My wife is concerned about the coming storm. She asked me to blog about Mark 4:35-41. I thought about it a bit and as I thought about it, I remembered that the story is also told in Matthew 8:23-27. When I hear the references to this storm as “Frankenstorm” and the fear-mongering that some in the news are pushing about this, I can’t help but think of the disciples and their reaction to the storm. I, also, can’t help but think of Jesus’ reaction to the storm. While the storm raged around Him, Jesus slept. He slept in the back of a boat being tossed by the wind-driven waves. The storm, as severe as it was, did not disturb His sleep. It was the disciples, who were panicking, who woke Him up. Mark reports that they woke Him up shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” Jesus response was, “Why are you afraid? Do you have so little faith?” then He rebuked the wind and the waves saying, “Quiet! Be still!” (I know I am mixing and matching the order of things a little between the two gospels, but I think it is not a disservice to either account to do so in this case). The disciples were astonished, Mark says they were terrified, Matthew says they were amazed. Before, they were terrified of the storm, now they were terrified of Jesus. “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
The disciples didn’t get it. They were terrified. But I can sympathize, it is scary when the powers of nature seem to be out to get you. And they did not have this story. We do. We walk with Him who calmed the storm by His word. Do we have faith? In John 14:12-14 Jesus tells us that anyone who believes in Him will do the same works He did, and even greater works. In Matthew 17:20 Jesus tells us that if our faith is only so large as a mustard seed, we can tell a mountain to move and it would move. So let us pray for all of those in the path of this storm. If all of us who call on the name of the Lord will pray that none of those in the path of the storm suffer harm, do we have the faith to believe that it would happen? Do we have the faith to pray that prayer?
Let us pray together this prayer that my wife composed, remembering the response of the father who brought his son to Jesus for healing. “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” :
I turn to You as the disciples did when they cried out for help in their storm-tossed boat.
I invoke the Name of Your precious Son to save us, one and all.
I’m crying out to you now, Lord.
Keep us safe as You always have done, but especially this week.
I lift up all Your children in the path of this hurricane to You.
The evil one has terrified many, be it through the media or other sources,
that folks have resorted to irrational measures.
Help them, Lord.
Send Your Spirit upon them so that they can think clearly,
and prepare responsibly for this storm.
Help me as I enter into another week, be a good witness for You,
and to build others up,
especially those who are scared about what is to come.
Help them, Lord.
Help *me* to not be scared, Lord.
Please strengthen me and keep fear out of my heart.
In Jesus’ holy Name, I pray.
Amen.