EquippedMama

On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself 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?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Mark 4:35-41 New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

“Hush, be Still.”

These words from Christ directed at a terrifying storm conjure a longing in our souls to see the same storm-stilling power in our lives.  

Wouldn’t it be nice if the storms of our lives would suddenly be removed as the physical storm was stilled while Christ and His disciples were in a boat on the lake? 

“Hush, be still, financial troubles.” 

“Hush, be still, interpersonal relationships.” 

“Hush, be still, sickness and death.” 

The disciples were looking for this result, resolution of circumstances. And circumstantial trust is what the Lord gently chided them for. Of course, our Lord has power of circumstances, but He is not as interested in our faith during the easy times as much as the difficult times.  

John 14:27 states: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 

The world’s peace gives still waters in our souls when there is no wind. Christ’s peace gives us still waters in our souls during wind and storms. Only He can do that.  

Only He can do that for us because only He is all-powerful. Only He is loving to us individually. Only He is near to us constantly. We must worship His greatness more than the threat of the storms. As we do that, His command, “peace, be still,” turns our heart to a glassy, calm sea in the midst of a howling tempest. 

“Hush, little one. It’s ok. I am here.” 

How many times have we soothed our little ones with this statement? We want their little hearts to trust in us because they know how much we love them and desire their good – whether they understand what that is or not. We ask them to trust our attentiveness to them in the middle of the night. We ask them to trust our provision for them even when they are hungry. We ask them to learn and trust our character. 

Trust His character. He may not give you still circumstances, but He will still your heart. This is the miracle of faith.    

Special Thanks to our guest writer Jonathan Hager for this week’s blog! Jon has published a book about worship which can be found here.