“That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!””
Recently the Lord laid a very specific truth on my heart: He is Lord over the wind and the waves. The disciples came face to face with this truth as well when Jesus calms the storm. The passage above is from Mark 4:35-41. The disciples are traveling by boat across a lake when a storm picks up all of a sudden. The disciples are terrified. They are also surprised that Jesus stays asleep. The disciples interpret this to mean that He does not care whether they live or drown, to which Jesus asks the disciples two very important questions: “Why are you so afraid?” and, “Do you still have no faith?” It’s interesting to me that Jesus asks the disciples these questions before he calms the storm. Jesus appears to be addressing a heart issue with the disciples before he address the storm which rages on around them. The disciples are taken aback; who is this man that he is capable of silencing the storm? “Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Bethel Music sings a version of “It is Well” where they incorporate this passage saying, “Let go, my soul, and trust in Him. The waves and the wind still know His name…It is well with my soul.” I often listen to music at my desk while I work. When this song came on, the Lord used these words to remind me again of His truth: He is Lord over the wind and the waves. Our lives are a series of mountains and valleys strung together; some days feel smooth, while others feel like the storms, wind and waves are raging around us. “How could God be asleep when I am in the midst of this storm?” we ask ourselves. But God’s truth is as true for us today as it was for the disciples over 2000 years ago: He is Lord over the wind and the waves. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” God puts an end to wars and storms with His words to, “be still!”
Stillness is not just a physical position, rather a position of our hearts. As Andy Stanley says, “Stillness is not an uncanny ability to keep from moving a muscle. It is not an environment or an arrival point. Stillness is an attitude—a condition of your heart, mind, and soul.” Our hearts are still when we are trusting in the Lord’s ability to silence the storm and calm the waves that we encounter in our lives. Our hearts are still when we have chosen faith in our protector over fear and worry towards the situation. This does not mean that we will not experience times when we feel the Lord has “fallen asleep.” Our faith often fails us, our hearts shift from a position of stillness to one of uneasiness and fear, and we blame God for the turmoil we are experiencing all around us. “Why are you so afraid?” Do you still have no faith?” God asks. And then He calms the storm.
