That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 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?”
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4:35-41)
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4:35-41)
I’ve been going through some petty irritations recently. Some aren’t so petty, but I suspect most are pettier than my response to them would indicate. Let someone not accommodate themselves to my schedule and I got into a major emotional tailspin. “Lord, it’s a category 6 hurricane! Don’t You care?”
Well, there’s no such thing as a cat 6 hurricane, and it’s not even a gale.
I see something of this on social media. Picture #1: A young man in an army uniform: 18-year-old in 1945. Picture #2: A young something-or-other in PJs on a college campus, needing counseling and puppy breaks just to survive midterms, or to survive the fact that a Conservative speaker was permitted to speak on campus (attendance not required.) Our world isn’t set in Archie Bunker’s living room, it’s set in Fred Sanford’s – and every “crisis” is met with a hand to the chest. “It’s the big one, Elizabeth….”
Sometimes I wonder why God puts up with us. When we’re not being rebellious, we’re being ridiculous. I think I got everything done that I wanted to, except for a shower and the revisions of chapter twelve. Today, I’ve had no crises, and haven’t gotten half as much done.
Yet what I notice is that Jesus deals with the wind and waves (the problem) before He deals with the disciples and their fears. Do I still have no faith? Sometimes, it seems so. And yet, Jesus doesn’t drop me off at the shore and go looking for a better disciple. That might be more amazing that His quieting of a category six storm.
Well, there’s no such thing as a cat 6 hurricane, and it’s not even a gale.
I see something of this on social media. Picture #1: A young man in an army uniform: 18-year-old in 1945. Picture #2: A young something-or-other in PJs on a college campus, needing counseling and puppy breaks just to survive midterms, or to survive the fact that a Conservative speaker was permitted to speak on campus (attendance not required.) Our world isn’t set in Archie Bunker’s living room, it’s set in Fred Sanford’s – and every “crisis” is met with a hand to the chest. “It’s the big one, Elizabeth….”
Sometimes I wonder why God puts up with us. When we’re not being rebellious, we’re being ridiculous. I think I got everything done that I wanted to, except for a shower and the revisions of chapter twelve. Today, I’ve had no crises, and haven’t gotten half as much done.
Yet what I notice is that Jesus deals with the wind and waves (the problem) before He deals with the disciples and their fears. Do I still have no faith? Sometimes, it seems so. And yet, Jesus doesn’t drop me off at the shore and go looking for a better disciple. That might be more amazing that His quieting of a category six storm.
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