Listen

He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, “Silence! Be still!” The wind settled down and there was a great calm. Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?”

Overcome with awe, they said to each other, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

Mark 4:39-41

Think

At camp, we sing a song that goes, “With Jesus in the boat, we can smile in the storm, smile in the storm, smile in the storm. With Jesus in the boat, we can smile in the storm while we’re sailing on…”  It’s a fun little tune, and not at all the vibe I feel while reading this scene of Jesus, his friends, and the storm.

There is something comical about the whole thing, isn’t there? The disciples are terrified that this is the end for them. And Jesus is asleep. On a pillow! This isn’t like a “fell asleep on a road trip and woke up with a sore neck” kind of nap. It’s a fancy “rock-to-sleep cozy-up a pillow” nap. The juxtaposition is striking.

We are so quick to question and doubt the voice that had the authority to speak water and wind into existence. As if Jesus’ simple “hush…” couldn’t bring peace to the chaos.

“Who then is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!” (Mark 4:41b CEB)

Sara Hunt-Felke

Question to Ponder:

When was the last time you felt a “great calm” in your own life?

Pray

God, today may I hear you speak those words “Silence! Be still!” over my fears and struggles with________.

Silence over the storms in my life. Stillness in my heart.

Amen.

Go

When peace like a river attendeth my way;

when sorrows like sea billows roll;

whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

“It is well, it is well with my soul.”

Horatio G. Spafford, “It is Well with My Soul”