Mark 4:39-41 "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. (40) And he said unto them, Why are ye so
fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? (41) And they feared
exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the
wind and the sea obey him?"
I repeat verse 39 from the previous devotion because the entire focus of this writing is about the power of Jesus Christ to make a difference in our lives. Jesus had just spent time teaching the disciples about His power and authority, though He had not mentioned Himself by name. He had taught them to take the "light" they received (enlightenment) and post it high so others could see and be encouraged. Then after teaching them, He placed them in the storm. There could be a great theological debate as to whether Jesus caused the storm, allowed the storm, or simply knew about the storm. All three of the above could be the case. At any rate, He placed them in the storm. Why would He allow this to happen?
We read many religious writings concerning the love of God. Absolutely the Word of God teaches us that God is love. God is light. God is merciful and gracious. God is patient. God is kind. God has all power. God cares for us. We can never be separated from God's love. The list goes on and on concerning the attributes of God. For what purpose would God reveal to us concerning Himself? Is it so that we can go around telling others of how much we know about God? Is it so we can file that information away and have it in our mentality? Is it so we can boast of our knowledge? Does it help us when all is well in our world? We could say yes, it helps us on the sunshiney days when the temperature is at our favorite point of 75-80 degrees. What about during the storms? What do we do with that knowledge in the time of storms? Storms, you ask? Why would He allow that to happen?
I would like to submit to you and to me that God reveals Himself to us for such times as stormy weather. He shows His power and authority when the winds are blowing contrary to us. He shows His patience to us when we become "antsy" because of unrest in our lives. He gives His light to lighten our way when we don't know which way to turn. He gives His grace for those times when our lives are not what they are supposed to be. He calms our hearts when the unknown causes fear and unrest inside. We know these things. Remember earlier in the chapter when we looked at the various grounds in which the seed was sowed? One of those grounds was the stony ground. It received the seed with joy but when adversity arose, there was no root and they withered.
Now quickly back to the scene today. The storm arose. There can be no doubt that the disciples tried to steer the ship and do what they had been trained to do in times of storms. Many of these men were fishermen by trade. They had endured storms and probably felt they could get through this one as well. But finally, they gave up and went to Jesus. Can I say to you that at this point, these twelve men were representing the "stony ground"? They heard the words of Jesus. They received the words of Jesus. But when the storm came, when the trial came, when the struggle came, they withered. "Jesus, don't you even care?" Oh yes, He cares!
"What manner of man is this?" I say to you that He is just the One into which you can anchor your life. You can be rooted in Him and find all the sustenance and strength you could ever need. As He walked upon the earth, He was God in flesh. Just now, He is our Intercessor Who sits at the right hand of the Father. He is the One through Whom we pray and know God hears our prayers, for Christ's sake. He is the One Who sustains us in our own personal storms. He is the One Who will, in His time, guide us to the other side. He is so very worthy of our praise!
There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus
No, not one. No, not one.