Even the Wind and the Sea
And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41)
The division of the physical realm and the human realm is apparent. “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand” (Isaiah 1:3). “Even the stork in the heavens knows her appointed times; and the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow observe the time of their coming, but My people do not know the judgment of the LORD” (Jeremiah 8:7).
In this passage we learn of the power of Christ over the elements and we learn of some basic principles regarding the challenges we face in life.
Storms happen when you are doing the will of God. Christ had commanded them into the boat, to cross over on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Yet the storm still came upon them. This certainly destroys all thought that we never experience difficulties if we are doing the will of God. We read the testimony of Paul that he had experienced:
We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. (2 Corinthians 6:3–10)
The absence of problems does not authenticate our witness or our ministries, rather the presence of the character of Christ is the authenticating factor. Christ reproved the disciples not because they steered the craft into a storm while he slept, but for their lack of faith in his ability to handle all things.
Storms happen with Jesus in your boat. We are to follow Christ as Lord and trust in him at all times in all situations. We cannot use Christ, or religious artifacts, as good luck charms, that having received him as Savior, or carrying a Bible or wearing a cross, will save us from problems. We may have the deepest relationship with Christ possible, but still we will face our share of difficulty.
“We walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). The proof of our relationship in Christ is in our faith in him and in our determination to continue to follow him. Even when we can own part of the failure, we still trust in the faithfulness of the Lord to us. We are never alone. “For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity” (Prov. 24:16).
In a time of sin in David’s life, he was allowed to choose the discipline of the Lord. He prayed, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man” (2 Samuel 24:14).
We learn truths in storms that we do not learn anyplace else. What had appeared at first as a disastrous event, turned into a great revelation of the power and greatness of Christ. We learn truths about the love and grace of God in our weakness that we never learn of him in our comfort. Paul was allowed his thorn in the flesh to teach him more about the grace of God than he would know otherwise, so much so that Paul wrote, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9). It is better to be in the middle of a storm, doing the will of Christ, with Jesus in your life, than to be any place else on earth.
Only a fool would willingly subject himself to pain and problems without reason. Christ said, “Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt. 6:34). Yet we can confidently face our trials and challenges, knowing that there the Lord will reveal his power and comfort. He may choose to entrust to us a challenging situation, or he may choose to deliver us out of the problem. The faithful disciple leaves these things in his hands. We ask for deliverance, but we accept what God chooses to entrust to us.
The power and authority of Christ: One truth we must grasp is that the Lord is greater and more powerful than anyone or anything else on earth. Nothing shall ever defeat him, nor prevent him from accomplishing his will. Even death is no challenge to him. So in all things, in the face of all hardships, problems, challenges, or persecutions, we confidently trust in him. He is Lord over all things. His dominion is forever! One day he will return to establish his reign and rule for eternity. In him and in this we can trust.
