Prepare – Mark 4:35-41
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Devotional
About a month ago we talked about this passage at Good News Club at Ed Clapp Elementary. I shared how we can trust Jesus because all of creation obeys Him. There is no thing in all of creation that is not under the control of our God.
Little did I know how quickly I would be able to apply that teaching because of Covid-19. I didn’t even know what, “Covid-19,” was at the time. In fact, I’m learning a lot of new words and phrases these days: coronavirus, “social distancing,” “self-quarantine,” and “flatten the curve.” What a difference a few weeks make!
As I reflect on Mark’s story of that one time in the boat, in a storm, with Jesus asleep …. I can’t help but think of the absolute panic the men were feeling in v. 38. These were men who knew the water and the weather. They were convinced they would die. Yet, there was Jesus – asleep.
Verse 40 is kind of a scary verse. The word “fear” is used as the fear of the unbelieving. In other words, the disciples were acting like those who don’t know Jesus. I guess in so many ways, they didn’t know Him quite yet like they would sometime later.
Jackie Hill Perry (@JackieHillPerry) recently shared on social media:
“Jesus slept during a storm. When you trust Him, you can too.”
Their fear quickly turned to worship when they realized that Jesus was more than a good teacher. The waves and the sea obey(ed) Jesus. He was, and is, the Son of the Living God. (see also Colossians 1:15-20)
Therefore, we can trust Him. Like scared disciples in a boat, we can turn to Jesus. He invites you and me to come to Him and invite him to take our fear and turn it to worship.
~ Pastor Jonas Bundy
Praise
Watch and listen to “Is He Worthy?” by Andrew Peterson and “Be Kind to Yourself” by Andrew Peterson.
