Lord of the Storm

Lord of the Storm
Mark 4:35-41
Following the Servant

In these last verses of Mark 4, Jesus’ authority over nature demonstrates His divinity.  The disciples still didn’t understand fully the divine power of Jesus, and Jesus rebukes them for their lack of faith.  The account of this miracle and those in chapter 5 share a common location (the Sea of Galilee), the presence of the disciples, the use of a boat, and the common theme, “Who is this man?” (4:41).

Jesus’ day:

-Accusations by the Pharisees that Jesus was controlled by Satan
-His mother and brothers try to kidnap him thinking he’s gone mad
-Leaving a crowded house he goes down to the lake
-Teaches the crowd with parables
-Gets in a boat and teaches from it (in the hot sun?)
-Evening (exhausted!!) needs a rest.

Matthew 8:24

1.    We learn (vv. 37-38a)

Luke 8:23

Storms are to our spiritual growth.

I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith and love and every grace,
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly His face.
’Twas He who taught me thus to pray,
And He I trust has answered prayer;
But it has been in such a way
As almost drove me to despair.

What kind of trial or challenge or even time of suffering are you going through right now?

Ask God to help you make the most of it!!

Here’s the human weakness of complete tiredness on one hand and the who controls nature on the other!

2.   We learn (vv. 38b, 39)

Colossians 1:16, 17

He has power over all the forces of nature, and to the appeals of those who love Him.

1 Peter 4:12

3.   Learning through (vv. 40, 41)

“God is God and since He is God, He is worthy of my worship and my service. I will find rest nowhere else but in His will, and that will is necessarily infinitely, unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to.”   -Elisabeth Elliot

What kind of faith casts out fear?

A faith that believes what the Bible says about the of Jesus.

Biblical faith sees that He is .

Philippians 4:6–7

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”                2 Timothy 1:7

“If we really believe what we say we believe, if we really think that home is elsewhere, and that this life is a wandering to find home, why should we not look forward to the arrival?”                                             -C.S. Lewis

We’re to understand that it’s through storms and hardships and challenges that God grows us into .

“God is too wise to err, too good to be unkind; leave off doubting Him, and begin to trust Him, for in so doing, you will put a crown on His head.”                                                                                                    -C.H. Spurgeon

Daily Meditations

Memory verse: “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 4:40, 41

Monday

Read Mark 4:32-41.  How is it comforting to know that Jesus, in His sovereignty, led the disciples into this predicament?

How should the disciples have reacted to the fact that the Son of God was sleeping soundly in their boat during the storm?

Tuesday

Read Mark 4:32-41.  How does this help us as we face our own mortality?

Is it possible to show genuine respect (by calling Him “Teacher”) and disrespect (by accusing Him of indifference) at the same time?

Wednesday

Read Mark 4:32-41.  Can you think of a time when you questioned God’s love or justice?

Is it biblically correct to say that we drive a nail into Jesus’ hand when we doubt Him, and we put a crown on His head when we trust Him?

Thursday

Read Mark 4:32-41.  Are you encouraged to see that the disciples who were with Jesus when He was on the earth were slow to fully understand who He was?

On the other hand, do you see why we don’t have an excuse to be as unperceptive as they were?

Friday

Read Mark 4:32-41.  In what way would it be comforting to be in the presence of Jesus?

In what way would it be terrifying?

Does something you have read in the Gospels make you stop and say, “Who then is this?” What about Christ amazes you the most?

Saturday

Read Mark 4:32-41.  What are other lessons you learn from this account?