Thursday, February 20

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side."  Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.  A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet!  Be still!"  Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid?  Do you still have no faith?"

They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this?  Even the wind and the waves obey him!"

(Mark 4:35-41)

The disciples cowered in the boat during a furious storm.  Understandably, they worried about the clear and present danger of the rising waves, which had begun to flood the boat.  Meanwhile, Jesus slept in the boat, apparently unfazed by the commotion around Him.

When we consider this incident in terms of God's sovereignty over the universe, Jesus's relaxed state makes sense.  We naturally become concerned when "factors outside our control" pose threats to our well-being.  To God, His sovereign power means that He doesn't face such "factors outside our control."

Upon waking Jesus, the disciples asked a manipulative question, out of desperation:  "Teach, don't you care if we drown?"  Jesus then responds by calming the wind and waves by His rebuke.  He tied the disciples' panic and lack of trust to their faith.  Afterwards, the disciples came to "fear" (as in reverent awe) the One Whom they had seen calm the wind and waves.

If we seek God through the process, turmoil and trouble helps us to grow closer to Him and to see Him more clearly.  In Job's final remarks, he explains that once he had heard of God, but now he has seen Him (and therefore knows Him more deeply).  The linchpin of whether trouble makes us bitter or better lies in our posture:  to seek God or to seek comfort in "factors within our control."

I am on this journey of seeking God and learning to trust Him.  It is an exciting journey and leads to great fulfillment and purpose.  While not easy, the great rewards of knowing God better and living out His purposes are quite evident:  in a transformed life and in the opportunity to bless others.  I am extremely grateful that God, in His mercy, will never leave us nor forsake us; that makes Him completely trustworthy!

Lord God, thank You for this great testimony of Your sovereignty and faithfulness to Your people.  We are often like the disciples, concerned whether You even care.  Help us to know You more and more, through blue skies and troubled times.  Guide us by Your Spirit to seek You each day.  Strengthen us to turn away from the temptations of the easy route, but let us consistently choose to follow You and believe in Your promises.  In Jesus's mighty Name, amen.