I recently reflected on the well-known passage in Mark 4:35-41 when Jesus calmed the wind and the waves, and yet again, the Holy Spirit highlighted new things for me to ponder:
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?”
Much of Jesus’ life and ministry as recorded for us in the gospels seems to be about interruptions to His normal flow of life, which Jesus simply accepted and dealt with even when He was asleep on a boat (!) suggesting that these are all part of the Father’s plan. This rang a bell for me: so often we pray for God to use us and for the Holy Spirit to work mightily through us. He then answers our prayers by initiating various ‘encounters’ that disturb our ‘peace’! The challenge for us is to trust that God has chosen to partner with us in each of these circumstances, and to see Jesus in each ‘messy’, stormy interruption as well as in the calm, peaceful times. Rejoice in the interruptions!
Secondly, “And other boats were with Him.” We so often focus on the boat in the storm that the disciples were in with Jesus, yet it states that there were also other boats out with them on the sea being pounded by the waves and wind. When Jesus spoke to the storm and calmed the wind and sea, not only were those in His boat rescued and blessed, but so were all those nearby in the other boats. Everyone in the vicinity benefitted from being near Jesus – imagine if you can their reactions to a deadly storm being immediately calmed as Jesus spoke. Even if we do not feel we need divine intervention in our lives, just being with Jesus may well result in abundant blessings. Equally, when we share what we know of Jesus, love each other and love the lost, all those in the vicinity will also be blessed by Jesus’ love through what they see, hear and sense in His presence.
Thirdly, I note the comments of the disciples, and more interestingly, the timing of what they said. At least four of the disciples were professional fishermen and they were in waters that they knew well. The storm was so fierce that they thought they might die and so they woke Jesus to plead with Him. Jesus calmed the storm by speaking to it, and only after this does it say that “… they were filled with great fear…” They did not express any fear over the prospect of losing their lives at sea in a storm – fishermen know this may be their fate. Note that they were only filled with great fear once they saw and experienced the almighty power of Jesus first hand. Jesus, the One they knew to be the Messiah, the Son of God, with only a few words had immediately and completely calmed the raging storm that had threatened their lives. They saw and experienced the power of God’s Word. If Jesus’ closest followers developed a “great fear” of God, then it would be prudent and wise for all of us to do the same. Yes, God is loving, compassionate, merciful, full of grace and He wants us to prosper and know joy and peace, but we should also never forget that He is the one true almighty, all-powerful, living God. So let us praise and worship Him for who He is and be thankful that He loves us so much that He went to the cross and rose again so that we might spend eternity with Him.
Lord God, we thank You that You invite us to be a part of Your mission to build Your church and that what we often feel are interruptions are appointments You have planned for us. We pray that we might surrender to Your will in all situations and seek to find You in each of them no matter how disturbing or surprising they might be. Lord, just as we seek You in the storms of life, may others also receive Your love and blessings. Almighty God, by Your Holy Spirit, help us to never take You for granted, and always come to You humbly in praise and worship. Amen