“Peace! Be still!”
–Mark 4:39
In July of 1977, I
and some others
got caught in a
small boat in a
vicious squall on
Lake Superior. The
thing I remember
most is the sense
of terror I felt,
and thinking I
might die.
Victor Hugo,
author of the well
known novel the
Hunchback of Notre
Dame, also wrote a
story called
"Ninety-Three," a
story of a ship
caught in a
dangerous storm on
the high seas. At
the height of the
storm, the
frightened sailors
heard a terrible
crashing noise
below the deck. It
turned out to be a
cannon that was a
part of the ship's
cargo that had
broken loose from
its moorings. It
was sliding back
and forth with the
swaying of the
ship, crashing
into the sides of
the ship with
terrible impact.
Knowing that it
could split open
the sides of the
ship, two brave
sailors
volunteered to
make the dangerous
attempt to retie
the loose cannon.
They knew the
danger of the
cannon inside was
greater than the
fury of the storm
raging outside.
When I got caught
in the squall on
Lake Superior the
outer storm raging
around me was very
dangerous and
life-threatening.
However, the inner
fear and terror
that I felt was
equally as
dangerous because
it clouded my
thinking,
paralyzed me, and
if it wouldn’t
have been for a
wise and seasoned
guide who was in
the boat with us,
I would have made
the wrong choices
in that situation
– choices that
could have led to
our demise.
Storms of life may
blow and rage all
around us, and
they do. But it is
not these exterior
storms that pose
the gravest
danger. It is the
terrible confusion
and chaos that
exists within us
which can
ultimately
overwhelm us. The
furious storm
outside may be
awesome and
consuming, but
what is going on
inside can pose
the even greater
threat. Our hope
lies in conquering
this inner chaos
and confusion.
The disciples
thought the
biggest danger was
outside the boat.
However, they
would soon learn
the real danger
was within the
boat, within their
own hearts. In a
word, they lacked
faith. Without
faith their lives
were at risk to
the storms which
would inevitably
come - and come
they did, and come
they will. So what
can we learn from
this boat ride in
the tempest?
First, we learn
that storms can
come suddenly.
The day we were
caught in the
squall it was a
clear, blue-skied,
sunny day with a
gentle breeze and
few waves. We got
a little careless
and were farther
from the
shore-line than we
should have been.
In a matter of
minutes the squall
line exploded
behind us and
caught us
completely off
guard.
The Sea of Galilee
is not Lake
Superior by any
stretch of the
imagination. It is
something like
seven miles across
at its widest
place. They set
sail that
beautiful
afternoon on the
Sea of Galilee.
The sun was
shining and Jesus,
weary from the
day’s activity,
fell asleep. As
the late afternoon
faded into dusk,
trouble began to
loom. The white
puffy clouds that
dotted the sky
were replaced by
low hanging,
ominous black
clouds. The calm
waters began to
churn with white
caps, and then
large waves
slammed the side
of the tiny boat.
They were taking
on water. The Sea
of Galilee is
notorious for
these sudden and
violent squalls.
You don’t have to
be in a boat on a
lake for trouble
to come just that
fast in your life.
Everything can be
going beautifully,
people can be
congratulating you
and things can be
going your way.
Suddenly the
telephone can
ring, the medical
test comes back,
or you are holding
the pink slip in
your hand, and
everything in your
life is turned
upside down.
Amazingly, as this
stormy squall was
happening, Jesus
was asleep. The
disciples saw this
as indifference
and lack of
concern on the
part of Jesus. He
doesn’t seem to
know that a storm
is raging. He
apparently is deaf
to the howl of the
wind. He seemingly
doesn’t feel the
waves crashing
into the side of
the boat or the
water splashing
upon his face.
“Teacher, don’t
you care if we
drown?” Doesn’t
God care about
what I am going
through?
The sudden furious
storm outside may
be overwhelming,
but what is going
on inside can pose
the greater
threat.
The second thing
is that storms can
not only come
suddenly, but they
can make you lose
direction. When
the squall hit us
on Lake Superior,
within minutes I
was consumed by my
inner fear and
panic, so much so
I had no clue
which direction to
head. My inner
chaos was so
intense I didn’t
even think to
first turn to the
seasoned guide. If
it would have been
up to me, I would
have had us go in
the wrong
direction which
would have taken
us to a rocky
shoreline upon
which we would
have perished.
The disciples were
experienced
fisherman. They
had charted those
waters hundreds of
times before. They
had been caught in
storms before: Why
all the fear in
this storm? Was
this storm worse
than all the
others? Probably
not! I think they
were distracted by
Jesus’ seeming
indifference,
“Teacher, do you
not care that we
are perishing.”
They are
chastising Jesus
for not grabbing
an oar and helping
out. They were
distracted, not by
the chaos of the
sea, but rather by
the chaos inside
their souls.
It is at this
moment that the
unexpected
happens. Jesus
gets up. He does
not grab an oar.
He calms the
storm. The
disciples expected
that Jesus would
grab an oar,
instead he calms
the waters. They
were looking for
another helper,
instead they got a
savior. They were
looking for human
help. What they
got was divine
presence. They
were looking for a
hand. What they
got was a God. The
disciples are
stunned and more
afraid than ever.
It is here that
the disciples lost
direction. Jesus
asks, “Why are you
so afraid?” They
didn’t realize who
it was that was
sailing along with
them in the boat –
even after he
calmed the storm.
