With us in the storm Mark 4:35-41
..when evening had come, he [Jesus] said to them, 'Let us go across to the other side." This plan made reasonable sense; Jesus and his friends were just heading to the other side of the lake.
Jesus and his friends were going to do something ordinary that had been done before. But something changed. The water, that was smooth, got rough.
Jesus was there, with them, in the boat; but he was sound asleep. They got scared. So they woke Jesus up, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" HE DID AND HE STILL DOES CARE. Jesus didn't debate with them to prove that he cared. He just got up and told the storm, "Peace, be still." His friends, caught in awe, asked outloud, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
I'm reading Mark in the back of an hour long presentation by David Stark entitled "Stategic Leadership/Tidal Wave of Forces." As I listen to the presenation this text is a great reminder of God's presence in the storm.
2 comments:
Do you know the song: "With Jesus in the boat you can smile in the storm"? When I read this passage that song always comes to mind.
Smiling through the storms of life is tough for me to do. I've seen others manage. The chaos hits, or the conflict seems impossible to resolve and they are smiling and and at peace. "What are you smiling about?" I ask. They say, "I cant wait to see how Jesus will get us out of this mess. It's a doosie."
Smiling in the storm. Why cant I wait expectantly? You could call it "first-bornitis". We usually think that we need to keep the storms away from everyone.
But birth order excuses aside, instead of smiling in the storms I tend to react, or take charge, or see myself as the linchpin to resolving the problem?
In this story, we learn from Jesus that he's with us, he's not worried, and He's in charge.
Peace to you brother...
Nancy in Belize
Nancy,
Thanks for the note. I can't say that I've heard the song; but I get the sentiment. When life is good its easy to smile (even when some tough things happen) you can keep on smiling; because you are "apparently" in control.
But when things are out of control it's really tough if not honestly impossible to keep on smiling continuously. The joy of faith is always there whenever we meet the storms of life; but the joy doesn't temper the intesity of the storm.
You aren't alone wanting to be in control, even in the storms. But we aren't in control. We've been relearning this lesson as a family. My wife's grandfather was diagnosed with cancer a week ago. In the past week he's been hospitalized, had surgery, and learned that he's going to die. In a week the illusion of control has gone away.
The family seems to all wish there was something to do, some way to react. But all we can do is pray, believe, and hope.
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