June 30, 2020
My dear Brothers and sisters in Christ, I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The blessed word that God has given for you , today is from the book of Mark 4:38 “He arose and rebuked the wind, and said, to the sea, Peace be still. And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.”
From the above context we come to learn that there was a great multitude listening to Jesus from the shore. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took Jesus even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. Usually Jesus spoke in parables so that people could understand easily the word unto them, as they were able to hear it, and when they were alone, he explained all things to his disciples. And the same day, when the evening was come, he said unto them, “ Let us pass over unto the other side.”
As they started to sail there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And Jesus was in the back part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and said unto him, “ Master, don’t you care for us? Seeing that we perish. And Jesus arose from his sleep, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, “ Peace, be still”. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, We see that Christ was asleep in the storm, to try the faith of his disciples, and to stir them up to pray. Their faith appeared weak, and their prayers needed to be strong. When our hearts are like the troubled sea, when our passions are unruly, let us learn to be silent, be dumb. Though there may be cause for some fear, yet not for such fear as this. For they can even think because of disbelief, that Jesus does not care, though his people perish.
Faith and fear take their turns while we are in this world; but in the long run, fear will be overcome, and faith will be lost in sight. Was it reasonable for the twelve to be afraid? To this point, the twelve have seen Jesus heal physical maladies, cast out demons, teach mobs, and argue with religious leaders. As miraculous as His powers are, the twelve have yet to see anything that indicates, He has authority over natural phenomenon. Still they wake Him, not necessarily expecting Him to rescue them, but to invite Him into their panic.
So they awake him. Storms on the Sea of Galilee are too dangerous for even the most skilled fisherman. Peter, Andrew, James, and John are out of their depth. But Jesus is calling them to be more than their worldly roles. He is calling them to give their lives over to Him. He has told them, His plans for them, and they should trust that He will see them to completion. But even more so, they must learn to fully give their lives to Him for His purposes.
Though they had witnessed all these miracles that Jesus performed yet they lost their faith when there was a storm in the sea. Jesus was sleeping in the same ship but they grew afraid that they would be drowned in the sea. Most of them were experienced fishermen. Yet when the storm arose, they began to make a hue and cry over the situation. ,
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, how is your faith? Do you love and believe Jesus only when all things go on well or do you still trust Him when there is a storm in your life. May be a family dispute, family separation, a financial crisis, debts, sickness what is it? The Bible says, “Be still and know that I am God.”’ For He spoke and it was done, He commanded and it stood fast. Just Believe on the Lord. . For He calms the storm so that its waves are still. Trust Him all the days of your life and in all circumstances. He will save you. God bless you.
Prayer:
Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Lord, teach us to increase our faith in Jesus. Help us to trust Him at all times. May we believe Him even in the most difficult situation. Never hurt Him by our faithlessness. Let us believe that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think or pray.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
