Stormy Weather

Take a minute to read Mark’s account of Jesus calming the storm:

aboard a boat; Sea of Galilee - 2019

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

This is just one of those passages that sticks to my bones. I keep coming back to it. I meditate on some of the phrases regularly. They’re [pun intended] calming to me. But as I’ve aged, [hey there final years of my 40’s and next decade of life], this story has matured for me. After all, Jesus calming the storm is just about as low-hanging as you can get in terms of miracles often present in the earliest years of preschool and kids ministry curriculum. It’s an easy story with a great bottom line. Life can be stormy [literally and figuratively] and we have a Savior who is over and above all that and able to control it. 

In this case, for me, maturity has come to mean even more than sovereignty. Let me back up. What isn’t present in super young VBS style illustrations but reserved for discipled teens and older is the realization and personalization that some times [maybe even often times], the Lord who allowed that storm chooses not to calm it quickly. And even that is an expression of his power and his love for us. Moving forward, the parts of this quick miracle that mean the most are the ones highlighted the least.

First, Jesus was asleep. Is that a miracle in and of itself that we move past too quickly? After all, we are a people drawn to the dramatic. Commanding wind and rain and waves to cease makes for a much better movie. I’ve seen Perfect Storm, starring a much younger George Clooney and an oddly never aging Mark Wahlberg. In my mind, that’s the storm I see on the Sea of Galilee. I’m no mariner, but that’s what I envision when I read furious squall. And those disciples, furiously attempting to secure the boat and save their lives like both the real life fishermen aboard the Andrea Gail and their Hollywood portrayers - that’s what’s in my mind. Yet, in the middle of all that commotion, Jesus hits the snooze button again and again. Is that a miracle worth mentioning?

What if, instead of working feverishly to control every wild bit of weather in my life…or instead of crying loudly when it overcomes me in life…the better example Jesus set for us aboard the boat is to learn how to remain calm no matter what we face in life?

Here’s my point. It’s great for Jesus to calm storms. But, what if instead, He wants to calm me?

Next, there’s that whole other side business. And this is where pilates come into play and I have to do some stretching. [FYI: I don’t do pilates…nor am I 100% sure I know what they really are]. Read that first verse again. It has two phrases that have come to be a balm for me. 

“Let’s go over to the other side.”

“Leaving the crowd behind.”

We have some furious squalls going on in the world. Everywhere abroad and sadly, here at home. We have leaders on all sides feverishly working to calm things their way [and sadly vilifying anyone who doesn’t see things their way]. One leader even recently commented on how bad the battle is in our streets and how worse it’s bound to get, ultimately calling us to pray, but not before stoking the flames of fear that [in my mind] have contributed to the panic and fueled outrage far more than any outcry. We do have faithful believers who are crying out for Jesus to calm these storms and I have to wonder if even our pleas are part of the problem. What if a better example is for followers to remain calm? I’m not suggesting we sleep through the pain, turn apathetic to the problems, or ignore our responsibility. I’m just wondering if the better part of this story for us is a sense of calm within us when there is a storm around us. Perhaps that would be a better illustration of faith...if we weren’t so fearful in the first place. We don't always have to join the crowd...or rise to the volume they use...or sacrifice our values for victory.

“Jesus, please calm us.” And when the natural instinct in us is to pick a side and take our place in the proverbial battle…maybe, just maybe, the better place for us to be is on another boat…heading to another side…away from the crowds. 

Believers. Faithful followers. Let’s go to the other side. The one where the crowds aren’t screaming. The one where the so called disciples aren’t frantic and finger pointing…because let’s not forget…those guys got a little testy with Jesus. At least, that’s how I read “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?!?!?!”

When the crowds around us are yelling and pointing. When the leaders we trusted are choosing to stoke fear for the sake of sound bites. When the natural instinct is pick a plan for fixing the problem and make enemies out of anyone and everyone who doesn’t get on board. Maybe we can head to the other side, where calm prevails. Participating in the panic doesn’t do what we hope. Sometimes engaging in the battle only enrages it and makes opponents into armies to be conquered rather than people to be loved.  May we be the shockingly calm presence in the middle of whatever wild storm we’re in. That would truly be, miraculous.