Ever wonder how the apostles could be with Jesus, day in and day out, listening to Him speak, and still not get the message He was telling them?
Well, the apostles didn’t have the benefit of the Bible, but we do, and sometimes we still fall into that same trap.
Today’s story is to remind us that during life’s storms, that the wind and the waves still know His name, and obey Him when he speaks.
The Story
Have you ever thought to yourself, “Boy, those Apostles weren’t very smart.” They get to sit with Jesus himself, and they can’t seem to help but worry, and miss all of the lessons that He’s trying to teach them.
OK, maybe you haven’t thought that… But I have. I mean, common, who better a teacher, preacher could they have, and they still sometimes didn’t get it.
In the book of Mark, chapter four, we find those very apostles. They had been with Jesus for a little bit at that time. On that day they had been listening to Jesus speak to a crowd all day about heaven and the things of this life. Tired, Jesus decides He needs to rest and suggests going across the lake in a boat.
Now this was probably the Sea of Galilee, which is known for its sudden and severe storms. That evening , one of these storms popped up. The Bible says it was a VIOLENT storm. The winds were raging and the waves crashing over the boat.
Many people are afraid to fly. But I’ve never been nervous, even in turbulence. Someone once asked me why, and I said I watched the flight crew. If they are not afraid, I don’t have to worry. When they get worried…I get WORRIED.
That night the boat started to fill with water. I imagine the people on board started trying to bail the water out with whatever they could find. Their actions were hampered by the rocking of the boat.
Now remember, several of the Apostles were professional fishermen. They’ve been to sea many times, and they were afraid. So any non-sailor should also be in fear at this point. Panicked, I can see Peter, a natural leader, directing the others telling them what to do, hoping they can get out of this predicament. Some bailed water out of the boat. Other’s tried rowing to shore, while pulling the sails down so they wouldn’t rip.
Jesus wasn’t helping though. Not seeing Jesus,they look for him, only to find him asleep.
They’re astounded. “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?” You can hear the fear in their voice as you read their words.
Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.
“Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?”
Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
This is the point where I often shook my head, how could they not know after listening to Jesus all this time?
During this pandemic, it’s been tough, and I’ve seen a lot of people being afraid. Afraid for their health, for their jobs, and more. One day, I wasn’t feeling afraid, but depressed about a recent loss. So I turned to music for comfort.
I went online to find the story behind the song, It Is Well With My Soul. The story behind that song is absolutely terrible. But only from the loss that Horatio Spafford suffered, and with a great amount of faith, could someone write those words.
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul
I was looking for the reassurance he had found. On YouTube I searched, and I found a song, just not the song I had intended.
The video was called It is Well, and was around 9 minutes if I remember right. Long enough for the song and some of the story behind I was sure. I figured the title was just shortened by someone who just didn’t feel like typing that day.
I clicked on the thumbnail and started to listen … only then realizing that it wasn’t the same song. But it sounded nice, and I needed nice, so I listened, fully intending to click back after that so I could find what it was I was looking for.
Kristene DiMarco sang this rendition of the song. I just listened, but not really… kind of that in between stage of listening and not, until I heard her sing “the waves and wind still know His name”.
Then I listened. I found myself sitting on that boat, panicked, right beside all those Apostles. “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
We have a luxury that the Apostles didn’t. We know the whole story of Jesus. We often play Monday morning quarterback to their lives knowing what happens next, and next, and next again. They were experiencing it right then and there, not fully seeing and knowing everything.
And yet, even with the extra hindsight that we get to have, I still fell into a worrisome state at not knowing what was going on or what was going to happen tomorrow.
I listened to that song, again and again that afternoon. “Through it all… my eyes on You. Through it all… it is well.”
I heard those lines dozens upon dozens of times, remembering that I don’t need to worry, as it’s all in His hands. And even though I can’t see the end, I can know He’s in charge and just as He can command the Waves and Wind, He can command the events in our life.
And while I may not always get what I want, I can get comfort in Him.
I clicked on a video I hadn’t intended, but I clicked on the video I needed. And maybe now I won’t criticize the apostle’s quite so much.
Points to Ponder
And now I’d like to ask you some questions. Feel free to contemplate them on your own, or as part of a small group or Sunday School setting.
Have you ever wondered how the apostles couldn’t see what it was that Jesus was trying to teach them?
What do you do when you find yourself starting to worry?
Can you think of a time where you had worried – and worrying about it helped?
How can a faith in Jesus help you overcome difficult times?
