Finding Jesus In The Storm

Mark 4:35-41 says,

"That day when evening came,
He said to His disciples, "Let us go to the other side."
Leaving the crowd behind, they took Him 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 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!"



There they were in a small fishing boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. 

The disciples were headed to the other side, what could possibly go wrong?

Some of the men were expert fishermen.

They had been on this body of water since they were boys.

They saw their fare share of storms.

They even had Jesus in the boat with them.

They had no reason for concern.

Everything was going rather smoothly.

Then the storm clouds started moving in.

The wind was picking up.

The smooth waters were getting choppy.

A storm was coming and it was going to get rough real fast.

Isn't that how our lives are sometimes.

Everything seems to be running smoothly.

We know Jesus is with us.

Then the storms of life come knocking against our safe little boat.

The storms of life are those things that come against us as challenges and trials.

They come in form of a bad diagnosis from a doctor.

They came in the form of a job loss.

They can even come in the loss of a loved one.

These storms can sneak up on us just like a rain storm can.

These storms can be just as damaging if not more so.

The storms of life can knock us off of our feet.

They can knock us down.

They can batter us and make us feel beaten down.

We may feel scared and filled with dreadful fear that things will never be the same for us.

We even may feel hopeless in our storm.

The disciples were afraid out there in the storm on the Sea of Galilee.

It was dark.  The wind was blowing hard.  The waves were spilling into the tiny fishing boat.

The rain was coming down at an alarming rate.

They were in the middle of a terrifying storm.

They were filled with panic and fear.

They called for Jesus.

They couldn't find Him right away.

They looked and looked.

They finally found Him in the stern of the boat asleep.

The disciples went to Him and woke Him up.

They said with fear and trembling in their voices,

"Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

We can be thankful that when we encounter the storms of life we can count on Jesus to be there for us and He will not be asleep.

Sometimes we too will get scared when we are facing a storm.

We will find troubles in life and sometimes the troubles seem to find us.

We can count on Jesus to be with us during our times of troubles.

There will be times when we, like the disciples, will ask, "Lord, don't you care if we drown?"

Jesus does care for you and me.

He loves us more that you and I can wrap our tiny minds around fully.

It is hard to understand that kind of unconditional love.

Jesus didn't have to die on the cross for our sins, but thankfully He did because of His great love for us.

We can trust Him through our storms that we face throughout life.

He is always faithful to us.

We can count on His goodness and mercy in our time of need.

He can fill us with a peace that surpasses all understanding.

The world may be turbulent.

Everything may be falling to pieces all around us, but Jesus will hold us firm in His grasp.

He won't let go if we are trusting in Him.

Are you trusting in Jesus during your challenging moments?

I hope you are.

I would encourage you to keep reading His Word, the Bible, and talk to Him in prayer.

When troubles come we should run to Jesus.

That is what the disciples did when they were in the storm in the middle of the Sea of Galilee.

They woke up Jesus.

He got up and rebuked the wind.

He said to the waves,

"Quiet! Be still!"

The wind died down.

It was completely calm upon the water.

Jesus turned to His disciples and said,

"Why are you so afraid?  Do you still have no faith?

Sometimes the trials that we face can make us so afraid that our faith falters.

I can remember many times in my life we things have gone terribly wrong and my faith felt so very small.

I can almost picture Jesus saying to me at those times,

"Michael, why are you so afraid?  Do you still have no faith?"

I have learned and still am learning that Jesus is bigger than our fears.

Jesus is bigger and more powerful than any storm that comes our way.

He is stronger than any weather related storm and any trial that comes against us in our lives.

He says to those storms of life that come at us,

"Quiet! Be Still!"

He may not make the trial or testing go away.

We may have to endure our storms for a little while, but we can trust Jesus to be with us during those times.

He promises us that He will never leave us and He will never forsake us.

He will help us during life's most difficult moments.

The disciples were terrified after they witness Jesus commanding the storm to stop and it obeyed Him.

They asked each other, "Who is this?  Even the wind and waves obey Him!"

This is a question that we all must give an answer to.

Who is this Jesus?

He is the Son of the true Living God.

He my Lord and Savior.

He may not stop all the storms in our lives, but He will give us the strength to carry on until that one day when He takes us home to Heaven to be with Him.

What a wonderful Glorious Day that will be.

That just makes me want to shout, "Praise the Lord!"

The Lord is good even in the mist of our storms.

Reach out to Jesus in your time of need.

He loves you and I love you too because you are my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.

We are family and we have and we have an awesome wonderful Savior in Jesus Christ.

May the Lord watch over you and comfort you at all times.


Lord,
I lift up all of my bothers and sisters in Christ that are facing horrible trials and storms of life.
I ask that You comfort them and give them a peace that surpasses all understanding.
You are God and we are your servants.
You are Holy and worthy of all praise.
Empower us to live for You.
Stir up a fresh faith in us through Your Holy Spirit whom indwells all of those who are believers in Jesus Christ.
Lead us and guide our steps.
Bless us now.
In the name of Jesus Christ we pray,
Amen.