In the Storm

Mark 4:³⁵ As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” ³⁶ So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). ³⁷ But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. ³⁸ Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” ³⁹ When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly, the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” ⁴¹ The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

The disciples were amazed at the result of Jesus intervening in their storm. These were fishermen and had no doubt handled some storms, but this one scared them more for some reason. No matter their reaction to the storm, or their lack of faith in the storm, Jesus still came through and calmed the sea and put life back to normal. Oh, what a Savior!! When Jesus rebukes the storms in our lives, He speaks peace and restores our hope, and oh, how we need hope. You may also notice that the moment Jesus spoke, the storm immediately left, and peace was restored. I have been in plenty of storms, and those storms have taught me to cry out. Thank God Jesus is my Savior and the one I can call out to in the midst of my storm.

The word in verse 39 that jumps out to me is the word "calm." Calm (def) - not showing or feeling nervousness, anger, or other strong emotions. A FICTIONAL STORY:

A young man set out to become a top-class sprinter, and in his training, he would find great strength in his preparation for the races ahead. He became a great runner and rose to the top of his event, the 800-meter race. He had improved so much that he attracted a coach who saw the ability to win in this young man's racing ability. When he took the coach on as his coach, he relinquished all control over training and race plans and let the coach teach him every aspect of winning. Putting his racing career in the hands of the coach was a little scary at first, but soon he could see his improvement to a level he never thought was achievable. Race day came for the young man, and he had tossed and turned all night worrying about the race. He began to believe he should not even attempt to race anymore.

At race time, his coach took him through his paces, and they proceeded together to the stadium. The watchful coach noticed a nervousness in the young man, but when asked, the young man denied being nervous. HE WAS SCARED TO DEATH! The part that scared him was his lack of being in this type of race before, and the coach, sensing this was the problem, pulled him aside and looked him in the eye and told him, "It is just another race, and you need to calm down and run your race to which the young man replied ok. His event was called, and he left his coach to go to the starting line to begin the race. He felt so alone and tried to focus on the training he had received from his coach, but his legs felt like jelly, and his heart was racing. There was no calm for him. As he looked down the track, he looked to see his coach, because his coach always gave him the high sign from about 50 meters down the track, but no coach, and now he was really scared and felt like he was in the midst of a storm. Just before he stepped to the starting line, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder, and to his surprise, his coach had received permission to come to the starting line, and his hand on his shoulder was very welcome. His coach whispered in his ear, "This is where everything you have trained for comes alive, and I am with you all the way. BE CALM AND RACE YOUR RACE. The race began, and the young man settled into a strong pace in third place. After 400 meters, he felt strong and calm. On the backstretch of the last lap, he was so calm he had not even noticed he had left the pack, and he was on an earth-shattering pace that all others could not keep. The nervousness he had felt was gone, and his peace was so evident in his running form that his feet were almost not touching the ground. He won the race by 50 meters and set a new track record that was never broken.

We are all in the race of life, and Jesus is not only our coach, but the very strength we have to live. So live in His calm. If you are in a storm in this race of life, feel the hand of Jesus on your shoulder and feel His calmness as He says, "Peace be still," and peace will calm the storm immediately. Before long, you will distance yourself from the effect of the storm and even soar as He takes you to a peace that passes all your understanding. Philippians 4:⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Today and every day, follow the Stormbreaker and ask Him to calm you and lead you to a new understanding of life itself. Psalm 107:²⁹ He calmed the storm to a whisper

and stilled the waves. ³⁰ What a blessing was that stillness as he brought them safely into harbor. ³¹ Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. OH, GIVE HIM THANKS!!

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren