Calming of the Tempest
Yesterday the Lord impressed upon me to change my original sermon from finishing up the final three points of a two-part (six point) sermon I began the week before. So instead of talking on the subject of having our body under control; I felt a tugging on my heart to share with my people something the Lord had been dealing with me on a personal level. I preached a sermon with the same title as this post, "Calming of the Tempest" taken from Mark 4:35-41; while this is a common story told to children in Sunday School it holds so much truth, scolding and encouragement and even more once we peel back the layers of this story. But more than that this message was personal because I had been struggling with an occasional discouragement and disappointment and I found myself much like the disciples...in the same boat with Jesus and knowing that He is capable of doing something but not having the faith to trust Him to do that something and not having the faith that He cared enough to do something. My three points were simple.
1. STORMS OFTEN COME SUDDENLY.
2. STORMS CAN CAUSE US TO LOSE FOCUS AND DIRECTION.
3. STORMS CAN PARALYZE US WITH THEIR POWER.
Here is Rembrandt's Storm depicting this voyage of Christ and His disciples. We can understand the second point that a storm can toss a ship about so much that it loses it direction and the sailors struggle to stay on course is second to the need to stay afloat. And we can understand that in this particular story from the Bible the disciples got their eyes off of who was in the boat with them and failed to trust in God. Have you considered that the Scripture says that there were others in smaller boats out on the water with them. These other boats must have suffered even more from the rolling sea and powerful winds, but the disciples lost direction from within the boat but those outside their boat some going through more suffering than they. Isn't this like us so often? We get caught up in our 'issues and problems' that we care little about others around us. Sadly, in both this story form the Bible and in everyday life many around us aren't in the "safety of the boat with Jesus". I'm glad Jesus was concerned about them though because He calmed the winds and the waves for all who were going through the storm!
The third point is easy to comprehend because we all have had something in our lives that has just devastated us...that has paralyzed us. The disciples were similarly paralyzed going through this particular storm, but thanks be to Jesus who calmed the storm and calmed them. The journey still needed to be completed and the disciples still needed to get the boat to shore but Jesus had calmed the winds and the waves so that they could get 'back to the task'...God is so good!
Are you going through a storm? Is something troubling you and causing you to lose focus? Has some recent news or situation paralyzed...devastated your life? Well, my friend, Jesus wants to calm the storm, but first understand that Jesus really wants to calm you in spite of the storm. He offers a 'peace that passeth all understanding'...this is a peace that cannot be explained by man's opinions or the circumstances of the storm. Jesus has made a way to escape the worst of the storms and all it takes is faith! Put your faith in Jesus!
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