Mark 4:38-39 was part of Bible Study Wednesday night. As I was reading the scripture I saw something different. "38 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?”39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm." (NIV) The disciples asked God if He cared. He didn’t answer them yet He spoke to the issue at hand, the storm. After speaking to the storm God then rebuked the disciples asking where was their faith. "40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (NIV)
A lot of times we are waiting on God to speak to us and give us direction yet He’s speaking to the situation that has us terrified. Maybe just maybe if we used the power that God gave us we will realize that we can speak to the storm ourselves. The issue then for us came in Jesus’ response. Listen, I am a firm believer that every word written in the Bible has meaning. It was of no coincidence that He spoke to the disciples and questioned their faith after He took action. Jesus spoke first to the storm then to the man. Get it?? Let’s say this another way. My son was once outside our apartment playing with his basketball. He was about 3 or 4. A neighbor’s dog came charging towards him. Being a few steps away from T, I ran to intercept the dog before he could get to my son. The dogs master called him back as I was charging and yelling for it to stay away from my child. The dog was the storm. I decided to address it first because my child couldn’t handle a storm of that magnitude at such a young age.
Sometimes our faith isn’t as mature as we think. And when the storms come, we get terrified that they will kill us. So we yell out to the Savior: "Don’t you care if this overtakes me? Don’t you see what’s happening? What are you going to do about this here?"
Listen, God does send some storms to break us. Yes, I said to break us. Not to harm us but to rebuild what is broken in us. Those storms are there because we have things in us that the Potter needs to have removed. You can’t serve God and be prideful, a gossiper, a liar, etc. So, He sends a storm - a situation - to remove certain things from us. These are the storms that come to build up our faith. Have you ever had a bill and not know where the money was coming from to pay it and all you had was prayer? Then the next thing you know the bill was paid because out of nowhere money had been given to you? Yeah, that’s a faith building storm right there. Or maybe, you've had to deal with an angry boss and not know how to because their anger seems to be generated only towards you and you have no idea why. That's another faith building storm. How will you react when said boss is yelling first thing on a Monday morning and you have no idea why? Will you yell back? Will you cuss them out? Will you walk off your job because you've had enough? Note: if you move out of the storm that God sends because you can't handle it, it will come back to you again. Maybe not in the next week, but you will see it again. God is trying to build you up where you are weak. Remember - His grace is sufficient for thee (II Corinthians 12:9).
When you are in a faith building storm, realize it for what it is. Know this. Your faith may be strong when it comes to witnessing but small when it comes to another area of your life (say gossip). Learn the lesson for what it is. Grow your faith with each storm God sends your way.
Be A Blessing and Not Just Blessed
- Nakya
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