Certainty in the Storm

There is a great story in Mark's Gospel that gives great insight and affirms the blessing of God's great Sovereignty and I would like to highlight this reality in this post. So...here we go...

Mark 4:35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 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?” 39 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. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 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?”

The Certainty of God’s Sovereignty – Mark 4:35-36

The doctrine of God’s sovereignty is an essential foundation to our faith in Christ.  This whole day and this experience in the boat was completely under Christ’s sovereignty.  He knew all that would go on, all they would face, where they were going, and whom they would meet on the other side of the lake (5:1-2).

What we fail to see at times is that Christ is going somewhere with this world and truthfully in many ways, we are just along for the ride.  He is not basing what He is doing on us for that would make us central to the His unfolding of history.  Everything that goes on in the world has been sifted through His hands.

Ex.  Jonah – One of the Great Pictures of God’s Sovereignty – Jonah had the freedom to run but He could not go further than the reach of God.

The Certainty of Life’s Storms – Mark 4:37

The Sea of Galilee’s surface was 682 feet below sea level making it the lowest freshwater lake on the earth.  Its location is at the bottom of the Jordan River valley and it is surrounded by steep hills and mountains that can create a funnel of winds come from the Mediterranean on the west and the winds from the desert on the east.  It was not uncommon for there to be violent storms there but just about all of them took place during the day.  Most of the fishing on the Sea of Galilee took place during the night.  One of the reasons they may have been so fearful is that this storm took place at night.

On the surface, it looks like a storm of nature, but what was happening in the boat was a storm of the heart.  This was the greatest storm going on that night.

They were doing exactly what Jesus told them to do, to go to the other side and this brings up an important point – Perfect obedience does not mean that we will be exempt from the struggles of life.  Sometimes like them, we find ourselves in the very fight of our lives and we are overwhelmed and we think they are going to destroy us.

The Sovereign Storms are sent our way

not to destroy us, but to develop us.

At times there are lessons and wisdom that can only be known through struggle.

Q:  What do we do when the “boat” of our life begins to take on water?

Life is just this way at times – things are going smoothly and then the bottom seems to fall out of everything. 

It is interesting how easy it becomes for us to doubt the Lord in the seasons of our lives when the storms arise and think that He is unconcerned about our the predicaments of our lives.

Storms will be encountered 

but they are no match for His Sovereignty.

The Certainty of an Unshakeable King and Kingdom – Mark 4:38a ; Hebrews 12:18-29

Jesus is not worried about anything, but is asleep in the stern.  He was in the storm but He was not bothered by it for He was Sovereign over it.  This must have been a shocking sight for them.  Truthfully for us who have had His Holy Word come to us, this is one of the most insightful pictures of Jesus’ humanity that we have.  He is exhausted and is sleeping through it all.  He is sleeping like one who had no worries on the earth.  This is the only place in the gospels where it says Jesus slept.  Teaching is exhausting and even Jesus experienced this human reality.

What does Jesus do in the midst of our storms?  The answer is not “sleep” through them but He is in a state of absolute calm.

The storms will come, you can count on it, but we must remember we have an unshakable King who reigns above all.