“…He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.”
Mark 4:39
Yesterday was our second day examining the subject of Jesus and his disciples in the storm. In the first part, we saw what the storm did to the disciples, it attacked their faith and the first response was that they began to doubt the love of Jesus. They misunderstood the calmness of Jesus to mean that he didn’t care if they drowned. Next, they began to panic until they woke up Jesus from his sleep.
But was Jesus actually sleeping? It’s common sense, the kind of storm being described here would not allow anyone to enjoy his sleep, however tired he must have been. Jesus wasn’t sleeping, instead he was taking a posture of faith; a posture he had expected from the disciples as well – for Jesus, the storm was nothing but the devil’s distraction that must be ignored, he did not think for a second that the father would let him die in the storm. The disciples on the other hand didn’t have such a faith.
In order to help their faith, …He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.” (Luke 4:24). Storms in life come to test our faith in God. Just as the disciples faced a tempest that seemed insurmountable, we encounter challenges in various aspects of our lives that shake the foundations of our faith. The key is to exercise faith in Jesus, the Master of the Storms.
When faced with life’s tempests, the natural response may be fear and panic, mirroring the disciples in the boat. However, Jesus’ question challenges us to reflect on the state of our faith. The storms are not just external; they are opportunities for us to exercise our faith muscles and witness the unparalleled power of Jesus over every storm that assails us.
As disciples of Jesus, we possess the authority to rebuke the storms in His name. Instead of succumbing to fear, we can exercise faith by speaking peace to the storms—whether they manifest as financial challenges, health crises, or relational turmoil.
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