Good morning.
I do hope you are well this Lord’s Day morning. O how we need the divine food from the throne of God today and every day to keep us stable in a world of instability. He is the anchor for our souls. He restores our souls. He prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies. And one day, we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
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Psalm 105:1-4
Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!
Song
Only Jesus
Prayer
Scripture Reading
Mark 4:35-41
Mark 4:35-41
On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 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?”
39 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. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
Song
In the Eye of the Storm
A Word from Pastor Steve
My hope for you and your family is to allow God to draw you closer to Himself. The more we see Him the more we love Him, and the more we love Him the more we trust Him. This is a continued motion going in the right direction. The more we trust Him the more our fears, worries, and lack of faith dissipate.
In Mark chapter 4 we see again the mighty power of God.
This was a very long day for Jesus and His disciples. In fact, it started back in chapter 3 verse 20. To escape the crowds and seek a time of rest they set out to cross the sea of Galilee. They crossed not in the smaller rowing boats of the day but the larger fishing vessels, according to the word recorded.
They were going for rest. But there was to be a trial before that rest.
As we note verse 35 Jesus says to His disciples, “Let us cross over to the other side.” On the authority of Jesus’ words they will make it to the other side!
Then it happens. As the very exhausted Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat, a killer storm erupts. In verse 38 these seasoned fishermen know this storm is going to drown them. Then the cry in verse 38,“Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Matthew 8:25 says, Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
Mark verse 35 is worth noting again. “Let us cross over to the other side.”Jesus did not say, let us go down to the sea and be drowned.
Have you ever asked the question in 4:38? God, don’t you care? God, can’t you see what is going on? Like the disciples, when the waves crash over our lives do we question the Lord’s concern? Do we question His sovereignty over all circumstances?
In verse 39 Jesus brings clarity to all fears and doubts. “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.”
“Peace” literally, be silent was the address to the howling winds. “Be still” Be muzzled! Psalm 89:9 “You rule the raging of the sea, when it’s waves rise you still them. “
In verses 40 Jesus now addresses His disciples. “But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” They did not yet realized the great fact that the kingdom was present in the person and work of Jesus.
Now in verse 41 we see a different kind of fear than the kind invoked by the storm.
“They feared exceedingly.” This was a deep reverential awe in the presence of the supernatural. This should be our daily attitude towards God.
Some Teaching to Ponder and Apply.
This life threatening trial brought them closer to the reality of the Savior.
It increased their faith to trust Him more. And it gave them a greater boldness to serve Him. The next time you find yourself tossed by the storms of life and are tempted to say, “Master don’t you care that we perish?” Remember that Jesus, if you have trusted Him as Lord and Savior, is in your boat.
Cast aside any doubt regarding either God’s concern for you or His ability to effectively act upon that concern. And remember the promise (the certainty) when life here is coming to an end - that just as Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us cross over to the other side.” He says with certainty to us in John 14:2-3, “I go and prepare a place for you. I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
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Hebrews 13:20-21
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
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May I encourage you this week to read or listen to the four gospels. Allow them to flow into your heart and soul and experience the power and wonder of the Lord Jesus Christ. See His mighty hand healing the sick, commanding nature and most of all providing forgiveness of sin by His death and resurrection. Doing this will humble you as you see Jesus not as the world depicts Him but as He really is. If you know Him your faith will grow, if not my prayer is that you would turn from your sin and come to Him as did Thomas believing and saying, My Lord and My God.