Calm in the Face of the Storm
AM Psalm 95 for the Invitatory, 69:1-23(24-30)31-38
PM Psalm 73
Gen. 43:1-15 • 1 Cor. 7:1-9 • Mark 4:35-41
He was asleep on a cushion near the back of the boat. We all know this story so well: the storm, the danger, the fear, and the miracle. What more can be said about this that has not already been said? Certain things bear repeating. Of all the rich lessons contained in the seven short verses of Mark 4 recounting this event, I return to the example of Jesus more than any. He was asleep while a storm raged about him. And this was by all accounts a “furious storm.”
Life so often throws storms at us all. Our anxiety, fear, and urgency in dealing with them mirrors what we see in the disciples. They awaken Jesus and in the end all is well. I often wonder if they woke Jesus up because they thought/hoped that he might be able to save them or whether they just needed another hand to help bail out the boat. Was it an “all hands on deck” moment or having seen the miracles prior to this, hoped for one here? Based upon their astonishment at Jesus’s display of power and control over the wind and water I tend to think it was more the former. Was that the reason for Jesus’s admonishment? Either way, their lack of faith was clear, or what faith they had was overcome by fear.
I readily identify with the disciples. My faith is more often than I like to admit overcome by panic and anxiety. However, I want to be more like Jesus, so sure in the power and love of God that I can confidently and faithfully navigate the strong gales. Jesus could sleep because he knew God would act through him to save all those on the lake that day. There is no indication that he jumped up and quieted the sea in a frenzy. He was calm and resolute.
The Psalmist in Psalm 69, much like the disciples, cries out for the Lord to save him from the floods that were about to drown him. Similarly, we can call on the Lord to save us from the “storms” that often buffet us, keeping in mind that sometimes being rescued does not mean our troubles are miraculously resolved. How often do we lose sleep over something that is happening or more likely that we imagine could happen in our lives? This event in the life of Jesus demonstrates that with God’s help we can navigate the storm meaning not that the storm goes away (although sometimes it does) but having the faith that whatever happens we will be able to get through it. Let us choose faith over fear.
Early in the record, Mark points out that the disciples took Jesus out on the lake “just as he was.” When it appeared to finite human minds that all was lost, he arose from his nap and just as he was, the divine son of God, he calmed the storm.
Written by Dennis McKinnie
Choosing faith over fear, despite there being much to fear right now.