Peace! Be Still!

Mark 4:41 says this, “The disciples were absolutely terrified. ‘Who is this man?’ they asked each other. ‘Even the winds and waves obey Him.’”

Jesus, here, was asleep in the boat and when Jesus calms the sea the disciples were “terrified.”

This amazes me. Hadn't they been privy to watching Him perform miracles? Hadn't they had a front-row seat to His teachings? And yet they ask each other, “Who is this man?”

Christ’s sleeping has been unpacked by many who hold different opinions. Some say He was simply tired and weary. Others say He was trying the disciples faith. And yet there are some who say that Jesus doesn’t see storms the same way we do, and this allowed Him to be unmoved and unbothered by the inclement weather.

I tend to connect more to the latter of these explanations.

Look at the verses right before this… specifically verses 39 and 40.

My version says, “Silence! Be still!” (verse 39)

His first rebuke is to the circumstance.

And look then to verse 40, “Why are your afraid, do you still have no faith?”

His second reprove is to the students.

This is huge for us to get here.

He will always speak authority over our suffering first.

And then He will address our faith on the matter.

I had a friend express her concern over some counseling she’s been receiving on a situation in her life. She told me that her Christian counselor keeps repeating to her, session after session, these words, “Where is your faith?”

While I get the “heart” (maybe) behind these words, and the encouragement that is (maybe) intended by the question, it makes me a bit sad.

Because my friend has faith.

She has radical faith.

Maybe more faith than just about anyone else I know.

But she has been temporarily impacted by circumstances that, like the wind of the storm itself, have tossed her to and fro.

It’s NOT a matter of faith… it’s a matter of being reminded of the resurrected power of Christ that lives in her, and the gentle nudge to silence the storm and press on.

Sometimes we just need to be reminded Who is in charge of the weather!

My commentary suggests this, “Faith slumbers, but it is not dead!”

I remember crying when I first read that.

Because how many times have we all been there??

Jesus, here, is rising awake the souls who have simply forgotten.

He’s saying, “Why are your afraid? Silence! Be still!” He’s awakening us from slumber!

The disciples of Jesus were not exempt from danger simply because they were students of Christ. in fact my commentary says, “Believers - look for the storms!”

They were exposed to the storm because they had Jesus in the vessel!

The disciples sadly behaved and reacted in the same way I do sometimes. Tired. Afraid. Weak. Beat down. Confused.

And the truth is that prayer is not always the language of faith.

Neither are our words and our actions.

And yet even in the feebleness of their faith, Jesus attended to the storm, corrected their reaction, and came to their ultimate rescue.

Amen and Hallelujah!