Your Authority Over The Strom

This morning I was reading from Mark 4:35-41, Jesus calming of the storm. He and his disciples had set sail across the Sea of Galilee when a squall rose up. Jesus was asleep in the stern of their boat. In the passage it is noted that other ships were with them. That's interesting, others were involved in their storm too. The water was nearly swamping the boat when the disciples awoke Jesus screaming, "Don't you care that we are about to perish?"

This incident in Mark reminded me of my own experience a few years ago out on Sebago Lake. It was my first year as owner of a small 18 foot bow rider. While out on the lake the weather changed and I was struggling against the wind. Three and a half to four foot waves were crashing over the bow. I was cold, wet, and somewhat scared. I was scared enough to tell everyone on board to put on their life jackets, myself included. We eventually made it back to our cove and the marina. What should have been a twenty minute trip turned into a one and a half hour ordeal. Just as we made it back, the sun broke through the clouds and the wind died down. The water became calm. What a glorious relief we all felt - safe harbor at last.

Bill Johnson, author of When Heaven Invades Earth, wrote in his book, "The only storm you have authority over is the one you can sleep in." We face all kinds of storms in life. It could be loss of a family member, loss of a job, loss of good health. It could be that we are struggling in a relational issue. You name your storm. It is the one that you don't have control over. It is the one you can't sleep through. That's a storm.

Does Jesus care? He sure does. Then why doesn't he he wake up and do something? Have you paused long enough to ask him? Let me say that again. Have you paused long enough to ask him? When you awaken the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Onipotent One, the Omnipresent One, the Omniscient One, he will speak to your storm. He will command the wind to "pipe down" and the sea to "settle down." The wind will run out of breath and the sea will become like glass.