“Do you still have
no faith? Do you
still not
understand who I
am?”
Their real problem
was not as much
the storm outside,
but the storm of
doubt and unbelief
that raged inside.
It never ceases to
amaze me how
easily some
Christians are
thrown into chaos,
panic and fear
when the storms of
life arrive. The
converse is also
true. It never
ceases to amaze me
how incredibly at
peace and filled
with hope and
assurance some
Christians can be
when the storms of
life arrive.
That’s what the
disciples learned
this day on the
Sea of Galilee.
They thought the
danger lie outside
the boat. They
would soon learn
the biggest danger
lie within the
boat, within their
own hearts
Where and to whom
do you turn in the
midst of the
storm? It is an
urgent question.
It’s a life and
death question.
The answer will
depend upon where
you place your
ultimate trust and
faith.
Storms can come
suddenly and
blind-side us.
They can make us
lose direction and
navigation and
fall prey to our
inner fears and
confusion. If we
do not understand
who it is that is
in the boat us
then our inner
fear and chaos has
the power to
paralyze, even
destroy us. When
Jesus awakened, he
rebuked not only
the storm but the
disciples.
“Why are you
afraid,” he asked.
“Have you no
faith?”
The promise that
is made to us, and
I believe the
point of this
story, is that God
is present in the
midst of the
storm. God is
already in the
boat with you. If
the disciples had
realized and
trusted who was in
the boat with them
all along the
story might have
had a very
different
unfolding.
You need not
panic, though the
situation may
appear bleak. You
have a seasoned
guide in the boat
with you - the
Lord Jesus Christ.
He’s gone all the
way into death and
come back. You
need not forsake
your witness-the
Lord Jesus Christ
is in the boat
with you. You need
not become
immobilized-the
Lord Jesus Christ
is in the boat
with you. You can
trust Him. That’s
the promise!
Will the clouds,
wind and waves
dissipate
immediately?
There’s no
guarantee they
will. Will you no
longer have to
struggle with
problems? That is
never promised.
Well, you say, it
doesn’t sound as
though the promise
that is given is
all that great.
All I can say is
that kind of trust
and faith got Noah
through the storm;
Abraham and Sarah
through despair;
the Jews through
the wilderness;
Mary through her
pregnancy; Jesus
through the
crucifixion, and
it will be
sufficient to get
you through your
night of dark
storms as well.
In her book,
Living With
Mystery, Stacey
Padrick talks
about searching
for answers in the
midst of life’s
mysterious
difficulties. She
wrote the book in
the face of
suffering a
chronic, severe
form of lupus
which strickens
her to the point
of total bed-rest
with severe
symptoms of
illness and pain
for long stretches
of time.
In the chapter
entitled “The
Mystery of
Suffering” she
talks about how
we’ve come to view
suffering as
totally negative,
a sign of God’s
neglect and
indifference. But
she reminds us
through the
powerful testimony
of her own life,
that God does
everything he can
to keep us from
running from the
storms and
sufferings that
stalk us, even to
the point of dying
on a cross.
My dear Christian
friends, Jesus
died on the cross
– for you! The
cross tells us
that storms,
trials, adversity
and hardship are
more the norm for
life than not –
even for the Son
of God. When life
is relatively free
of hardship, and
all is blue skies
and smooth sailing
it is so easy for
our faith to
become shallow
rooted,
superficial and
lacking any real
substance. Then
when a storm
suddenly brews our
faith dissolves
and we are left
puzzled, perplexed
and thrown into a
state of chaos and
fear, and we just
don’t understand
it.
My friends Jesus
died on the cross
– for you – and
me! Why should we
expect any less?
“Take up your
cross,” he said to
those who would
follow him.
Stacy Padrick’s
says...
“We (all long) for
the time and place
when life will be
how God intended
it in the
beginning:
perfect, sweet
fellowship with
Him in the Garden
of Paradise. (In
that Garden) we
will know and love
Him absolutely and
completely. Until
Christ takes us
home to walk in
unbroken
communion, we now
fellowship with
Him in the other
garden:
Gethsemane, the
garden of
suffering and
tears. We need not
fear entering that
Garden for Jesus
is already there,
waiting for us in
the dark of night.
And he reaches out
to welcome us with
hands that bear
the scars of
suffering—and
palms upon which
our names are
inscribed.”
I could paraphrase
her words using
the metaphors of
today’s gospel.
We all expect that
life should be how
God intended it to
be...blue skies,
clear sailing and
warm and gentle
breezes. It’s so
easy to believe
when things are
like that. But
until Jesus meets
us in death and
takes us by the
hand and leads us
home that’s not
the way it’s going
to be. More often
than not our
little boats will
be rocked and
battered by
hostile winds and
waves resulting in
an even bigger
tempest in our
hearts and souls.
But we need not
fear, Jesus is in
the boat with us.
He is being
battered by the
same winds and
waves. His boat is
our boat, and he
is being swamped
too. Jesus
expected that this
would happen...we
don't! He’s been
waiting for
it...we aren't; we
live in denial.
He’s ready...We're
not!
So, listen to His
assuring words.
Let him speak them
into the tempest
of your soul:
“Peace, Be still!”
Pastor Joseph
Holub
Holy Love Lutheran
Church in Aurora,
Colorado
http://www.spiritualtrails.com/home.htm
