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The Storm is Surrounding Me

In the story from Mark Chapter 4, Jesus and some of the other disciples travel in a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. After a long day of preaching, Jesus falls asleep.

A bad storm hits them quickly, and the boat is being overtaken by water. Still, Jesus sleeps. The disciples are scared and angry, and they exclaim, "Don't you care that we are perishing?"

Jesus gets up and says, "Peace. Be still," and then the storm ceases. He then questions the disciples' fear and their faith in him.

They look at each other; their faces are white—as if they have seen a ghost. They question one another and wonder, "Who is this man that even the wind and the waves obey him?"

The Sea of Galilee is unique. It is about 680 feet below sea level and surrounded by very tall hills. The dry, cool air from the high hills comes down and mixes with the warm, moist air of the sea. This causes high winds, temperature changes, and air-pressure changes, and a storm can develop very quickly and without warning.

Many in the boat that day were seasoned fishermen who were used to these conditions, so we can assume that this must have been a very unusual and violent storm.

What is also remarkable about this story is just how human and how relatable the disciples were in that moment. They had heard Jesus speak to the crowds with words and with an authority that no one had ever witnessed. They had watched as Jesus performed miraculous healings. They had witnessed him driving out demons. Yet when the storm came in, they forgot to believe; they forgot to have faith.

How like us they were in that boat that night.

They were like the man with the son who was possessed by a spirit in the ninth chapter of Mark; the man said, "I believe. Help my unbelief." I believe this is one of the most honest expressions of the struggle of faith in the Bible. I believe that it is an expression that many of us can relate to.

Sometimes we also believe that if Jesus is in the boat, there won't be a storm. 

We couldn't be more wrong.

It is because he is in the boat that storms arise. The devil hates him and he hates you for following him. The enemy will throw all the powers of hell against you to get you to fear, doubt, panic, and lose faith.

Remember that the devil and his demons reside in the dry place. This is where they want you. If they can bring you to the wilderness, they will control you. Don't let them have that power.

Walking with Jesus is not easy. It is why the gate is narrow and few enter it. Meditate on this today if you are on the sea and your boat is filling up: Jesus's presence in our lives may stir up the storm, but he is also the one that calms the storm.

Tell your problems, your worries, your stress, your doubt, your unbelief, the bad report, the bills that are piling up, the diagnosis, the troubled relationship, and the children who are in trouble, "Peace! Be still!"

Going to the Well Journal Prompt

Write a scene from a play in which you and Jesus are in a boat together. It is just the two of you. You are in the middle of a personal storm, and you are given this unprecedented opportunity to speak to Jesus face-to-face. In your journal today, write the script for the play. I have set it up for you, but only you can create what would be said between the two of you. 

Act 1

Scene 1

Setting: You and Jesus are in a boat together and are at sea. The storm is surrounding you. You turn to Jesus and speak.

Drinking the Living Water

Oh loving Lord, the wind and rain come down hard and fast. Clouds darken all around me. Won't you help me? Send me your protection and peace against the chaos. Let your grace cover and calm my heart even in the uncertainty. Send your Spirit to show me that no matter what happens, my soul is at rest in the love and mercy of the Captain of my ship, Christ Jesus. I am trusting you until the storm passes. In Jesus name.

Amen.

This devotional plan contains excerpts from my new 40-day devotional, Abundant Rain . 

I pray you have been blessed by the Living Water this week!

—Susie

Between the Gardens Ministries