EquippedMama

³⁵ On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” ³⁶ So after leaving the crowd, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat, and other boats were with him. ³⁷ Now a great windstorm developed and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped. ³⁸ But he was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?” ³⁹ So he got up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Be quiet! Calm down!” Then the wind stopped, and it was dead calm. ⁴⁰ And he said to them, “Why are you cowardly? Do you still not have faith?” ⁴¹ They were overwhelmed by fear and said to one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and sea obey him!”

Mark 4:35-41, NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

How many things in our daily lives rob us of peace? Sometimes I have just finished my quiet time when I am bombarded by an anxious or pervasive thought. Suddenly my peace seems stripped from me. This happens in the quietness of my own home, in the safety of being with my family, free from any impending danger or threats.

In the world of mothering, the threat of anxiety always seems present.

When you’re pregnant, you can worry that your child isn’t growing enough, or will have some sickness, or be born prematurely.

When you go to deliver, you can become anxious about the pain of delivery, the risk of a birth accident, or a complication that could permanently injure you or your child.

As your child grows, it seems that the list of things you can worry about increases, rather than decreases! So, how do we keep from having anxiety define the way that we raise our children?

This passage from Mark I find particularly helpful. Recently, I have been going through Mark in Community Bible Study (see below for more information) and I believe that this passage speaks to the heart of many of our worries.

In this passage, the disciples were threatened with fear in their natural environment. They were not struggling because of a raging demoniac, nor were they afraid because of the threats of the religious leaders. No, they were in their place of training- they were fishermen, and Jesus had asked them to get in a boat and cross a lake. For these experienced fishermen- (Mark 1:16-20) this should have been the place where they were most comfortable. Yet, they came up against a storm that was so violent, that these men appeared afraid that their very lives were at stake. It seems that their fears were valid, for Scripture states that the waves were “breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped” (v. 37). The men likely thought that their lives were over- or at least they said as much to Jesus (v. 38). What was Jesus doing during this time of crisis?

He was asleep.

Elisabeth Elliot, in her book, Keep a Quiet Heart, comments on Jesus’ actions stating;

Jesus slept on a pillow in the midst of a raging storm. How could he? The terrified disciples, sure that the next wave would send them straight to the bottom, shook Him awake with rebuke. How could He be so careless of their fate?

He could because He slept in the calm assurance that His Father was in control…Jesus in the unbroken intimacy of His Father’s love, kept a quiet heart.

Elliot, Elisabeth. Keep A Quiet Heart, Grand Rapids, 1995. p. 1.

Jesus woke to their rebuke with two of his own. First, he silenced the wind and the sea, forcing them to stillness and submission. Then he turned to the disciples and spoke to the storm still raging in them, they did not truly believe. They did not believe that he loved them, or they would not have accused him of not caring. They likely did not believe that he had the power to calm the storm, or their reaction would not have been one of fear (v. 41).

Throughout the entire interchange, we see that Jesus was completely in control and completely at peace. Surrendered to the will of the Father until his death (Mark 14:36) he lived in the peace unity with the Father could alone provide.

As you consider the areas of anxiety that invade your mothering, consider if possibly this is an aspect of your life that needs to be turned over to the Lord? Could it be that you fear for your safety or your child’s safety because you inwardly accuse the Lord of not caring? Perhaps you forget the power that he has in your life, that at his very word peace could be spoken into your situation.

Refocus your heart on the love that Jesus does have for you. For those who love and serve him, he offers to be in the boat of our lives and speak peace into our situations of anxiety and trouble. The question is, do we ask him to? Do we believe he can?

Please commit some time this week to praying about your anxiety, and see if they Lord would have you make steps towards seeking the peace he alone can provide.

If you are interested in looking into a verse-by-verse Bible study, then Community Bible Study might fit your needs. CBS is an international ministry with the following Mission Statement: To make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ in our communities through caring, in-depth Bible study, available to all. Please follow the url to locate a CBS class near you! https://www.communitybiblestudy.org/get-connected/findmyclass/