Peace in the Storm
Text: Mark 4:35-41
Introduction
Hook:
In 1995 a massive storm known as Hurricane Bertha hit the coast of Newfoundland. I happened to be working on a fishing vessel on the North East coast of St. Anthony. It was the worst storm that I have ever encountered. This storm sent many in a panic as everyone rushed to the safety of the nearest harbor.
We were 80 miles from land when the hurricane hit. Our boat seemed like a bubble that was being blown across the ocean. The wind was on the port side hitting us fiercely. The captain called the crew and told us to not use the auto-pilot. The wind was knocking us off course and the auto-pilot was absolutely useless. We would never find the harbor if we trusted the auto-pilot. The captain ordered us to keep the boat at 185 degrees; he knew that this path would bring us to safety.
We had to listen to the captain carefully and follow his instructions. There were times during my turn at the wheel that I doubted, but I dared not trust my own judgment. Eventually we made it as did all the other boats. Yes some vessels had suffered severe damage but no lives were lost, thank God.
Read Text: Mark 4: 35-41
It is fascinating to hear stories of people who have survived tragic events. Someone makes it out of a landslide alive, someone survives a car crash, someone is alive after days at sea. We are never promised to physically come out alive, but we can know survival in our hearts if we trust in Jesus.
What I want you to know is that there is spiritual survival through any storm that life throws our way. When believers know
1.who their captain is,
2.trust his leading and
3. realize how much he cares,
they will have the faith they need to ride out their storm.
Point I Who is the Captain? (v.35-36)
Let’s look at the situation. The disciples were told to go over to the other side (v. 35). Jesus was with them in the ship. They did not know it but their survival was due to the fact that Jesus was in the vessel with them. How can we experience peace in the storms of our life? The answer is simple; we must have Jesus on board.
Many people are uncomfortable with Jesus in their ship. Sometimes we want to be our own pilot. We don’t want to answer to a captain or take orders. We want to be at the captain’s wheel and chart out our own course for our own life. But friend, I can assure you that you will never make it to safety on your own.
The captain on our boat gave us the order to keep the vessel at 185 degrees. What if I had charted my own course in that situation? I probably would not be here today. You see someone on the boat has to be in charge. The captain gives the orders and the others must recognize that he knows what he is doing and obey him.
Jesus is the captain of our lives and he knows what he is doing. Jesus didn’t say, "we will attempt to go over to the other side". He said, "We are going over to the other side" (v.35). They should have known that they weren’t going to drown because Jesus was on board. The problem was they had not listened to what he had said and began to panic at the first sign of trouble (v.38).
We too need to listen to what Jesus has said through his word. He is the anchor to which we can hold (Heb 6:19). He wants to be captain of our lives.
Illustration:
In New Testament times, they say that some cities had a sand bar just outside the harbor. If a boat arrived there when the tide was out, it couldn’t get in to the harbor. The crew would take the anchor and throw it over the sand bar into the harbor. It didn’t matter if the winds came and beat against the boat, because they understood that when the tide came in, the ship would follow the anchor right into the harbor (Jerry Vines).
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Jesus is our anchor and he lives in heaven. We can make him the captain of our lives, we can anchor in him. In doing so, we have that assurance that very soon the tide will rise and we will follow him safely into Heaven’s peaceful harbor. It doesn’t matter how many storms we have to endure, Jesus said we were going to the other side. We must trust him to get us there.
Point II Just Trust the Captain. (v.37)
The storm that caught the disciples off guard came up quickly that day (v. 37). The Sea of Galilee was well known for her sudden wind storms. Cold air would come down from the hills surrounding this huge body of water and collide with the warmer air. As a result, a sudden storm would hit without any warning.
Isn’t that just like the storms that we encounter throughout our lives; a financial storm, a business storm, a relationship storm, an illness or sudden death/ They all happen so quickly with no time to prepare.
In a matter of minutes you are faced with uncontrollable turmoil. We must remember that just because we have Jesus on board doesn’t mean that no storms will come. The disciples had Jesus right there in person asleep on a pillow (v.38) and yet they were faced with a storm.
Some Christians believe that storms are strictly for unbelievers and that God is punishing them for their disobedience as he did with Jonah in the Old Testament. This however is not always the case; you may be in the very center of God’s will and still be in the middle of a raging storm.
Sometimes God allows us to go through storms to make us stronger. Other times His motive may be to increase our faith. God may simply want to teach us the lesson that he taught the disciples that day; to learn to trust him.
The highest lesson that God wants to teach us is to "Trust Him Regardless". If everything made sense to our understanding we would need no faith. Jesus does not say, "There is no storm," he says, "I am here, do not toss but trust" (Vance Havner).
