“PEACE! BE STILL!”

 Mark 4:35-41                         (ESV)

“[35] On that day, when evening had come, HE said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” [36] And leaving the crowd, they took HIM with them in the boat, just as HE was. And other boats were with HIM. [37] And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. [38] But HE was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke HIM and said to HIM, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” [39] And HE awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “PEACE! BE STILL!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. [40] HE said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” [41] And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “WHO then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey HIM?””

As I ponder these verses I am thinking about all the times I have seemingly been at the “end of my rope” when JESUS said to me, “PEACE! BE STILL!”  One time was on April 11, 2017. I was being “prepped” for heart bypass surgery and my family was with me.  I was very emotional because I knew that they had to stop my heart to perform the work that needed to be done on me, and that there was NO GUARANTEE that it would start again.  Obviously it did start again and the recovery from the surgery was phenomenal, ALL because of GOD!

The disciples KNEW WHO JESUS was, they were with HIM everyday!  But it is still written in Mark 4:41 “And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “WHO then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey HIM?”  This same JESUS WHO spoke and calmed the seas also spoke the wind and seas into existence!  They have do nothing outside of HIS power!  

We weak Believers need to be reminded that GOD even controls the pharaohs in our lives!  Yes, the same GOD WHO caused Pharaoh to keep the Israelites in slavery also told them to leave Egypt and gave them all kinds of wealth to leave!  Then GOD “hardened” the heart of Pharaoh and he pursued Israel to the Red Sea!  Exodus 14:30 says “Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.”  Their enemy was defeated right in front of their eyes and they didn’t have to do anything!

The disciples had to experience fear and doubt before the storm was calmed.  I experienced fear and doubt just before the heart surgery in 2017, but JESUS was IN CONTROL and everything went swimmingly.  JESUS would have still have been IN CONTROL had things not turned out so great!  When JESUS says “PEACE! BE STILL!” The wind and seas obey HIM!  Why don’t we???