And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing? Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Peace, be still! And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? 

Mark 4:37-40 

Christ wants us to have faith in Him. Christ had successfully resolved the terrifying circumstances which had engulfed the disciples. He had arisen from sleep, said, ‘Peace be still’, and calmed the storm. Afterward, He asked the disciples two questions: ‘Why are you so fearful? and ‘How is it that you have no faith?’ Why are those important questions, not only for the disciples, but for us as well? Two things were true in the situation. First, Christ was with them. Second, Christ was in control. They were there by His direction. They were not alone. They could not control the situation, but they could trust Him. We are much the same. We follow Christ where He leads us. We go where He sends us. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He is in control, not just of winds and waves, but of all things. Therefore, we have no reason to fear and every cause to have faith in Him. He is in control of all we are not. He has never failed His people. Even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we fear no evil because Christ is with us. We can trust and not be afraid. 

Our Gracious Lord and Master, 
we praise You that you are utterly worthy of our trust. 
We pray that everyday 
You will increase our faith. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Peace, be still! And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 

Mark 4:37-39 

Christ is in control no matter how chaotic the situation is. As Christ and the disciples were on the Sea of Galilee, a severe storm arose.  Christ was asleep at the stern. The water from the waves began to fill the boat. The terrified disciples awakened Christ with cries of, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ Christ, awakened, arose and rebuked the storm by saying, ‘Peace, be still!’ Immediately, ‘the wind ceased and there was a great calm.’ What had upset the disciples was understandable. What had upset them had not upset Him. When they cried out to Him in terror, He demonstrated He was in control of all things. From this we learn something for our own life. We may often be in chaos. It may arise through no fault of our own. We may be exactly where the Lord has led us. We may even cry out to God, thinking He does not care about us as we, perish. What we realize is He is still in control. He may at times seem to be inattentive, yet even when His control is not apparent, it still is. He speaks and all the chaos is gone. All must obey His, ‘Peace, be still.’ 

Our Gracious Master and our God, 
we rejoice that You never lose control. 
We praise You that when You speak, 
all must hear. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? 

Mark 4:37-38 

What upsets us does not upset Christ. In the story from which our text derives, Christ is with His disciples on the Sea of Galilee during a tempestuous wind storm. The sea is so wrought up that the boat is starting to fill.  The disciples, some of whom are experienced watermen, understand the peril. They are highly distraught. Christ, worn out from a day of teaching, healing and ministering, is asleep on a pillow in the back of the ship. He is peacefully undisturbed, while the tempest rages and the disciples fret. Why is this important?  What we see is the difference between God’s perspective and ours. We find ourselves surrounded by chaos.  Many things may be causing it. The chaos may not be the result of anything we have done. We may be understandably upset, as any person of intelligence and experience would be. What we need to understand is that what upsets us does not upset Christ. When we are distraught, He is not. When we are fretful, anxious and fearful, He is composed, calm, and undisturbed. This is why we look to Him. He knows what we do not know. 

Our Gracious Master and our God, 
we rejoice that with You all is peace. 
We praise You that in the midst of the  
most chaotic circumstances of life, 
You are calm. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, Let us cross over to the other side. Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing? 

Mark 4:35-38 

Christ does not send us without going with us. After a heavy day of teaching, Christ spoke to His disciples to sail across the Sea of Galilee to the other side. He joined them in the boat and being tired from His exertions, fell asleep.  The Sea of Galilee is relatively shallow and can become violently turbulent. According to the passage when ‘a great windstorm arose,’ the waves beat against the boat and it began to fill. This provoked great anxiety and upset among the disciples, some of whom were experienced watermen, and understood the gravity of the situation. Christ continued to sleep. The disciples, understandably distraught, began to awaken Christ with cries of, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ We will eventually come to consider this challenge. For the moment, let us dwell upon the fact that Christ had not sent them out onto the water without going with them. This is His way. David could say, ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.’ The writer of Hebrews declare, ‘Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ No matter what the situation, if Christ has sent us to do anything, He will go with us. We are not alone, even in the midst of chaos. Christ is with us wherever He has called us to be. 

Our Gracious Master and our God, 
we rejoice in Your leadership. 
We praise You that You do not send us anywhere 
without going with us. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning