It Starts Small

I wished there was a way to show the world what complete redemption and turing from my old nature, and allowing Christ to begin transforming me meant. Christ has brought me to a place of complete wholeness. He exchanged my broken and dysfunctional self and has given me a wholeness I cannot really explain. My heart, mind, and spirit are no longer what they were before.

Peace be still
Say the word and I will
Set my feet upon the sea
Till I’m dancing in the deep
Peace be still
You are here so it is well
Even when my eyes can’t see
I will trust the voice that speaks
Peace Be Still Lyrics by Hope Durst

I absolutely love this praise and worship song! I did not think I would ever worship and praise my Heavenly Father for the storm I am in the middle of. I thank Him for choosing me to be here right now in the midst of a great battle for all that he has created. He will win the victory. How do we get out of the boat and walk on the water and dance in the deep with Jesus?

Controlling the Waves and Winds

³⁹ And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39

SO many times when the storms of life come to rock the boat it is easy to get knocked off balance. We find ourselves in these scriptures. The disciples know there situation is disastrous. They knew about these types of storms from their experience as fisherman and because many had perished in these storms. Yet, they somehow forgot the Savior, the Christ, was below deck sleeping.

We too forgot that Christ is with us wherever we go. We forget that our Heavenly Father is in control and rules over everything on this earth! When he does not perform according to our expectations or how we want HIm to, we begin to doubt. We are filled with worry and anxiety and grab buckets to try and dump the water out of our sinking situation. We are filled with fear of abandonment that God does not care.

³⁸ And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? Mark 4:38

The disciples had lost all faith and confidence that Jesus had any power or control over the storm that was going to kill them. In this moment they are only concerned about themselves. To them it was important that Jesus take care of them. Save them from certain death. What the disciples were completely oblivious and selfish, having only cared about themselves. Jesus, was sleeping. He had complete trust in His Heavenly Father.

⁴¹ And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Mark 4:41

The challenge for them was controlling the wind and sea which was something they certainly had never been able to do.

Fear with No Faith

Jesus does something remarkable in these scriptures. He asks His disciples and us two simple questions:

⁴⁰ And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? Mark 4:40

Jesus is urging you and I to trust Him to increase our faith. When He asks them, still no faith? He is saying do you not remember all that I have done for you? Just a half a day before this happen, Jesus fed thousands with a miracle of turning a few fish and loaves of bread into a grand feast. They had seen him heal the sick and cast evil spirits out of people. They walked with Him and watched him turn lives around, yet, in a split second that was all thrown out the door because of wind and waves.

Jesus says to them, DO you not yet realize I am God who is revealing to you who your God really is? Just as I did all these other things, it is I who quiets the storms because nothing is to hard or impossible for me. He says, remember what I have done so next time you will not fear and have faith.

Jesus was teaching them and us that NOTHING is impossible for Him!

Peace, be Still.

Jesus uses the word peace (siope) here and the greek translation means be silent. He told the wind and that waves to be silent. Jesus took the ability of the waves and wind to rage away from it. Jesus then speaks, be still (pefimoso), which is the Greek word meaning to be muzzled. The wind and waves immediately were silent. Sometimes our storms are not immediately silenced, but what Jesus was showing us is he has complete power to quiet the storm.

Storms in themselves are a rejoicing. We, put blinders on and forget. When we forget we become fearful. What Jesus wants us to see is that every storm is a chance to exercise our faith. Our foundation in our relationship with Jesus and our Heavenly Father is faith. Faith is trusting in God’s written and spoken Word through the Holy Spirit. When storms come we can exercise our trust and obedience by remaining calm and allowing Jesus to deliver us to the shore.

Storms are an opportunity to know that our Heavenly Father cares for us and sees us!

7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Know that God has His own timetable. Often times he allows things to get worse so that His deliverance is even more glorious for His name sake! The darkest part of the night is right before the morning. In that darkest moment is the opportunity for the greatest faith to be exercised.

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

The disciples expressed their feeling of abandonment and that God did not care for them. Jesus responded not in rebuke, but with understanding and reassurance. Jesus came upon this earth as human and experienced all that we experience in life. He understands us and he cares about us. He also reminds us through the Holy Spirit who we are and that our Heavenly Father is in control.

¹⁵ For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

God is absolutely all powerful, omnipotent, for any battle, temptation, problem or uncertainty. He does not answer or respond in the way we think He should. Ultimately He will sovereignly do the right thing. We need to sink our teeth into God’s true nature and trust upon Him.