READ MARK 4:35-41
CONTEXT: In vs 35-37 notice here that this storm came from the disciples OBEDIENCE TO JESUS? We also see in Matthew 14:22-36 that because the disciples obeyed Jesus’ command to go ahead of Him to the other side, they found themselves in the storm!!
Yet, In Jonah 1:4-12 the reason God sent the storm was because of Jonah’s disobedience (See also Psalm 23:4 and who was leading David into the valley of the shadow of death)!! SOMETIMES THE REASON YOU’RE IN THE STORM IS BECAUSE OF YOUR SIN, AT OTHER TIMES IT IS BECAUSE YOU ARE OBEYING GOD AND DOING HIS WILL! May the Lord help us to discern the cause of the storm!!! (Is it because of sin in my life that God is disciplining me? Or am I in this storm because I am actually obeying God’s voice and word?) IDENTIFY THE REASON FOR THE STORM!
So often we can think that if we live a life obedient to Jesus, He will exempt us from the storms of life! But Jesus never promised this (see 2 Timothy 3:12, John 16:33, Philippians 1:29)! What He does promise is that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and will give us His peace in the midst of the storm (John 16:33, John 14:27, Philippians 4:6-7)!!
HOW DID JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES HANDLE THIS STORM? Let us look at what they did to see how we can learn to deal with the storms in our life!!
1.WHOM DO YOU TAKE WITH YOU INTO THE STORM?
vs 36- Distinguish between the crowd you need to minister to and the disciples you need to take with you into the deep storm!! Notice it says THEY left the CROWDS behind and it was only the disciples who went into the boat?
DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE AROUND YOU WHO ARE MATURE ENOUGH IN THEIR FAITH TO HELP YOU IN THE STORM? (See Matthew 26:36-45 and whom Jesus took with Him into the garden of Gethsemane!)
vs 36- “they took Him along...” LEARN TO TAKE JESUS WITH YOU INTO THE STORMS IN LIFE!! Don’t battle your problems alone!! Ultimately we will see in vs 38 that the disciples knew to come to Jesus to ask for His help in the storm!!
The most important ONE we need in the storm is Jesus, more than even Christian brothers and sisters in Christ!! (In Matthew 26:39-39 we see Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane take His disciples, then going a little further- just Peter, James and John His accountability partners but then ultimately He even left them and it was just Himself and GOD THE FATHER!) Notice Jesus didn’t bring the crowds with Him into the garden of Gethsemane?
2.vs 37- EXPECT THE STORM!
Notice that the STORM STILL CAME even though Jesus was with them? (Normally we would expect the storm to come when Jesus is not with us!! In Matthew 14:22-33 when the disciples experienced the storm, Jesus wasn’t with them- that’s usually how we expect it to be!)
Sometimes we think that if we accept Jesus as our saviour and He comes to live in us, that we become EXEMPT from the storms in life!! But Jesus never promised this (John 16:33, Philippians 1:29, Romans 8:17, 2 Timothy 3:12, 1 Peter 4:12, Daniel 3:17-25)!!
In Matthew 7:24-27, the wise man who built his life on Jesus and His words still had to go through the storm, yet he was able to stand firm in the storm because his foundation was on Jesus the rock!! EXPECT THE STORMS!! JESUS IS YOUR STRONG FOUNDATION IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM!!
3.vs 38- in the midst of one of the greatest storms the disciples had faced, JESUS WAS SLEEPING!! How do you handle it when it looks like Jesus is asleep to your problems? We see this also in John 11:3-6 when Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was dying, Jesus spoke out the PROMISE that his sickness would not end in death but then stayed where he was another 2 days doing nothing about the promise!!
WILL YOU STILL TRUST JESUS AND HIS WORD EVEN WHEN IT LOOKS LIKE HE IS DOING NOTHING IN YOUR SITUATION? Back in vs 35 Jesus had already told the disciples they were going to the OTHER SIDE, yet they struggled to trust His word in the storm. In Matthew 14:29-31, Jesus told Peter to “COME” on the water to Him. Yet when Peter took his focus off Jesus, he began to sink. Jesus rebuked Peter for his LITTLE FAITH because he DOUBTED Jesus’ command to “come” (see also Mark 4:40)!
So too, a time will come in our lives, when we will have a choice to make. Will we choose to live by faith in what Jesus’ word has said about our situation or will we choose to believe the storm our eyes see?
More than that, we see here in Mark 4:38 that Jesus Himself was at REST and PEACEFUL in the storm, they should have been the same!! (Let us ask Jesus for His peace that passes all understanding to guard us in the storm!)
Notice also that by Jesus being asleep in the storm, His focus was not on the storm? We too must learn NOT TO FOCUS ON THE PROBLEM, but focus on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and learn to imitate Him (John 5:19, Ephesians 5:1) and have His peace in the storm (John 14:27)!!
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