On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Mark 4:35-41
This passage has become one of my favorites in this season of my life. Not only is it a huge testament of God’s sovereignty, but it is a great story about trust.
My life while I’m in school can often feel like a storm. Tests, papers, assignments, and extracurricular activities battle for my time and batter against the side of my metaphorical boat. I get so overwhelmed with what I have to do that I begin to feel like I am drowning. I forget to trust God, and in my overdramatic fashion, I call out to Him, “do you not care that I am perishing?”
But here’s the thing…God has everything under control. Even in the times of the greatest hardships and tragedies and the storms of life, he is always there. If Jesus can literally stop a storm in its tracks, how much more can he handle my everyday worries?
The World Race has brought a whole new set of waves and worries into my life. I find myself asking questions like, “How in the world am I supposed to raise fifteen thousand dollars?” “How am I supposed to live out of a backpack for 11 months?” “What if I miss something while I’m gone?” “Am I good enough?” “Am I going to be ready?”
These kinds of questions hit me daily and could easily drown me if I do not keep constantly reminding myself that God has it all under control. Even when it seems like God is silent–like Jesus is asleep in the stern–he is still there.
Why am I still so afraid? Do I still have no faith? Sometimes I feel like the disciples, who had to constantly be reminded that the guy they have been following around is the God of the universe who has power over any storm, large or small.
Trust God and he will calm your seas by giving you the peace of knowing that he will work it out. My God is bigger than my storms.
I have a savior who even the wind and the sea obey.
Me at the Sea of Galilee in Israel in 2012, the very sea that Jesus calmed.
