Mar 6 - "Shelter From The Storm"

Mark 4:35-41
"On that day, when evening had come, Jesus said to them, 'Let us go across to the other side.' And leaving the crowd behind, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. Other boats were with Him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him up and said to Him, 'Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?' He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace! Be still!' Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, 'Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?' And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?'"
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Are you a morning person? When the alarm goes off or you open your eyes at first light, do you say, "Good MORNING world! I am so excited to be awake and starting my day!!" Or, are you like our middle daughter Rachel, who takes most of the morning to find her cheery self. Jesus seems to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed in this part of scripture. "Rebuking" is not usually the first thing you do if you wake up in a peaceful manner.

There are times when we all feel like we are in the middle of a giant storm. The waves are crashing around us, the wind howls deafeningly in our ears and there is no peace or calm to be found. The cause of the storm can range from things outside of our control...the economy, conflict among those around us...to the self imposed chaos we bring as we try to cram more and more into our lives.

When I read these stories about Christ in the world, I often wonder what else was going on or what led up to the events. Perhaps in this story, the sea was calm when Jesus and His friends left the shore. Jesus, being tired after a day of sharing the Word, laid down in the back of the boat to rest. The disciples, huddled in a quiet discussion away from Him as not to disturb, may have begun to see the storm coming up. Thinking it might pass or not turn something dangerous, they probably waited. As the storm raised into its full fury, they may have talked about waking up the sleeping Christ to ask for His help, but thought they could just hunker down and suffer it out without bothering Jesus.

But finally, they reached the point where their fear overtook them. They called out to Jesus, asking their rabbi for help. Jesus, in His full glory, immediately takes control of the situation and commands peace. After doing this, He asks His friends about why they were worried. You could imagine this as an angry rebuke, Jesus scolding them for their lack of faith. But I see it as a peaceful, calming smile of love, giving them assurance that they were never in danger.

The good news is that we don't have to wait for it to get bad before we talk to Jesus about it. Do you see a storm on the horizon? Are you able to look at the events around you and reasonably surmise that things will quickly get worse if you don't do something about it? Then make the decision now to ask for help. Don't wait for the storm to start.

So, call on Jesus. Allow Him to show you His power to calm the waves and quiet the gale. Don't worry about waking Him up, or about whether He will recognize you if you have not called on Him for a long time...or ever. He will deliver you to peace and, after bringing quiet out of the chaos, He will say to you lovingly, with a smiling countenance "Peace, My child. Do not fear, for I am always with you."