Read Mark 4:35-41. Key Verse: 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?" (v.41)
I live near the Gulf of Mexico. As I drive early morning on trips outside of my city, I purposely drive along the Gulf so I can be reminded of where and how beautiful is the place where I live. On some mornings it is incredible that the water is like glass and not a ripple in it. Not a wave, nothing. It is later in the day when boats or ships push along the waters that it begins to have the waves. It is on other days that the waves splash mightily along the seawall. I respect the sea.
The sea respected Jesus in this passage. As the disciples and Jesus tried to make their way across the sea, He fell asleep and a storm arose. The disciples feared for their lives and when awaken, Jesus calmed the sea, leaving the disciples to ask the question, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" Who is Jesus indeed? That's a question that many want answered especially as they encounter the winds and storms of life. Do they see in us the hope and trust of the One who can calm the sea and command the wind to be still? Or, are we like them, living a life filled with fear and uncertainty?
Ours is a task to live as those who know the One who calms the sea and stills the wind.
PRAYER: Loving God, help me to be among those who live lives of faith and trust in You. May my life help answer the question for those who do not yet know of the One who can calm the sea and still the wind; in Jesus I pray, amen.
