Mark 4:37-39 (NKJV) 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
We have been looking at the story from Mark 4 about the disciples on the sea of Galilee in a terrible storm. The disciples were afraid because the storm was so great. Jesus calmed the storm and asked the disciples why they had no faith in Him. We found our answer in the last verse of the chapter. They did not understand just whom they had in their boat.
Yesterday we looked at Jesus as the promise of God in our boat. Jesus told them to go to the other side. The words of Jesus were the words of God. God’s word is full of power. If Jesus told them to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, then those words had the power to get them there.
The same is true of every promise in the Bible. All the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20.) That means Jesus is the promise of God in your boat. Whatever the Bible says is ours in we can receive as done in the name of Jesus. In those promises, we have the Word of Jesus himself that we will get to the other side of every need.
Today I want to look at two other things Jesus was in the disciple’s boat. When the storm got very bad, they looked into the back of the boat and could not believe their eyes when they saw that Jesus was asleep! Jesus was not sheltered from the storm. I am sure he was tossed as much as or more than those in the middle of the boat. The rain was coming down on him and the wind was blowing over him. Yet with all the turmoil created by the storm, Jesus was asleep.
I do not blame them for being afraid. I have already pointed out that they were experienced seaman who had weathered many storms on the Galilee. If they were afraid, this must have been a particularly bad storm. The part I do not understand is what they said when they woke Jesus.
“Don’t you care that we are going to die?” they said. It would seem that they questioned Jesus love and care for them. We often fall into the same trap. If the devil can get us to question God’s love for us, he has beaten us. In Romans 8 we read about Paul. He says that he is more than a conqueror because he was fully persuaded that nothing could separate him from the love of God in Christ. Had the disciples held Paul’s conviction they would not have questioned Jesus’ love for them and they would not have given in to fear.
I want to point out something about this scenario that you may not have considered. The disciples interpreted this as Jesus’ lack of care for their situation. There is another interpretation. Jesus was asleep because he was at peace. He could sleep with the storm raging because he knew the storm would not overwhelm them. Jesus was the peace of God in their boat.
They could have looked to the stern of their troubled ship, seen Jesus asleep and said to one another, “If Jesus is able to sleep in this storm I guess we must be alright.” I do not really think Jesus calmed the storm so they would make it to the other side. They were going to do that anyway. He calmed the storm because it was so distressing to the disciples. He had no doubt that they would make it. He was at peace and asleep in the middle of the trial.
Jesus is the peace of God in your boat. If he is not worried, we do not have to worry. If he is asleep in the boat that does not mean he does not care; it means that he knows you are going to make it. How can we tell if Jesus is not worried? We cannot see him sleeping in our boat. There are two things I can think of that we can look at.
First, we can look at the Word of God. If you have a promise from the Bible that you know covers your situation, I can assure you that Jesus is not worried. You can use the written Word as the disciples should have used the sleeping Jesus. When you are tempted to fear, look at the promise in the Word of God. You will find that it has not changed since the last time you looked at it.
Replace the worried thoughts with the promise of God. Meditate on the promise. Confess the promise over your life. The more you do, the less you will fear. Jesus is not worried as long as the promise has not changed and you do not have to worry either.
You also need to find that place in your heart where you know Jesus lives. This is a little more abstract and I cannot tell exactly how to do that. I can say that over the years I have served the Lord, there have been many times when I thought the waves might overwhelm my boat. If I looked to my natural mind, I could not see how God could ever meet the need. There were times when the worried thoughts pushed aside the truth of the promise of God.
In those moments I would take time to quiet myself and focus on a place that was deeper than the thoughts running around my head. I would find that place where I know the Lord lives in my heart. In that place, I would find the peace and assurance that everything was under control and I knew we would have victory. In 36 years of serving God, that assurance has never been wrong.
Finally, we see that Jesus did stand up in the bow of the boat and speak to the storm. As I said, I do not really think he calmed the storm to get them to the other side. However, part of their problem was that they did not understand that Jesus was the power of God in their boat. Although I am not sure they needed the storm calmed, if they did Jesus was the power to get that done.
Jesus is the power of God in your boat. Whatever need may arise, if you have Jesus in your boat, you will be all right. There is nothing that can happen to you that is greater than the power of God. God created the whole earth. Is there anything the earth could possibly bring against us that the power of God cannot overcome?
If there is sickness in your body, is that greater than the power of God. I know that people are not always healed. I know that even Christians die of sickness and disease. However, that does not change the fact that God is able to heal any disease.
Is God incapable of dealing with financial lack? Of course not! God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and as one brother said, “The tators under the hills too.” God has ways to meet your needs that you have never imagined.
Is there a relationship problem that is too hard for him? Is there any circumstance that man can face that is beyond his ability? If there is, he is not God.
Things do not always turn out the way we want them to. There are many reasons why we may not see healings or miracles. Lack of ability on the part of God is not one of them. Neither is any lack of love. Jesus is in your boat if you are a Christian. Jesus is the power of God in your boat.
Think about these things. See Jesus asleep in your boat as the storm rages around you. Let the peace of God that he knows cover you like a warm blanket on a cold night. See him stand up in your boat and calm the storm. Let that give you the assurance that there is no power that can stand against the power of God. Jesus is the peace and power of God in your boat.