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?”
Mark 4:35-41
As we go through life, we will always have storms and trials all around us just like the storms around the disciples with Jesus on the boat. In the passage, the disciples were panicking and fearful of their lives. They were afraid of the raging storms around them. It is very ironic that despite having the Prince of Peace with them, they allowed their fears to get out of control. They even doubted Jesus as they woke Him up saying ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’. Jesus replied ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’ Surprisingly, the disciple’s faith was still in question even after being with Jesus for some time.
If we look at our lives, it’s pretty much the same thing. We allow our external earthly situations to disturb our inner peace. We react to the world around us relying only on our limited capabilities. Even when walking with Prince of Peace – the Son of God, we still allow ourselves to be disturbed, worried, angered by what’s happening around us.
The verse shows us that we are always with Jesus so why should we be worried? Why should we be overly concerned when we are in the ‘boat’ with Jesus? How much is our faith in our Father above?
In times of trials and tribulations, let us center the peace in our hearts knowing that we have Jesus with us. Let us lean on our father for our worries. Let us walk in faith knowing that God is a good God and in control all the time. Let us wake up in the morning knowing that God loved us first. Let us remember that God loved us even during our sinful worst. God loves us so much that He sacrificed His one and only Son to die for our sins.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalms 18:2
Let us center our peace in God and not allow the storms around us to take control of our life. Let us stay calm and sit with Jesus in the boat.
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