Peace in the Middle of Storms

In a recent post, I asked if you know God’s peace.

Not just the “Life is going so great right now, I am so blessed!” kind of peace.

No, I am talking about the kind of peace that resides inside you while the storms are all around.

The kind of peace that helps you sleep at night when you day has been chaotic.

The kind of peace that allows you to get up in the morning and face the calamity in front of you once again.

Do you know that kind of peace?

In the book of Mark, there is a story written about this kind of peace.

“That day when evening came, He said to His disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’  Leaving the crowd behind, they took Him along, just as He was, in the boat. There were also other boats with Him.” Mark 4:35-36

Get a good picture of this scene. Jesus had been preaching all day. Now it is evening, and Jesus wants to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. So, the disciples followed Jesus onto a boat and pushed away from the shore.

It doesn’t test our faith or mess with our peace to step out into the open sea when the sky is clear and the other shore is in sight.

But then…

“A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.” Mark 4:37

What was Jesus doing during this storm?

“Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.” Mark 4:38a

(FUN FACTS: Jesus got on and went to the stern, which is the back of the boat. The cushion that Jesus is sleeping on is customarily kept under the coxswain’s seat. The coxswain is the person in charge of the navigation of the boat – coincidence?? I think not!)

How did the disciples react in the storm?

“The disciples woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Mark 4:38b

I find it interesting that they made themselves the victims and created the story in their minds that Jesus didn’t care about them.

Can you relate to that kind of thinking?

Here is the rest of the story.

“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’ Mark 8:39-41

Why could Jesus sleep in the middle of such a violent storm?

Jesus knew who He was and He 100% believed in God’s power and love for Him. This allowed Him to have peace inside. Enough peace that He could rest.

Where did the disciples go wrong?

The disciples lack of faith wasn’t expressed through their fear; it was expressed in their words of accusation and feelings of helplessness. When we allow our minds to go to the negative, we block out God’s peace.

If their actions proved that they still had no faith, what would someone with faith have done?

Great question! Here is how I would rewrite the ending of the story…

“A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 

The disciples did all they could to keep the boat from sinking and then one of them remembered they had Jesus on the boat with them!

They found Jesus in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Hey Jesus, we have a significant problem. The ship is sinking, and it is out of our control. Can you please help us?’

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

Jesus smiled and said to his disciples, ‘Thanks for letting me rest. Now let’s get this place back together before we reach the shore!’

The disciples looked at each other and agreed that if they would have remembered Him a bit sooner, they wouldn’t have as big of a mess to clean up.”

<>< KC