatural peace.
And Jesus wants to bring His peace into your life. Let me show you a few places Jesus wants to bring peace to you and yours:
First, Jesus wants to bring peace to your mind. We tend to store up all kinds of worries, concerns and ideas of what might or might not happen in our lives. We rack our brains trying to figure out every thing that could go wrong or every possible contingency for every happening and season in our lives. We spend hours reading the financials, stressing over where to invest our retirement money. We read book after book after book about child-rearing, fretting that we’re just going to somehow ruin our children’s lives if we say the wrong word and end up fighting with them about it in front of America on the next Jerry Springer show.. We rack our minds with worry about how others perceive us, about buying the right Christmas gift for the right person at the right price… No wonder Tylenol sells so well - our heads ache from all the mental gymnastics we’re doing.
Ask Jesus to bring peace to your mind. Ask Jesus to remind you that He is in charge of the future; that he has a hold on the events that will unfold tomorrow. Let him remind you that He holds your life in the palm of his hand and that He will answer all the worries of tomorrow.
Hear again these comforting and timeless words of Jesus:
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? So do not worry, saying, ’What shall we eat?’ or ’What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6: 25-27, 31-34
Focus on relying on God’s will for your life. Rely on God’s will. Put First God’s kingdom - God’s reign, God’s rule in your life. Trust in how God is going to rule in your life in the days ahead. Trust that whether you’re wearing rich man’s clothes or a burlap sack, God will still reign and rule and live in your life as you have faith and confidence in him. God knows what you need. He knows better than you do - he sees better than you do - you are so valuable and important to him… He will give you everything you need. Seek God’s kingship, God’s reign.
Also, focus on relying on God’s spirit in your life. It is He, the Holy Spirit who navigates much of the transformation of our minds and lives. Rely on Him for wisdom, for refocusing of your mind, your thoughts… for bringing to you the peace of Jesus. Ask God to communicate to you about the challenges and difficulties that lie ahead through his spirit. Ask Him to teach you to listen to the Holy Spirit. Allow Jesus to breathe his peace in your life.
Remember the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans: "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace" Romans 8:6 Ask Jesus to bring peace to your mind.
Secondly, Ask Jesus to bring peace to your heart. There are so many terrible, turbulent storms that rage through our hearts. Often, we react to these storms of heartache in ways that actually prevent us from discovering the peace of Christ. We react with anger, resentment, grudges, un-forgiveness, or even rationalization. Let me draw an example of what I mean from our story.
As the storm begins to rage, the disciples begin to react to the water and waves. But look at what we don’t hear or see them doing. No one stands up and says, ’that’s it, I’m never sailing across the Lake of Galilee again!’ Nobody swears or curses at God. No one says to the wind, "If you don’t quit, I’ll never forgive you for this…" Peter never turns to Andrew and blames him for their impending demise, "This is all your fault, you dragged me into this…" None of the disciples just give up and jump into the lake in despair. And you know what else, no one stands up and asks ’why?’ No one tries to figure out why the storm happened.
All of those are human responses. But none of them turn towards faith. Even that ’why?’ question. Oh, there are times to ask ’why’ when a storm rages - especially when the storm strikes a relationship or our family, or comes as a result of our sin. But sometimes, wrestling ’why’ something happens in our lives is actually an attempt to regain control, to figure something out, to blame someone - which again, is an off-handed way to regain control. Sometimes coming to faith is actually not asking why at all, just asking for help.
There are storms in life that are so real, so traumatic, so painful that there is nothing else we can do, except ask Jesus for help. Listen, you and I both know there are some storms in relationships, in the horrible trauma of life that words, explanations and 12 step plans just can’t help.
And if God is going to be God, he must be God at the hardest times, the most horrible moments, in the greatest of pains. And it is in those moments is when the soft, tender, quiet, gentle voice of Jesus is heard with the utmost of crystal clarity. At the door of the emergency room, in the silence of the abandoned bedroom, in the middle of the crowded anonymous school hallway, in the emptiness of the prayer garden of the graveyard… Anywhere the storms of the heart surge, Jesus can speak his words of Peace, Be still. Like no one else in creation… Jesus can bring peace to the storms of the heart.
That’s why I love what the disciples did. They woke Jesus. Sure, it would be great if we all had this perfect, rock-solid, steel-plated faith that never needed Jesus to intervene. But if that’s not you… if your pool of faith is thimble thin, then do what the disciples did and ask Jesus to speak. Ask him if he cares if you drown. Tell him you need him to calm the waves. Tell him you need to hear his voice. After all, when he spoke "Quiet, Be still" I think he was talking as much to the disciples as the waves. Ask him to quiet the storms raging in your hearts. That is what he lives for.
