OVER DEZE AFLEVERING
On the weekend of this message, 3 hurricanes and an earthquake were in the news. As my wife and i were praying for the people affected by these events, I confess I was struggling a bit. Later that day the Lord brought to mind one of those times when Jesus and his disciples were out in a storm. As I did some research into what it was probably like for them, I could hardly blame them for being afraid.
The boat they were in was likely barely big enough to hold them all, leaked even in good weather, and was designed in such a way that the storm would have been tossing it around like a child's toy while it filled up with water. But Jesus is sleeping through it all in the back of the boat. No wonder the disciples questioned Him in Mark's account, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?” Jesus was unconcerned though he was in the same sinking boat with them. They were about to learn why. Chiding them for their lack of faith, He simply commanded the storm, and it ceased to be.
In the mist of the storms, actual or metaphorical, we might be tempted to wonder if god is paying us any attention. Sometimes it seems as if He must be asleep like Jesus in that boat. Now they obviously knew He was with them, but they didn't yet understand just who He was. They didn't know it, but God was with them in that boat. If Jesus is our Lord, we can have the same confidence. We may not see the sun right now, but the Son will shine in the end.
Our primary text is from Mark 4:35-41.
