Bible Verse of the Day
Jesus Calms the Storm
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
This verse seems fitting given the situation we all find ourselves in today with the Coronavirus. There is much to unravel in this passage but what sticks out to me and makes it one of my favorites is how Jesus reacts to his disciples revealing their humanity. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” – powerful on multiple levels but shows fear in its simplest form. Needless to say, we don’t know how big or sturdy the ship was but it’s safe to assume that since Jesus took all his disciples on a journey, it most likely could withstand a storm. He believed that they would be able to get to the other side.
Jesus embraces their fear and during this moment of hardship, uncertainly, chaos, storm, fear of loss, of life, etc… The first words out of his mouth are “Quiet! Be still!” WOW. Not what most of us would do at the first sign of trouble. Certainly not me. In the midst of the storm our heavenly father guides us to observe the storm but not be consumed by it. To be still. Stillness takes many forms. For some it’s meditation, for others a walk in the woods, a hike to the top of a mountain, or the singular focus to observe the texture of a leaf as it falls off a tree. The storm may be around us but we do not need to let it consume us.
Jesus ends by asking us two questions. “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” But it’s really one question. It all comes down to faith. Do we have it or not. It’s certainly easier to believe when things are going well making it easier to see God’s light shining upon us. But not as easy when things aren’t going our way and we are in the middle of a storm (job loss/divorce/addiction/pandemic – fill in the blank). How quickly do we lose our faith, if we even had it to begin with.
I can only speak for myself and as I sit here in the middle of the Coronavirus storm. I go back to the words of Mark 4:35-41. Things will likely get worse before they get better. There will be more waves to hit the side of our boat. The sun might not shine tomorrow, but Jesus is with us today much like he was with his disciples on that boat and he is asking us today that same question he asked many years ago. “Do you still have no faith?” Even after all the challenges that you have overcome? I have faith that the sun will eventually shine. This storm, although different than the previous storms we have all navigated through in the past, is still just a storm. I believe that we are people of faith and not of fear. That we shall walk through this valley to the inevitable light ahead that God is shining upon us. Gods peace.
Alex Levental