Into the Storm

One of the hardest things to accept in life is that nothing is going to be easy. As much as one may feel that they have earned or deserve a break, a respite from the trials and tribulations that the world throws our way, life on this earth is fraught with challenges.

It is not uncommon for people, when the storms of life become great, to turn their eyes to heaven and scream, "God! Why?" I have been there, and perhaps you have been there too.  And, due to our imperfect natures, I have no doubt we will again in the future.

Frequently, the story of Jesus calming the wind and waves in Mark 4:35-41 is used as a reminder of how God can bring peace in the midst of the storms of life. And, to be sure, He does. 

But there is an aspect of that story that oftentimes gets overlooked.

 "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."

 Those familiar with the story knows what happens next. A storm falls upon the boat and the disciples, in fear, turn to Jesus to get them out of the dangerous situation.

And he is asleep.

Of course, they wake him and he calms the storm, but that is not the main point of this reflection.

Notice whose idea it was to get into the boat and set out on the waters. It was Jesus'. He was the one who said, "Let us go over to the other side." And, realizing that Jesus, as God on earth, is all-knowing, we can conclude that Jesus willingly led his disciples into the storm. They had no idea a storm would arise. But He did. And he led them forth anyway.

The question, of course, is why?

"Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?'”

 How often have I found myself asking a similar question! Even now, as the wind and waves of my personal battles blow and crash around me, I find myself, in moments of weakness, asking, "God, don't you care about me?"

"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?'”

This story, of course, teaches us the God is capable of, and does, bring peace in the midst of life's storms. But we must also not forget that we have been led into these stages of life with God holding our hand, leading the way.

It is so easy to look at the storms around us and despair. We too often forget that the Lord who commands the storms is holding our hand in his.

Now, this does not mean that the storms in our lives will calmed immediately as they were in Mark 4. And, let's be honest, sometimes the storms claim things that we hold dear. Financial security, our marriage, our career. 

But what we are promised and what we do receive when we call upon Jesus in the midst of the storm is exactly what the disciples got: peace. And, unlike the disciples, we have the benefit of knowing just who Jesus is.

"They were terrified and asked each other, 'Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!'”

Of course, the disciples found out who Jesus is, the Savior of all. He saved them from the storm, but more importantly, he saved their souls. 

And the disciples did suffer and lose throughout their lives. All but one died martyrs deaths, and the one who did died in lonely exile.

But they went into those storms gladly, because their God led them, and because he gave them His peace.

May it be the same for me. May it be the same for you. 

 

 

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