Jesus Is in the Boat

Every one of us will experience storms in life. Sometimes those storms involve our finances, our marriages, our families, our health, or circumstances beyond our control. We all face situations that challenge our faith and cause us to wonder what God is doing.

One of the most difficult parts of experiencing a storm is not always the storm itself. Sometimes it’s the feeling that God isn’t doing anything about it. We pray, but nothing seems to change. We ask God for direction, but we don’t seem to receive an answer. We know that God is able, but we wonder why He hasn’t intervened.

In Mark 4, the disciples find themselves in a situation just like this. Jesus had been teaching all day to a large crowd of people beside the Sea of Galilee. The crowd was so large that Jesus had to get a boat and teach from the water while people listened from the shore. Here He talks about these parables:

•   The Sower

•   The Lamp Under a Basket

•   The Growing Seed

•   The Mustard Seed

 

V34 says that Jesus took time when He was alone with His disciples to explain all of these things. Right after, Jesus tells them that they were going to cross to the other side. Jesus had important business to take care of in that He had a God-ordained appointment with a demon-possessed man that He would later deliver and set free. He would later be found sitting, clothed, and in his right mind. Incredible! Jesus demonstrated his authority over demons and spiritual darkness. But before that, Jesus was going to demonstrate His authority over nature and the circumstances of life.

Let’s take a look at Mark 4 as there are several things that we can learn from their experience:

1.     Following Jesus Doesn’t Mean You Won’t Face Storms

Mark 4:35–37
“35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.”

•   The disciples didn’t end up in the storm because they were disobeying Jesus. In fact, they were in the boat because Jesus had instructed them to cross over to the other side.

•   That’s important because sometimes we assume that if we’re doing God’s will, everything should go smoothly. We believe that obedience should produce comfortable circumstances.

•   But the disciples were exactly where Jesus had told them to be, and they still encountered a storm.

Being in God’s will does not make us exempt from life’s difficulties.

•   You can love God, obey His Word, faithfully serve Him, and still experience hardship. Storms are not necessarily evidence that you’ve done something wrong.

•   Sometimes the greatest tests of our faith occur while we’re faithfully following Jesus.

•   Don’t automatically interpret the presence of difficulty as the absence of God’s direction.

2.     God’s Silence Doesn’t Mean He Doesn’t Care

Mark 4:38–39
38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

•   One of the most interesting details in this story is that Jesus was asleep while the disciples were terrified.

•   The disciples woke Jesus and asked, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

•   Notice what they questioned. They didn’t ask whether Jesus was capable of helping them. They questioned whether He cared about what was happening to them.

And sometimes we do the same thing.

•   When God doesn’t respond the way we expect, or when circumstances don’t change as quickly as we’d like, we begin questioning His concern for us.

Be careful not to interpret God’s silence for a lack of concern.

•   Jesus stood up, rebuked the wind, and commanded the sea to be still. The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

•   The disciples discovered that the storm was never beyond Jesus’ authority.

•   Don’t allow what God hasn’t done yet to make you forget what His Word has already revealed about His character.

•   We may not understand God’s timing, but we can trust His heart.

3.     The Storm Reveals What We Believe About Jesus

Mark 4:40–41
40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

•   After calming the storm, Jesus asked His disciples two important questions: “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

•   Jesus wasn’t simply addressing their circumstances. He was addressing their faith.

•   They had already witnessed Jesus perform miracles. They had seen His power demonstrated in extraordinary ways. Yet when they faced a storm themselves, fear overwhelmed their confidence in Him.

•   And then the disciples asked one of the most important questions in the passage: “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

The greatest revelation in this passage is not that Jesus can calm the storms. It’s that Jesus has authority over the storm.

•   The disciples were learning more about who Jesus truly was.

•   Sometimes difficult circumstances reveal where our faith is strong and where it still needs to grow.

•   When storms come, remind yourself of who Jesus is rather than allowing your circumstances to determine what you believe about Him.

•   We don’t always know what Jesus is going to do about our circumstances. But we can trust who He is in the middle of them.

4.     Remember Who Is in Your Boat

•   The disciples began their journey terrified of the storm. They ended their journey in awe of Jesus. Although their circumstances had changed, it gave them an opportunity to receive a greater revelation of the One they were following.

And that is what I want to encourage you with today…

•   You may be walking through something difficult You may be praying about a situation that hasn’t changed. You may be wondering where God is in the middle of everything you’re facing.

Don’t allow your circumstances to cause you to forget who Jesus is.

•   He is faithful.
He is powerful.
He is present.
He is worthy of your trust.

•   He doesn’t promise that every storm will disappear immediately, but we can trust Him regardless of what we’re facing.

THREE TAKEAWAYS

I.      Following Jesus doesn’t mean you won’t go through storms

II.     God’s silence doesn’t mean He doesn’t care

III.   The storm reveals what we believe about Jesus