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by Michelle Welch

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
Mark 4:35 (ESV)

We all know this story. We have sat in the pews, nodding our heads in agreement as pastors remind us that we should have faith. That Jesus has power over the wind and the sea. Over the storms that threaten to swamp us. We are in awe as we ponder His call to nature to “Be still!”

Yet there is something so much more powerful in this verse that we often times miss. It is something that can be hard to wrap your mind around. But there it is in black and white.

Jesus TOOK them into the storm.

Let that sink in for a moment. Jesus, the one who knows all, who knows our tomorrows and the end of every story, took the disciples into the storm.

We don’t want to think that. We don’t want to believe that someone who loves us would scare us like that.

But as we read the first verse again, pausing with each word to grasp the full context, there is one thing that should stand out.

“Let us go across to the other side.”

Jesus didn’t send them into the storm. He took them into the storm. He knew what was going to happen and He knew they would need Him. He knew that the only way to get to the other side of the lake was to go right through the storm. There was no way around it.

Do you notice what happens in the middle of the storm? The disciples cry out to Him. “Do you not care?” How often do we lift our eyes to Heaven in the pain of the moment and wonder if God even cares that we are about to go under? How many times have we cried out in fear, feeling afraid and alone?

But, sweet sister, you are not alone. He is there. He is with you. He can and will and does calm the storm at just the appropriate time.

Notice also that He doesn’t answer the disciples during the storm. He calms the storm. He waits until all is calm. Then He asks the disciples “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” Not, I don’t think, to make them feel bad but to remind them that, when they are in His presence, they never have to be afraid AND they must believe that He will do what He has promised to do which is to take them to the other side.

We leave you with this reminder from Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” He WILL be with you. He WON’T ever leave you. He WANTS you in the boat with Him.

Blessings,

Jenny, Frieda, Ingrid, and Michelle

Copyright © 2016, Michelle Welch, all rights reserved, Breath of Life Women’s Ministries. Images courtesy of Michelle Welch, all rights reserved. Scripture from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.