A single word stilled a raging wind
Some of the disciples were fishermen who knew the Sea of Galilee well, but this storm was different: the waves were breaking into the boat until it was nearly full, and Jesus “was in the stern, asleep on the cushion”. So they woke him, crying out, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38).
“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” (Mark 4:39). The moment they woke him in fear was the moment he woke their faith, as he asked them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40).
Their mistake was not that they cried out to him — crying out to Jesus is the right thing to do; it was that their fear made them doubt that he cared about them. Their question, “Do you not care?”, is the question many of us ask in the storm. And the answer in the story is clear: he does care, and he is in the same boat.
Not every storm in your life will calm at once as that wind did, and the night may be long. But the one who stilled the sea with a word is with you now, and his peace can fill your heart even before the waves around you die down.
Putting It into Practice
- Read Mark 4:35-41 slowly, and put yourself in the disciples' place in the boat.
- Name the storm you are facing today, and tell Jesus about it plainly, as the disciples did.
- Whenever you feel afraid today, repeat in your heart: “Lord, you are with me in the boat.”