Jesus came to bind up the wounds of our hearts. Do you remember reading in the gospel of Luke about the time Jesus walked into the Nazareth Synagogue and read aloud a scroll of prophecy? He read the prophecy and then said, basically, I just fulfilled that prophecy right before your eyes. Here I am, the Messiah - the one described by Isaiah - described by these words:
"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners" Isaiah 61:1
Is that not the condition of the hearts of people today? Poor in so many ways, broken-hearted, held captive by both the empty promises and endless temptations of this world, darkened by the dismay and disappointments of life - and Jesus has come to bring peace and healing! Hear again the words of God spoken through the Psalmist:
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3
Jesus knows about the pain you hold inside - the pain that torments you at night. Ask him to bring you peace with his presence and healing power. Ask Jesus to bring peace to your heart.
Ask Jesus to bring peace to your lifestyle. And I’m going to break this point into three applications; three areas of your lifestyle that you can bring before the Lord and ask Him to help you discover and experience His peace.
First, ask Jesus to bring peace to your schedule. Again, we’re going to talk about Sabbath in detail later. But suffice to say here, ask Jesus to meet you for a few moments of solitude in your schedule. Ask Him to help you discover a healthy, peaceful pace to survive the crazy schedules in which we all live. Ask Jesus to help you evaluate what your schedule reveals to be of high priority in your life. And you and I know that around Christmas time these schedules of our just get worse. Don’t let yourself get so worn down being jolly and festive that you can’t experience the peace and joy of Christ. Get some time alone with God and set some boundaries. These days, many of us see our time as our most precious commodity. Use it as a gift from God and a gift to God. Remember, Jesus is the Lord of your life, not your day planner, your children’s parties, your office events or anything else related to the calendar. Pray for God’s guidance and insight into your daily schedule.
Second, ask Jesus to bring peace to your checkbook. If you’re like me, you go through a lot of money this time of year. And its so easy to end up mortgaging next year’s budget to pay for this year’s holiday season. Spending more money does not equal a ’better’ or ’happier’ Christmas. Don’t let the commercialization of the times tempt you into materialistic lies. Set financial borders for your gift buying, your celebrating, your entertainment. All kinds of storms can rage through our lives when our checkbook is tumultuous and out of control.
Thirdly, ask Jesus to bring peace to your conduct. Sometimes our choices, our attitudes, our actions and our behavior can be un-peaceful in our relationship with God. We join in some act or attitude of selfishness or sin and send our spirit into a storm, tossed by feelings of regret and guilt.
The scriptures teach us that much of our actions, our attitudes and our thoughts are actually acts of war against Holy God.
Peter writes: "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul." 1 Peter 2:11
So ask Jesus to bring peace to your lifestyle and conduct and conscience. And don’t ask him for this like a kid asking for their allowance when they haven’t don their chores… Make your request with more than your mouth - make your request with your life. Follow the Apostle Peter’s advice when he says:
"So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him." 2 Peter 3:14
Do everything you can to turn your life over to him. Spend some time doing a spiritual inventory, practicing a little confession and making a new start. It’s a great time of the year for that kind of stuff, isn’t it? Ask Jesus to bring peace to your lifestyle.
Safety consists not in the absence of danger but in the presence of God. Sometimes the Lord calms the storm. Sometimes he lets the storm rage and calms his child.
Don’t let yourself be thrown into fear and panic by storms. Don’t waste your precious time trying to get a grip or handle on why or how a storm has begun. Discover that the storm isn’t bothering Jesus. He knows where you’re going. He fully plans to land with you on the other side. The storm can’t shake Him. Rely on His peace. Ask Jesus to bring peace to your mind, peace to your heart and peace to your lifestyle.
He is after all, the prince of peace.
The story is told that a certain evangelist was doing a revival in town somewhere in the Midwest. Through the early part of his visit he had often heard storied accounts and wonderful stories about a certain woman of great faith with an amazing prayer life. One day, a kind deacon drove the evangelist to meet this lady. He entered her home and greeted her with a great hug and commented - so this is the lady with the great faith I keep hearing about.
The gentle lady began to back peddle saying, "No, not me. I’m the lady with the little and weak faith in a Great God."
Let’s make that a self-description shall we? Let’s be known as the people whose faith isn’t so great, but whose God is.
Our faith is not how we can prepare ourselves, handle ourselves and weather the storms. But instead, our faith is in who we sit beside as we ride out the storms of life. Jesus is in the boat with you. Lay down beside, Curl up next to him. Let him spread his arms over you, shielding you from fear of the storm. Hear him as he speaks his tender words to your heart - Peace, Be still.
May the Prince of Peace remind you of his presence in your life today, this week and always.
