Jesus Calms the Storm
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!”Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Mark 4:35-41 (NIV)
This was one of my favorite stories as a kid in Sunday School….pretty dramatic stuff! But I have to admit, I always kind of sided with the disciples on this one….it always seemed to me like they were pretty patient with the whole “furious squall” thing, and it wasn’t until the water was literally swamping the boat that they woke Jesus up. I probably would have been a little curt at that point, too!
Funny, but of all the times I’ve read this passage, I don’t think I ever really realized until today, that it doesn’t seem like the disciples expected him to actually calm the wind and waves….they just wanted him to do something; they wanted him to save them. When Jesus calmed the storm with just his words, they didn’t say, “Well, finally! That’s why we woke you up…now let’s get to the other side already….” Nope – they were amazed – and terrified! They lived with Jesus. They had seen him do countless miracles. And yet, they continued to have trouble trusting him. He saved them that day, out there on the water, and they were amazed….
The first time I heard this song over a year ago, I cried through the whole thing, not because my faith was strong, but because it was not. It made me recall earlier days when I would have freely sung the words “it is well” without hesitation. And I mourned that freedom! I missed the feeling of absolute trust and belief that Jesus would always save me, no matter how strong the wind or high the waves.
Sometimes (often, actually) it’s only after the passage of time that we can see change, and that’s particularly true of the works of our hearts. As I sit here at my trusty laptop, trying to find words to reveal the healing that continues to take place in my life, I am listening to “It Is Well” and once again can hardly see through the blur of tears, but for a very different reason. I don’t know when it happened….I couldn’t pinpoint it if I tried….but I can honestly say, that even through the pain, through the tremendous grief that still visits me daily, and even though the wind and waves are still visible in the distance….
….it is well….with my soul.
That’s redemption, friends. That’s relentless love. And it’s amazing.
I don’t know what your hopes or expectations are as we move through the season of Lent toward the cross and the resurrection. I don’t know what storms you may be facing even now, but I do know that, no matter what it looks like – no matter how dark the clouds or howling the wind….Jesus can still be trusted to save us. The waves and wind still know his name….and he knows ours. <3
It Is Well
Kristene DiMarco & Bethel Music
Moved by the sound of His voice
Seas that are shaken and stirred
Can be calmed and broken for my regard
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
Through it all, through it all
It is well
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
It is well with me
Far be it from me to not believe
Even when my eyes can’t see
And this mountain that’s in front of me
Will be thrown into the midst of the sea
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
Through it all, through it all
It is well, it is well
So let go my soul and trust in Him
The waves and wind still know His name
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
It is well it is well with my soul
ahhhhhhh
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You Lord
Through it all, through it all
It is well with me.
