JESUS CALMS THE STORM

Jesus calms the storm

In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus told his disciples “let us go over to the other side”, leaving the multitude behind. The first lesson here is to cross over to other side is many times not a call for the multitude. It was his committed disciples he asked but to pass over to the other side. In verse 36, The disciples had left everything they were doing to follow Jesus Christ. They had seen many miracles of Jesus Christ and at the time a lot of people (Pharisees and all) were against Jesus Christ, but his disciples were still following. There is an expectation that being part of the inner caucus there will be some form of immunity to challenges, but that was not the case here. In verse 37, there was a storm, certain details are found in the course of obeying instructions.  

The disciples obeyed Jesus to pass over to the other side and experienced a storm. Jonah experienced a great storm on his way, but his case was that of disobedience. In Acts 27:11, in the case of Paul, there was a storm due to natural opposition. The storm that came here in Mark 4:37 came while the disciples were obeying Jesus instruction. The people that did not cross over to the other side were not experiencing a storm. Some say that when someone becomes a Christian all the troubles go away. but that is not true. There are storms or troubles that come just because you want to obey Jesus Christ you want to cross over to the other side. In the place of transition for good, there may be storms. Because a house is on the rock there is a limit to what a storm can do, but doesn’t mean there won’t be a storm. Sometimes challenges can come in a way that it is dangerous to go back and dangerous to move forward. In the storm the disciples must have thought of going back, but no way back and no way forward. Some of the challenges come as a result of our decision to follow Jesus Christ. We serve a God that is not troubled, he rules over circumstances and cannot be tossed about, the bible advises us to be stable and not tossed around. Jesus was 100% God and 100% man but in this case of this storm Jesus was sleeping because he was physically exhausted and needed to rest his flesh. Jesus was tempted as we are, the devil tempted him in Heb 4:15, ”.... but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin”. We have a mediator (Jesus Christ) that feels the pain of human. A father was teaching his little son how to dunk a ball in a basketball game and his father kept telling the son that it was so easy and his son considering his small size said to his dad “It is not easy for me down here”. Sometimes it feels like we are that son.

 Jesus Christ understands the challenges that we face. The disciples are men that had seen Jesus perform so many miracles and knew how Jesus Christ loved them but yet asked in verse 38, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”. 

Questions arise in time of challenges, in Psalms, David asked questions too, he asked “how long?”. This is not an endorsement of asking questions, but a highlight that even the best of disciples can ask why? God recognized Abraham as a man of faith but he lied to Abimelech that his wife was his sister, because he feared they will kill him. God considered David a man after his heart but one day in 1 Samuel 27:1 he said “one day Saul will kill him”and decided to take refuge with the enemies of God. John the baptist doubted if Jesus was the messiah spoken about because of the challenges he was facing. Even the anointed followers can have challenges. 

 The important thing was Jesus was inside there in the boat. God has not promised us a life without challenges but in the fire, he will be there. He will be with us, Jesus was the fouth man in the fire In Daniel 3:25 “He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God”. The seeming care of man is most times selfish, when politicians plan their election campaign, they mingle with commoners, eat with them just to be identified with them for selfish purposes of winning election. Jesus is always there with us and his concern for us is not selfish. Storms can be challenges both physical and spiritual they can also be human beings. in Psalm 66:12 “Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place”. You pass through storm to get to the wealthy place. 

And in verse 39, Jesus arose and rebuked the wind and said “Peace be still”. 

The movement of the wind was what caused the storm. The power behind the storm was rebuked. There is something behind the storm that we see we need to arise and rebuke in the name of Jesus Christ. After Jesus Christ rebuked the wind there was great calm from great storm to great calm. In verse 40, Jesus questioned the disciples on why they were afraid and with no faith, it was not a rebuke but an encouragement to stop being afraid and act in faith. Jesus instruction to go to the other side was prophecy and nothing could stop that. The disciples only needed to apply faith to see the fulfilment of the prophecy.  In Psalm 29:8,10 “The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh, .....,The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever”,

 Faith is active believe. In verse 41, the disciples were terrified at all Jesus has said and done because they knew Jesus but did not know how much Jesus can do. They had a limitation to the knowledge of what he can do. In Mark 5:1, They finally crossed to the lake of the region of Garasenes and met a man with an impure spirit. The man was delivered by Jesus and later became a preacher of the gospel.

How do storms come

1.       The storm can come to stop us from doing great exploits for God.

2.       Storms come by wrong assumptions. Trying to use professional know how to Judge things

3.       Storms come because the enemy opposes us for obeying God’s instruction. The enemy can come in as a flood. Isaiah 59:19 “......When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” The enemy is out to fight anything that is of God. 

What do i do in the storm

1.       Examine your life to whether there is any place of disobedience either directly or by association. In Jonah 1:4, Jonah was the reason for the storm but others also experienced it.

2.       Don’t trust your understanding but seek God’s counsel.

3.       Trust God and have absolute faith in God.

4.       Confess the word of God and his promises.

5.       Rebuke and speak against the negative challenges and storms.

6.       Work in the spirit, let our spirit man be energized. 

Isaiah 59:9b says “....When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.”

 John 7:37b says “......Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them”. The flow inside is stronger than a storm outside a Christian cannot be swallowed up. Psalm 46:4-5b “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall;.....”. Revelations 22:1 “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb”. 

There is no storm that can swallow a Christian when the river is flowing within them, for greater is the river flowing inside than the storms outside. A Christian has to energize that flow inside to overcome the storms outside. Psalms 89:9 says “You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.” Jesus Christ rules over the surging sea and wave and stills them. Psalm 124 says “If not for God we would have been swallowed up”

God can only come in to calm the storm in your life when you are born again. Join the prayer below to accept Jesus Christ as your lord.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, please forgive me all my sins. Come into my life and be my personal lord and savior. Please Lord, Calm every storm in my life in Jesus name. Amen.

 MINISTER: SAMUEL OGUTA