READ: Mark 4 (Focus vs. 35-41)
MEMORY VERSE
Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? Mark 4:40
BACKGROUND
My three-year-old niece is beginning to understand that she can trust Jesus in any situation.
One night as she prayed before bedtime during a thunderstorm, she pressed her hands together, closed her eyes, and said, “Dear Jesus, I know You’re here with us. I know You love us. And I know that the storm will stop when You tell it to stop.”
I suspect she had recently heard the story of Jesus and the disciples as they crossed the Sea of Galilee. It’s the one where Jesus fell asleep in the back of the boat just before a squall nearly capsized the vessel. The disciples woke Him and said, “Don’t you care if we drown?”
Jesus didn’t speak to them but instead addressed the natural world: “Quiet! Be still!” (Mark 4:38-39).Immediately the water stopped splashing into the boat. The howling wind subsided.
There in the silence, Jesus looked at His followers and said, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (v. 40). I imagine their wide eyes staring back at Him as water coursed down their faces and dripped from their beards.
What if we could live today with the awe the disciples felt in that moment? What if we could view every concern with a fresh awareness of Jesus’ authority and power? Maybe then our childlike faith would chase away our fear. Maybe then we would believe that each storm we face is at His mercy.
Jennifer Benson Schuldt
INSIGHT
The story of Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4:35-41 is the first in a series of four miracles in chapters 4-5 that demonstrate Christ’s power.
In stilling the sea, He demonstrates His power over the chaos of nature. The disciples ask, “Don’t you care if we drown?” (4:38). Jesus’ calming of the storm is a concession to their doubt (v. 40).
But the next three miracles show that Christ does, indeed, care for the plight of the hurting, the desperate, and the grieving. He demonstrates His authority over demons (5:1-20), over illness (vv. 21-34), and over death itself (vv. 35-43).
He expends His power not to gain influence or fame but to serve those who are suffering. Jesus’ miracles point to a future where, one day, fear and pain will completely disappear. When we face difficulties and trials today, we can trust His same power and presence to help us.
Jed Ostoich
APPLICATION
What are the barriers to faith in your life? How can you recapture a sense of wonder of Jesus?
PR’s (Pastor Richard) RE-EMPHASIS (From Today’s Post)
“What if we could view every concern with a fresh awareness of Jesus’ authority and power?…we would (then) believe that each storm we face is at His mercy.
PR’s TAKE
“God’s peace is not the calm after the storm. It’s the steadfastness during it” Michelle Bengston
“Casting our anxiety on God is a form of humility that acknowledges that He’s much more capable of handling our concerns than we are… we’re invited to focus on God—who’s so much bigger and greater than we are—and entrust our concerns to His loving care.” Our Daily Bread Post
PRAYER
“Dear Jesus, please increase my faith as I meditate on Your power and presence. “
TODAY’S HYMN/WORSHIP/PRAISE/GOSPEL SONG
“PEACE IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM” Shirley Caesar
When the world that I’ve been living in
Collapses at my feet
And when my life is all tattered and torn
Though I’m wind-swept, I’ve been battered
I’m gonna cling unto His cross
I’ll find peace in the midst of the storm
There is peace in the midst of the storm-tossed life
There is an Anchor, there is a rock, to build my faith upon
Jesus Christ is my vessel so I feel no alarm
He gives me peace in the midst of the storm
In my twenty-four short hours
Years of living are brought to moments
When life’s final picture is taking form
In the dark-room of my suffering
I see a light that’s coming and it’s shining through
He gives me peace in the midst of the storm
Now when my spirit has been broken
Till it’s masked by misery
When the doctor shakes his head and looks forlorn
(You know what?)
Jesus comes to make my bedside
A cathedral of faith and love
He’ll give you peace in the midst of the storm
There is peace in the midst of the storm-tossed life
There is an Anchor, there’s a rock, to build my faith upon
(Hallelujah, Hallelujah)
Jesus Christ is my vessel so I fear no alarm
Won’t God give you peace in the midst of the storm?
He’ll give you peace in the midst of the storm
