“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.” – Isaiah 43:10-11.
The story of Jesus calming the storm is a familiar one to those who were brought up in church. It can be found in gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke. Jesus had been teaching near the Sea of Galilee. Looking for a break from the crowds, Jesus decided to take a boat with the disciples to the opposite shore. Not long after they sailed, Jesus fell asleep and a storm arose (Luke 8:23). The creaking timbers groaned as the ship rocked back and forth, and waves crashed over the hull. The disciples tried to bail the water out, but soon the boat was full. It seemed like all hope was lost. The disciples ran to find Jesus. They awoke Him and asked “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus stood up and with three words, “Peace, be still!” He muzzled the storm. Mark 4.41 ends with the question the disciples asked themselves after witnessing an astonishing miracle: “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
That was an obvious question. But it was not a question that needed an answer. Rather, it was a rhetorical question asked by men who had seen the miraculous that led them to a obvious and undeniable conclusion. What else could you think? This is not rocket science, although it took a while for it all to sink in, as it sometimes does with all of us. In a short period of time they had seen Jesus cast out demons, heal a variety of diseases, cleanse lepers, declare to men that their sins were forgiven, heal a withered hand, and teach in ways no man has ever taught before. His goal? At least in part, was to force people to look at Him in a new light and to evaluate Him in different terms.
I believe the most important question you can answer in life is the same question the disciples asked in the boat that day: Who is Jesus Christ? Who is this man? Like the disciples, you might think you have Jesus all figured out. You may think you are doing fine without Him. Consequently, you have even taken him along in the boat with you and left Him sleeping quietly in the corner over there where He doesn’t disturb you.
The fact is we cannot contain Jesus. And when He suddenly breaks out of your compartment of your heart where you have contained Him and you are confronted with His awesome power and majesty, you will be terrified, even as the disciples were.
Jesus is not a fabled figure. He is not just a charismatic teacher or a loving man. He is the eternal Son of God who created you. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the Judge of all mankind. Who is it that can still the waves with the spoken word? Although it seems that these men could not get their minds entirely around the concept, they have been shown wonder working capability of such magnitude, actual control of the wind and the waves, such as only Almighty God possesses. And today, God still controls the wind and the waves and everything else in our lives that we are worried about.
Discussion Questions:
- How would you answer the question: “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
- Sometimes God lets you hit rock bottom so that you will discover He is the Rock at the bottom. Agree or disagree?
- The disciples had underestimated the power of Jesus. Once they turned to Him, Jesus immediately calmed the storm. God wants to be the calmer of our storms as well. How should we react when we see a storm coming our way?
- Make a list of some storms you want the Lord to calm down in your life. After you’ve made your list, pray over a specific storm each day for the next week.