What is the hardest thing that you’ve ever been through in your life? Maybe it was the loss of a loved one, or perhaps you’ve gone through the pain of a failed marriage. Perhaps a job that you thought provided you with the long-term security that you were looking for wound up being outsourced, and you were left looking for ways to pick up the pieces. For some of us, the hardest thing we’ve ever had to face is now a memory, but for others, the hardest thing you’ve ever had to face is the reality of your present.
If you are currently facing what you would consider the most difficult time of your life, there’s good news. You’re going to get through this. It may not seem like it at the moment, and that’s OK. You don’t have to see the way out from where you are. Feeling hopeless in the middle of the hardest thing you’ve ever had to face doesn’t make you a weak Christian, and your Father isn’t ashamed of You. However, He’s there. In the middle of your pain, He’s there. In the middle of those sleepless nights where tears are saturating your pillow, He’s there. When you can’t even muster up enough of an appetite to eat breakfast because the anxiety is so strong, He’s there.
Scripture provides countless stories of God’s people facing seemingly impossible situations. In many cases, some of them lost hope. However, the same God who delivered them is more than able to deliver you.
Jesus Calms a Storm
Mark 4:35 (TPT)
Later that day, after it grew dark, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.”
This comment from Jesus was nothing unusual. In the verses leading up to this trip across the lake, Christ had been teaching the crowds about various topics through parables. While we don’t have a lot of details about everything that went on, it’s safe to assume that Christ was tired after a long day of ministry. We’re going to revisit this verse in a bit, but it’s important that we set the scene with it now. Remember, the first thing that Jesus said to the disciples was that they needed to go to the other side of the lake.
Mark 4:37 (TPT)
Suddenly, as they were crossing the lake, a ferocious tempest arose, with violent winds and waves that were crashing into the boat until it was all but swamped.
Has your life ever felt like a boat that was caught in a storm that appeared suddenly? Sometimes we face hardships that we can see coming. If you heard about your company downsizing, you may have seen the tempest coming. However, what about the storms that come out of nowhere? What if you walk in the door from work one day and find divorce papers on your kitchen table? What if there was no talk of your company downsizing, and you simply walk in to find out that you no longer have a job? What happens when that routine doctor’s appointment turns into a cancer diagnosis?
Sometimes our storms don’t come with a forecast. When a storm is forecasted, we’re able to make preparations for it. However, sometimes storms just come out of nowhere. In most cases, those are the ones that leave us reeling, wondering if we’re ever going to make it through.
Mark 4:38-39 (TPT)
But Jesus was calmly sleeping in the stern, resting on a cushion. So they shook him awake, saying, “Teacher, don’t you even care that we are all about to die?” Fully awake, he rebuked the storm and shouted to the sea, “Hush! Calm down!” All at once the wind stopped howling and the water became perfectly calm.
It’s easy for us to read about this exchange between Christ and His disciples and laugh at them. It’s easy for us to take a look at their reaction to the storm and the way they approached Jesus and critique them for their lack of reverence. However, we’re only able to do that because we know how the story ended. Remember, many of the disciples were skilled fishermen before they became disciples of Christ. They knew how to navigate rough waters, but this storm was so bad that they truly believed that they weren’t going to survive it.
These skilled fishermen, men who had navigated through storms before, were overwhelmed by the wind and the waves. While we have the luxury of reading verse 39 in the same breath as verse 38, Peter, James, John, and the others weren’t so lucky.
In the same vein, we don’t get to see how things are going to work out while we’re in the middle of the storm we didn’t see coming.
Maybe you’ve heard it said that it’s sinful to question God. Not only is that line of thinking not supported by Scripture, but it’s actually a dangerous mindset. The disciples questioned how much Christ cared about them because while they were struggling for survival, He was taking a nap.
Mark 4:40 (TPT)
Then he turned to his disciples and said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Haven’t you learned to trust yet?”
Yes, Jesus took this opportunity to correct the disciples, but He never stopped loving them. He didn’t wake up from His nap, tell them that He was ashamed of them, and leave them to figure out how to navigate the storm. Instead, He asked them a question that prompted an internal evaluation of their own faith after doing what they needed Him to do.
Our moments of weakness don’t repel God. He doesn’t take a look at our lack of faith, our worry, and our fears, and shake His head in disappointment. He isn’t looking for a way to punish us for being afraid of the storm. Instead, He looks for a way to teach us something about Him and ourselves. In many cases, those lessons can only be learned in the middle of unexpected storms.
Remember how we said that we needed to remember the first verse? Let’s go back and revisit it for a moment.
Mark 4:35 (TPT)
Later that day, after it grew dark, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.”
Jesus told them that they were going to go to the other side of the lake. He didn’t tell them that there wouldn’t be a storm. He didn’t tell them that the trip would be easy. But He did tell them that they were going to cross over to the other side.
When Jesus made that promise to the disciples, it sealed their future. The storm wasn’t going to kill them; they were going to the other side! The boat may have been “all but swamped,” but they weren’t going to sink; they were going to the other side! Child of God, He never promised you that the storms wouldn’t come, but He has promised us that we’re going to the other side.
God has a beautiful plan for your future (Jeremiah 29:11). However, that plan doesn’t mean that storms won’t come. It doesn’t mean that there won’t be times where you wonder where He is. However, you can rest in the promise that You are going to get through this!
A Closing Prayer:
Lord, I feel like my vessel is sinking in this storm. I didn’t see it coming, and I don’t know if I’m able to get through it myself. I feel like you’re asleep and there have been times where I wondered if You cared. I know that You do, but I need You to calm my storm. In Christ’s name, Amen.