Prepping for the Coming Storm | Mark 4:35-41 | J. Allen Mashburn

Jesus and His men are crossing the Sea of Galilee after a long day of teaching the multitudes. Jesus, weary from His work, is asleep in the back of the ship. As the disciples row, they find themselves, suddenly, in the middle of a ferocious storm. The Sea of Galilee, which sits surrounded by high mountains, is subject to sudden and violent storms as hot air rushes in from the deserts and meets the cool air on the surface of the lake. Of course, the phrase Jesus used to calm the storm, “Peace, be still”, v. 39, literally means “Be silent! Be muzzled and remain so!”, and was used to speak to demonic forces. So, this storm may have been an attempt by Satan to destroy the Lord Jesus. At any rate, the disciples and Jesus find themselves caught in the fury of a terrible storm. The waves are so violent that they have filled the boat with water and there is a danger that the boat will be swamped and sink.

The disciples, fearful for their lives, call out to Jesus Who is asleep. He arises and calms the storm, then He turns to His men and rebukes their lack of faith. He tells them that they were “fearful”, v. 40. This word means “Timid, afraid to the point of giving up.” But, when they saw what He did in calming the storm, we are told in v. 41 that they “feared”. This word means “to be stricken with awe and amazement in the presence of one greater than self.”

If these disciples had understood Him and Who He was as they should have, they would have had the second kind of fear first and they could have avoided the first kind of fear altogether! But, wait, instead of criticizing these men for being afraid, maybe we should ask ourselves, “Why do we fear what we face in life, when we can have the second kind of fear first?” Often we, like these men, look at our storm and we tremble with fear. However, when we do what they did and involve the Lord in our storm, we find out that he is in control. Then, we are left with but one conclusion: He is far greater than storm we will ever face in life.

When we come to understand just three simple clear truths, we can have the second fear first. That is, instead of being discouraged to the point of giving up, we can be filled with awe and amazement at the glory and power of the Lord we serve. There are three simple truths contained in these verses that teach about Prepping for the Coming Storm!