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Weekly Meditation
by Christine White
Mark 4:35 - 41
Jesus Stills a Storm
On that day, when evening had come, Jesus said to the disciples, 'Let us go across to the other side.' And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, 'Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?' He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace! Be still!' Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, 'Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?' And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?'
This story comes at the end of a long and exhausting day in which Jesus was teaching from the boat. Jesus and the disciples are tired, so they decide to go to the other side of the lake, maybe to get a break from the crowd. As they are crossing, a storm blows in. The fishermen among the disciples understand how dangerous these sudden storms can be. The waves are getting higher, the boat is filling with water, the disciples are terrified. They wake Jesus, who is sleeping in the stern, with the words we often address to God "do you not care"? Jesus calms the storm with the words "Peace! Be still!"
In times of tumult and upset, isn't it our first reaction to feel that God doesn't care? We expect God to notice our condition and to take care of us. Just as Jesus was present in the boat with the disciples, God is present with us and concerned for us even when we don't perceive God's care.
My husband, Michael, died in 1997, the same year my Mom died. I felt abandoned and alone, not knowing who I could turn to if an emergency happened. I have two sisters who I was and am close to, who would do all they could to be there for me. But they had their own families and I couldn't be their top priority like I thought I had been to Michael and mom. I missed the security of having someone who made me feel safe.
I threw myself into Bible studies, the kind with several hours of homework each week, and daily quiet time. Gradually over the course of the next year, I once again began to feel peace and safety. I realized that what I had been missing was the illusion of security, since true security comes from within me as a result of my relationship with God. I heard God's voice whispering to me many times, "Peace. Be still. I am with you." The storms still come, but I know that I am the apple of God's eye and cannot be outside of God's love and concern, even when I may not perceive it. The same is true for you!
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