By Rachel Montgomery
Read Mark 4:35-41
In Mark 4:35-41 we hear about Jesus calming a storm.
At this point the disciples had seen Jesus already heal the sick, cast out demons, and forgive sins… something only God could do. Yet, this seemed to go completely out of their minds when they faced the danger of the stormy seas. They couldn’t understand Jesus’ relaxed state with the storm overwhelming them.
When they ask Jesus, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” we, as the reader, know it is because of a lack of faith the disciples feared for their lives. Even though Jesus is God; the creator of the winds and seas, they couldn’t find it in themselves to trust in him. Consumed by fear, and thinking only of Jesus as the man before them, they were ignorant to whose presence they truly were in.
The reality of being like the disciples shows how easy it is for us to panic and question the power of God when it is already so clear and evident in our lives. Lack of control is terrifying. We have no control over lots of things, especially in the storm, and that makes us anxious.
I think to be truly relaxed, like Jesus on that boat in the storm, or in circumstances that cause stress and struggle, is when we remember who is in control of the ship. When we let go of what we think we can do, or say, or how we think it can be fixed by our own strength… and give it all up to Jesus, we find peace.
Remember the God that is the creator of the wind and seas is in relationship with us and we serve him each and every day. It’s because of his plan and his power that we can live so freely for him, knowing that our creator carves out every path before us, and guides exactly where he wants us: for his glory.