Illustration:
The passengers on the train were uneasy as they sped along through the dark, stormy night. The lightning was flashing, black clouds were rolling and the train was traveling fast. The fear and tension among the passengers was evident.
One little fellow, however, sitting all by himself, seemed utterly unaware of the storm or the speed of the train. He was amusing himself with a few toys. One of the passengers spoke to him, "Sonny, I see you are alone on the train. Aren’t you afraid to travel alone on such a stormy night?" The boy looked up with a smile and answered, "No Miss, I aint afraid, my daddy’s the engineer" (Speakers Source Book).
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Friends, we don’t need to be afraid. Our father is our captain. We do not need to fear the storm that we encounter. We know that God has our best interest in mind and he will stop the storm when he sees that we are sinking.
Point III Jesus does care. (v.38)
I can just imagine the fear that gripped the minds of the disciples. Here they were in the middle of a storm so fierce that their boat was filling up with water (v. 37).
They were frustrated as they tried to bail themselves out. They were no match for this storm and they knew it. I know the feeling of fear and frustration that grips you when you think you are sinking either physically or spiritually.
It doesn’t help any when you see someone else taking it easy and not trying to help you.
Jesus wasn’t afraid of the storm, he knew he possessed power over it and so he slept (v.38). The disciples however worked to no avail, finally they accused Jesus of not caring that they were about to perish (v.38).
God, don’t you care?
This is such a honest, horrible, painful cry. I have asked that one before, haven’t you? It’s been screamed countless times...
1. A mother weeps over a stillborn child,
2. A husband is torn from his wife by a tragic accident,
3. The tears of an eight-year old fall on a daddy’s casket;
the question wails, "God, don’t you care?" "Why me?" "Why my friend?" "Why my business?" "Don’t you care?"
It’s a timeless question, one that has been asked by literally every person that has stalked this globe. There has never been a president, a worker, or a businessman who hasn’t asked it.
There has never been a soul who hasn’t wrestled with the aching question, "Does my God care or is my pain God’s great goof?"
As the winds howled and the sea raged, the impatient frightened disciples screamed their fear at the sleeping Jesus; "Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?"
He could have kept on sleeping,
He could have told them to shut-up or
He could have impatiently jumped up and angrily dismissed the storm.
He could have pointed out their immaturity but he didn‘t. Instead, with all the patience that only one who cares can have, he answered the question.
He hushed the storm so the shivering disciples wouldn’t miss the response (v.39). Jesus answered once and for all the aching dilemma of man, "Where is God when I hurt?"
Listening and healing, that’s where he is. He does care
(From, On the Anvil by Max Lucado).
Illustration:
In 1975 a boy named Raymon Dunn Jr. was born. Because of a skull fracture and a lack of oxygen to the brain, the child was left severely handicapped and suffered as many as 20 seizures per day. He was blind and immobile and suffered severe allergic reactions which limited him to only one type of food. This meat-based formula was made only by Gerber Foods. In 1988 Gerber stopped making the formula that Raymon lived on. His mother scoured the country and bought up all the formula she could find. She accumulated cases and cases but in 1990 her supply ran out. In desperation she appealed to Gerber for help, without the food her son would starve to death. The employees of the company listened, and without delay they volunteered hundreds of hours to bring out the old equipment and start production of the formula - all for one special boy.
In January 1995, Raymon Dunn Jr., known as the Gerber boy, died from his physical problems. But during his brief lifetime he called forth a wonderful thing called compassion (www.sermonillustrations.com).
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God has the same kind of compassion for us that the Gerber company had for that boy. He cares for us and will not let us down. He will make sure that we will make it through. God gives us peace in the midst of the storm by gently reminding us of our purpose, our direction and an assurance of eternal life with him.
Conclusion:
What kind of God is this? Surely not a God we should doubt. Having calmed the seas and stilled the winds Jesus turned to his disciples and asked, "Why are you afraid? Where is your faith?" Does God care? He most certainly do care! Far more than any of us can imagine.
The real question we must ask ourselves today is not, "Does God care?". The question we have to ask ourselves is this, "Do we trust that God has power over life and death; do we have the faith to trust Him with our life?"
There is spiritual survival through any storm that life throws our way. When believers understand who their captain is, trust his leading and realize how much he cares they will have the faith they need to ride out their storm.
Prayer:
Father, nothing is louder than the silence of our God. But Father, forgive us for the times that we have interpreted your silence as a lack of love. Give us patience, for we know you will answer, if only we would wait (Lucado).
-Geoffery England
