“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. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 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?”
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 4:35-41 NIV)
This story about Jesus calming the storm has a special place in my heart. Thirteen years ago, I preached on this lesson from the Bible for my very first sermon. I was a first-year Seminary student, and I can still remember the theme: “Jesus Saves His Floundering Followers.” I won’t preach that sermon for you today. Because there’s a second reason this story hits home for me: I’ve faced storms too. Not just thunderstorms like we’ve had this weekend. Storms in life that make you question how you’re going to make it. I bet you have too. Maybe heartbreak. Or depression. Alcohol. Cancer. Debt. Anger… What is it for you? What do you do in the storms?
Here’s one option: 500 years before the time of Jesus, the great king Xerxes of Persia decided to attack Greece. There was just one obstacle in his way: the sea. So he built bridges and boats, but the wind was so strong and the waves so big that the bridges broke and the boats sunk. Xerxes was mad. So he commanded his men to take whips and whip the sea three hundred times, to teach it to behave. Then he threw chains into the water to chain it up. Do you think that worked? Of course not! Someone once said: “There are mothers who dry tears, repairmen who fix machines, surgeons who cure diseases, but it takes God to change the weather.”
But we still try. Maybe not to change the weather. But we try to overcome the storms in our lives on our own, don’t we? Whatever you’re facing today, I bet you’ve got a plan. You’re working hard. How’s it going? Sooner or later you realize that trying to face the storms of life alone is as foolish as whipping the sea. You thinking that you’re in control is as foolish as throwing chains in the ocean and thinking you’ve chained up the sea. You can’t! So how do we face the storms?
Today, Jesus teaches us. Jesus had just spent a full day preaching on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. It was the day that so many people were listening to Jesus that he had to get into a boat and preach from the water. Finally, “when evening came, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’” Those twelve disciples were so glad to hear those words! “Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.” After the hubbub of the day, they got to get into a fishing boat alone with Jesus. That’s what many of us love to do on vacation, isn’t it?
One phrase sticks out to me: “They took him along…” It sounds like the disciples thought it was their turn to take charge. “They took him along…” Jesus did his part preaching and teaching. Once on the lake, the disciples took charge: They were fishermen, and the lake was their area of expertise. They could take it from here! “We got this. Jesus, you relax. We’ll take you along.”
It’s just that we don’t have a God to just take along, and God’s not afraid to show us that. Suddenly, “a furious squall” came up. You know the Greek word for the size of this storm. It was mega. Big! “Waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped.” Being fishermen, I bet those disciples held out as long as they could. But then they couldn’t anymore. Their pride was gone. In it’s place were fear and despair. Storms teach us that we’re not in control.
These seasoned fishermen were at their wits’ end. So they decided to go to their last resort: Jesus! “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?’” Those are harsh words, aren’t they? “Don’t you care?” One minute, the disciples proudly thought they were in control. The next minute, they were accusing Jesus of not caring about them. From pride to despair in a matter of minutes.
Does that sound familiar? Tell me if this is how it works in your life. Like those disciples, we like to think that we’re in control. When life is going well, we feel like we can handle it. We don’t need God so much. We take him along in the back, just in case. “I got this.” Then, suddenly, “Boom!” A storm comes. The unexpected happens. And what do we do? Despair! Just like that. “God, don’t you care?” Like Jesus’ disciples, I foolishly waver between sinful pride and sinful despair, and the storms of life reveal my lack of faith in Jesus. One minute, “I’m in control.” Then, “No one’s in control.” Then, “I’m in control.” Then, “No one’s in control…”
And what was Jesus doing as the wind and the waves pounded that boat? “Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.” Sleeping. Why? Jesus had peace, even in the storm. The disciples didn’t. They frantically woke him up. “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Did Jesus care? Of course! “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” Just like that, completely calm. One moment, howling wind. The next moment, just the quiet drip of water from their beards. Jesus cared. Jesus really cared!
All that with just three words: “Quiet! Be still!” That’s power! With three words, Jesus did what Xerxes couldn’t do with 300 lashings. With three words, Jesus did what no meteorologist can do, even with all the best technology. Jesus calmed the storm. “Even the wind and the waves obey him!” That shouldn’t surprise us. Jesus made them, right? Jesus is the Master of the wind and the waves. Actually, Jesus controls everything! When you see Jesus’ power, you realize there’s another option in the middle of the storm. Pride isn’t the answer. Doubt isn’t the answer. What is? Jesus. In between pride—“I can do it!”—and doubt—“No one can do it!”—is Jesus.
