Mark 4:38- 41 NIV: 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!”
If you will, dive with me into this topic, to see what I mean (s.w.i.m). I really just want to upload a small blog surrounding the topics of faith, hope, and courage. All of which are pretty common and recurrent themes throughout most of my blog posts. I just thought I'd share this quick message to hopefully uplift someone who can relate to this topic.
A popular song by Rev. James Cleveland titled, "Peace Be Still" is the anthem for treading through the storms of life and being tossed at sea. The theme of the song is encapsulated with hope amidst raging waves in troubled waters. A few of the song's lyrics are:
Master, the tempest is raging The billows are tossing high The sky is o'er shadowed with blackness No shelter or help is nigh
Carest Thou not that we perish? How canst Thou lie asleep When each moment so madly is threatening A grave in the angry deep?
The winds and the waves shall obey my will, peace be still Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea Or demons or men or whatever it be No water can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean and earth and skies They shall sweetly obey my will Peace be still, peace be still They all shall sweetly obey my will, peace, peace be still .
Being tossed adrift at sea is a terrifying feeling especially when you have no control over the situation, and you don't see help anywhere around you. In life it is easy to be discouraged, and lose hope when there are storms. It can even be hard to keep hope when there is no safety raft to pull onto and get you out of harms way. Storms come in a variety of ways. They can come and disrupt your finances, peace, health, family etc. In the book of Matthew 14 a story tells of when there was a storm raging over the sea. Peter was afraid and Jesus assured him, and told him to walk on water toward Him. Jesus challenged Peter to trust in Him in the tumultuous storm, and believe that everything will be alright. Matthew 14:24-33 states: 24 Meanwhile, the boat was already some distance from land, battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. 25 Jesus came toward them walking on the sea very early in the morning. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and they cried out in fear. 27 Immediately Jesus spoke to them. “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter answered him, “command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those in the boat worshiped him and said, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Jesus gave Peter assurance that through faith you can withstand any storm. For us, today we know that Jesus is our hope to calm the troubled waters. Like Peter, many of us begin to waver in faith and allow doubt to sink in. When we doubt; we drown out our faith. Through Jesus we can weather any storm we encounter, and encourage others to step torwards Him with faith.
Though the storms keep on raging in my life And sometimes it's hard to tell the night from day Still that hope that lies within is reassured As I keep my eyes upon the distant shore I know He'll lead me safely to That blessed place He has prepared
But if the storms don't cease And if the winds keep on blowing in my life My soul has been anchored in the Lord
I realize that sometimes in this life We're gonna be tossed by the waves And the currents that seem so fierce But in the word of God I've got an anchor, hallelujah... - Douglas Miller, "My Soul Has Been Anchored"
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