Written by Mark Driskill:
Read Mark 4:35-41
Just when the disciples think they have Jesus all figured out he takes them out into the middle of a storm and blows them away. Until now they had become pretty used to Jesus as the demon casting, body healing, parable telling messiah. They were kind of enjoying the fame of being one of his followers. It was kinda cool to have people ask them how they got connected with this teacher. They enjoyed standing by while Jesus drew the crowds with his revolutionary teaching and powerful miracles.
At first leaving everything to follow Jesus was pretty scary, but by now they were feeling almost smug about things. Life was good. Just about the time the boys are collecting some rays along the seashore, Jesus takes them out to sea with a small fleet of boats along side. Here he places them in the center of a storm while he takes a short nap. Suddenly things don’t look so glamorous. Their universe is sent into a tailspin and things are looking pretty dismal. In fact it looks like this is the end of the line, not even their teacher could get them out of this one! With the boat quickly filling they panic and beg Jesus to help. “Don’t you care that we are perishing?” they cry.
At this point I don’t think they were asking Jesus to do anything about the storm. They didn’t know yet that he could do that. I think they were saying, “Hey grab a bucket and start bailing!” Then Jesus gets up, wipes the sleep out of his eye, stretches his back until it pops, and then tells the storm to stop. Then as suddenly as the storm comes it is gone. Unlike other miracles this one doesn’t leave them dancing for joy. It leaves them dazed. “Who is this that even the wind and sea obey him?” They whisper to each other.
Its one thing to know Jesus can heal. But now he controls the weather! The disciples are stunned. They are completely awestruck. Their Jesus just got a whole lot bigger. This is no genie in a bottle who can grant all your wishes. This guy has the atmosphere under his command. They must have just sat and stared at him for the longest time.
Sometimes we need a good storm just to remind us how big Jesus really is. We can get so used to the Jesus we have come to know that we become complacent. We like having a nice manageable Jesus who just tells stories and heals our sicknesses. We are content to bask in the sun along the seashore with our little Jesus alongside. But about the time we think we have Jesus under our control, about the time we feel we have him housebroken and domesticated, he kicks up a storm and scares us to life.
Let us remember today that Jesus is not just a nice guy in a robe telling stories. He is God in the flesh. He doesn’t just help us through storms. He controls the atmosphere. Is your Jesus big enough to handle storms? If not then he is not the Jesus of the New Testament. You need a bigger Jesus. The storm you are in right now just may be his way of showing you just how big he is. Put away your little churchy domesticated Barbie doll Jesus and take hold of the original storm chaser! Hand him your storm today.
Challenge: Think of someone who is going through a storm right now. Go see
them and pray with them that Jesus will calm the storm. Expect him to do
great things. Put away your dogma and believe God.
Mark Driskill and his wife Mary are homeschooling community ministers in Breathitt County Kentucky. They have four children. They co pastor Emmanuel fellowship Church, serve as Camp Pastors at Bethel Mennonite Camp, and Mark Teaches at Oakdale Christian Academy. Mark is web minister for Begotten by the Word , a ministry of Helping Hands Christian Resources. Once a month he preaches on the local radio station through the “Lion of Judah” program.
Mark also preaches in youth rallies and revivals upon request at no charge. Their vision is to see true spiritual awakening come to the mountains of Eastern Kentucky and to the nation.
Contact information:
Email: driskill@hilbillymail.com
Facebook: Mark Driskill
Address: PO Box 1159 Jackson KY.