And Jesus turned and said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Jesus expected his disciples to have faith in him, even in the storm. Because our God isn’t a God for just taking along. Jesus is never really in the back seat. Whether you like it or not, whether you know it or not, Jesus is the all-powerful God of the universe who controls every moment. Jesus holds the whole world in his hand. Even the strongest wind or the biggest waves have no chance against his power. And if Jesus can hold the world, he can hold your hand. No matter what storm you’re facing in your life today, here’s why you can have faith in the storm: Jesus!
A big storm for my wife and me has been finding a house. You know what the housing market is like—crazy! We had one chance to come to Tulsa and look at homes. Who knew what homes would be available? We sure didn’t! We prayed and prayed, “God, on the day we are in Tulsa, may just the right house be available for us.” Our realtor lined up 14 houses for us to visit in one day. And we didn’t like any of them. But that very day, a house came on the market for the first time—just that day. We asked our realtor to see it. It was just what we were looking for! We put in our best bid. They accepted it that evening. It was miracle! Actually, it was God. All God!
So I’m a little ashamed of what happened next: I took over. At least, I did in my head. God had done his part. He provided a home. We could handle the rest, right? We filled out all the right paperwork. We’ve got good credit scores. We were blessed to have a good down payment. We could handle the rest, right? I wasn’t consciously trying to trust in myself, but this is what our sinful hearts do, isn’t it? Once God lined up the house for us, I took God along in the back seat.
But our God is not a God just to be taken along. That’s why he sends storms. Some of you know what happened when we got here to Tulsa: We couldn’t close on our house. We moved in. But we couldn’t close. It’s one of the most frustrating things I’ve ever faced. There was nothing we could do to fix it. How quickly the “I’ve got this!” turned into “God, don’t you care?” From pride to despair. This past Monday morning, our lender called and said there was nothing more she could do. Our loan wasn’t going to go through. We might lose the house. We had to start over. I didn’t know what to say. So often the storms in my life reveal my lack of faith in Jesus.
Do you know what happened? It’s amazing! As the lender was telling me we needed to start over, she suddenly said, “I’m getting a call from one of my managers. I’ll have to call you back.” About an hour later, she sent an email saying that this manager had been out for a month with COVID. It was his first day back, and he wanted to take a look at our case before we made any decisions. Well, Tuesday morning we got an email that everything was cleared up, and we could close the next day. It was miracle! Actually, it was God. I guess God’s in control. Of course he is! Did I need to be anxious for weeks? Did I need to imagine all the worst case scenarios that could have happened? “Even the wind and the waves obey him!” You can have faith in the storm.
But what if it hadn’t worked out? It’s easy for me to stand up here and say, “Trust in Jesus,” after Jesus worked things out for us with our house. What if he hadn’t? Could I say the same thing? I think of this verse: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:2-3). God doesn’t promise to take all the storms away. He doesn’t even promise to make them stop—not in this life. But know this: “When you pass through the waters, Jesus will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers; they will not sweep over you…” God is with you in the midst of the storm. If God can hold the world, he can hold your hand.
Here’s proof: The disciples asked a question that didn’t get answered right away. They asked, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Fast forward three years, to another day when strange things happened in nature. On Good Friday, the sky went dark. The earth shook. Rocks split. And a man realized who Jesus is. Remember who? The Roman centurion at the foot of the Jesus’ cross. Remember what he said as he watched Jesus die? “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39). That’s who Jesus is! Jesus didn’t just come to calm storms on seas. He came to calm storms in our hearts. He died to forgive our sins. He rose to give us eternal life.
That’s the One who holds your life in his hands! The Son of God who loves you so much that he gave up his life to save you. I don’t know how the latest storm in your life is going to end. Maybe it will be resolved soon. Maybe it won’t be resolved until you get to heaven. But I know this: “Even the wind and the waves obey Jesus!” And not even sin or death or hell can stand in his way. That’s how you can have faith in the storm. You can say, “Jesus, take me along. Wherever we’re going, whatever storms we face, you take the lead. You take me along. Teach me to trust in you.” When you hear the thunder. When you feel the wind. Remember the power. Remember the cross. If Jesus can hold the world, he can hold your hand.
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