Friday, May 9, 2014

Stormy Faith


Read: Mark 4:35-41

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.                                        Mark 4:39


     No one in his right mind likes to be out in a storm. It might be exciting to watch the power of nature as it flashes the horizon with a bolt of lightning or growls its might through thunder – from the safety of the house. The disciples, however, found themselves in the middle of such a storm – and they were on the water. The position of the Sea of Galilee made it vulnerable to sudden violent storms, so most small boats didn’t venture far from the shore. But Jesus had bidden the disciples to go to the other side while He went to sleep in the rear of the ship. Of course, Jesus knew the storm would arise, and He could have prevented it from starting, but He wanted His disciples to learn.
     Many difficulties that come into our lives make us wonder if Jesus is even mindful of our problems. It seems He is asleep with no awareness of our issues because He is silent. But just as Jesus knew the peril His disciples faced before He awoke and rebuked the storm, He knows our issues and just how much we can handle before He must intervene on our behalf. He is in control of the storms no matter how fiercely they rage or how desperate we become.  The disciples foolishly asked Jesus if He even cared that they were about to die. What kind of question is that to ask the One who controls the entire universe? Yet, we fall into the same trap. Situations get a little hard to handle in school or at home, and we begin to question whether or not our Lord even cares. Of course He does, but He uses the storms we face in the same way that He used them for His disciples: to teach us to have faith in Him.
     No matter what you are facing, no matter how dark the sky becomes, and no matter how violent the storm, Jesus is right there in the middle of it with us, and He is in control of all the storms. The winds and waves know His voice, and they will do what He bids them to do. He allows the storms to rage because He wants us to become stronger in our faith in Him. Let the storm surge; just know that you have a Saviour who knows how much you can handle, and who stands beside us in the eye of the storm.

Quote of the day: “Sometimes God calms the storm…sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.” 



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