How to Quiet a HurricaneSample

He Rebuked the Wind

After the disciples woke Jesus from his nap, it didn’t take long before he surprised them again: “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm” (Mark 4:39).

Try to imagine what these followers of Jesus were feeling as they heard their rabbi talk to the weather. Jewish tradition taught that only God could command the weather. People in the ancient Near East saw the sea as the great uncontrollable force. God’s mastery of the seas—such as when he parted the Red Sea to deliver his people from bondage in Egypt and when he moved the Jordan River out of the way when his people needed access into the Promised Land—was critical to Israel’s understanding of God.

“Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens?” (Job 38:37). The answer is clear: only God can do that. The story in Mark 4 is thematically connected to Psalm 107, where the psalmist described sailors who were trapped in a storm. In their terror, they cried out to the Lord.

He stilled the storm to a whisper;

the waves of the sea were hushed.

They were glad when it grew calm,

and he guided them to their desired haven.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing

love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. (Psalm 107:29–31)

The Hebrew word used here for love is hesed, which shows up over 250 times throughout the Old Testament. It describes the loyal, faithful, unwavering, covenant love of God.

The disciples in the boat knew Psalm 107. It was why they were so stunned by the actions of Jesus: calming the storm didn’t just save their lives; it also put Jesus on par with God. Jesus’s demonstration of power was a revelation of his identity. He was not just a carpenter who came to teach. He is God, come to save—the ultimate demonstration of hesed. Jesus is God’s loving solution to our most dangerous storms.

God, you are the one who can still the storms in my life, you are the one who loves me with an unwavering, unconditional, eternal love. Help me to trust in both your power and your faithfulness today. Amen.