Sleeping in the Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Message No. 0807 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca

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Our world is filled with various problems, and God’s children are not always spared from them. However, our attitudes to these problems could mean the difference between defeat and success. God did not promise us a life without challenges, but He promised that He will be with us in the midst of troubles. This week’s writing encourages believers to always remember that our problems are too small for the God who watches from above.

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Whenever I watch videos of weather-related storms, I am always amazed about the sheer power of wind and water. Call it hurricane, windstorm, cyclone or typhoon, watching people’s homes, city structures, electricity poles and wires, trees and other powerful objects being destroyed in a matter of minutes is difficult to absorb. In December 2004, an earthquake in the belly of the ocean triggered a tsunami in Asia, and the world was not the same thereafter. The properties that were destroyed, and more importantly, the lives that were lost, were too many for any sane person to watch and smile.

Now, it is one thing to watch these storms by video, and it is another thing to be in them. Those who survive the storms are usually not the same thereafter. Yet, in Mark chapter 4, the Bible says that Jesus was in one such storm where the boat was tossed up and down like a rollercoaster, and water was gushing into the boat and threatening to sink it, a tsunami-like experience by description, and He was at the back of the boat, sleeping. In life, there are levels of surprises. One level is, wow, that’s surprising, and the other is, what! That’s shocking! The disciples of Jesus were on the second level. The Bible describes the occurrence as follows:

Mark 4:37-40 NKJV

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"

When we are asleep at night and there is a windy rain falling outside, with or without thunder, it is usual for the rain to wake people up and sometimes peep through the window to see what’s going on. How then could the storm described in this picture not wake Jesus up from sleep? Asked another way, what kind of human being could remain asleep under such disturbingly unstable conditions. The answer is not far fetched; it’s the person who is confident that the storm is a joke.

In 1981, Dodie Osteen, mother of pastor Joel Osteen, was diagnosed with liver cancer. Doctors told her that the cancer had already spread throughout the liver and she had only few weeks to live. At that time, she and her husband, pastor John Osteen, were leading Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. Instead of fear, Dodie had an amazing reaction to the diagnoses. She decided that, she would not talk about dying, she would not plan a funeral and she would rather focus on God’s promises of healing. She later said that she filled her house with Bible verses about healing, reading them constantly and thanking Jesus for healing her, even though doctors said her condition was terminal. She continued living her life as though nothing had happened, including cooking for her family, going to church, reading the Bible daily and speaking positively about recovery. She described her mindset as living as if God’s promises was already true. After some time, her strength gradually returned, symptoms began to disappear, and medical tests later reportedly showed no trace of cancer. She went on to live for decades afterward.

This life is filled with storms, and christians are not ordinarily exempted from some. In this world, you will have tribulations, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world (John 16:33). Circumstances will occasionally bring problems that challenge our faith, and sometimes people will question why we are calm, but as God’s children, the way we respond to these situations can mean the difference between failure and victory. It would not make sense to the ordinary person why we are not worried, but Jesus slept perfectly in that storm to teach us that His promises over us are not fake. It does not matter what your own situation is, God’s promises don’t distinguish between sicknesses, relationship matters, employment related issues and other challenges that the ordinary person faces. Sleeping in the storm means that our God is far bigger than our problems, and any show of apprehension could mean that we are disrespecting Him.

What to Do?

Be calm and see the salvation of the Lord (Exodus 14:13).