Friday, June 18th
What kind of situations put your faith to the test? Jesus’ disciples had just such a situation put before them and they failed the test miserably. We learn of this in a liturgical scripture reading this week taken from the book of Mark which describes one of the most well-known miracles in the Bible, Jesus calming the stormy Sea of Galilee. Mark presents Jesus as Lord of the storm who carries God’s authority with Him. When you are in Jesus’ presence, Mark implies, you are in the very presence of God.
On a map of Israel the Sea of Galilee looks like a large lake, but from a small fishing boat it would look enormous, especially in a storm. This lake is known to have waves up to 9 meters high in a serious storm. Despite the fact that some of Jesus’ disciples are fishermen who undoubtedly have survived storms on this sea and could likely handle moderate risk as a matter of course, the danger on this evening is not moderate, but deadly. If the disciples think they are bound to perish in the tempest, we should not doubt its intensity.
Yet Jesus sleeps on a pillow, as if nothing is amiss. Sleeping through danger can be a sign of great faith. However, sleep can also represent passivity in a moment that cries out for an active response. The disciples interpret Jesus’ sleep as evidence that he does not care enough to save them (and himself) from impending death. So when they wake him, accusing him of indifference or negligence, they have lost hope. Their words reveal that they have already figured out how the story must end.
Then suddenly the whole scene transforms. Jesus speaks, and at once there is a great calm. “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?” He asks. The disciples have failed the faith test. They were afraid of the storm, and now they are afraid of Jesus. “Who then is this guy?” they ask. By rights they should not be dismayed —they have heard Jesus teach and have seen him work miracles—but they allow their fears to overwhelm their faith.
Does this ever happen to you in times of distress? As in the case of the disciples, our “storms” can cause us to doubt God. We pray panicked prayers to a God who appears to have abandoned us. “God, don’t you care?”
The Bible provides us with so many passages that assure us that, while going through adversity, God indeed, keeps us wrapped in his loving arms.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2
When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous is established forever. Proverbs 10:25
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. Psalm 34:17
Scripture teaches us that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 and Jeremiah 29:11). Searching for God’s answers and learning to view “bad things” as “good things in disguise” are disciplines that God wants His children to develop as they mature spiritually. (I Corinthians 2:14 and Romans 8:1–17)
Thinking along those lines, not all storms come to disrupt our lives. If we let them, some come to open us up and to deepen our faith. Some storms help us to see things more clearly. Some provide us with an opportunity for learning more about God and his abundant care for us. As Jesus showed his disciples when he calmed the sea, a storm can provide an opportunity for God to display who He is.
It might be the most difficult test of our faith but we need to take a lesson from the story Mark has related here and trust that, despite our fear in times of turmoil, God is actively caring for us.
Listen and meditate on the message contained in the following musical numbers.
A contemporary song, The Battle is Yours
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfvofKFkQ50
And a traditional song, In God’s Safe Hand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns2AnDyxTd0
Photo by Cristian Reyes Barrera on Unsplash