They took Him with them...

Have you ever been in a really bad storm, one that left you wondering what had happened to the place that you are so familiar with.  A storm that throws trees around like twigs and knocks down houses, and tosses cars from here to there? 

I have been very fortunate to not witness, with my own eyes, the storm in the midst of its reign, but I have seen the aftermath of horrible storms.  I have seen trees turned upside down, with their roots exposed.  The mighty tree that has been adhered to the ground for probably hundreds of years, toppled over like it was a mere limb.

What I can recognize or connect too about a storm, is whether it is a storm that is physically thrashing about, or an emotional storm, the turmoil and anguish, I think are all the same.

I know I have been in storms where hail, thunder, lightning and wind had all been so ferocious and fearful, that I would begin my thought process of a safe place to hide with my dogs and my essentials.  I know that I would also call on the name of Jesus in those times, but what I have just come to realize is, I called on the name of Jesus when the storm was already here. 

I reached out for Jesus when the winds were already raging and threatening. 

I was in the midst of the storm, when I would cry out for help.   I wonder why I never asked for help, or protection before the storm hit.  Maybe, when the sky was starting to look threatening or the wind was just beginning to pick up, why didn’t I pray then?

In Mark 4:36-41 we see the disciples doing the same thing with Jesus.

(36) And leaving the throng, they took Him with them, (just) as He was, in the boat (in which He was sitting), and other boats were with Him. (37) And a furious storm of wind (of hurricane proportions) arose, and the waves kept beating into the boat, so that it was already becoming filled. (38) But He (Himself) was in the stern (of the boat), asleep on the (leather) cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, Master, do You not care that we are perishing? (39) And He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush Now! Be still (muzzled)!  And the wind ceased (sank to rest as if exhausted by its beating) and there was (immediately) a great calm (a perfect peacefulness). (40) He said to them, Why are you so timid and fearful? How is it that you have no faith (no firmly relying trust)? (41) And they were filled with great awe and feared exceedingly and said one to another, who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?

Could you imagine being the disciples and watching Jesus sleep, peacefully during a storm of that magnitude?  Could you imagine the confusion that would bring to your mind?  I mean truly, here is the Son of Man, sleeping in the boat while the waves are crashing around you.  How is that possible, I would wonder, I don’t know about you, but it would certainly have me asking some questions, and maybe not thinking as clearly as I should be, because I would be in fear.

I wish Mark would have told us how long they waited to wake up Jesus, and if they were afraid too.  I wonder if they were just astonished with the fact that Jesus wasn’t bothered by the storm, or the water that was filling the boat.

You see there are many levels of questions and answers in these six verses, but to me the thing that stood out, was the grouping of words, they took Him with them.  You will find these words in verse 36.

I would think you have at some point, maybe not tonight, but at some point in your life, have thought if Jesus were here in the flesh, I wouldn’t have to deal with this.  If I was a disciple I wouldn’t have been questioning Jesus, and who He was, or why I am following Him.  No, I would never be like Peter and deny Him three times, never, that’s Jesus! 

I know I have said all of those things, and many more.  I have cast judgment on Judas, Matthew, James, Peter and John.  I have wondered how Thomas could doubt Jesus, when Jesus was right in front of Him… and then, I realize I carry a piece of all of these men inside of me. 

I am a doubting Thomas, and I would have to say that is my biggest struggle.  I have been Peter in my life.  I might not have vocally denied Jesus, but I definitely put Him at the bottom of my list.  I have been a liar, a cheat, a back stabber, a fake and have taken what was not mine, so I guess I really can’t wrinkle my face at the disciples for behaving the way they did, even though they took Him with them. 

You see, truth is, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ and have accepted the Holy Spirit into your life, you also take him with you! 

Ah… yes, we see how this comes together for our own lives, or at least a piece of it. 

We will all have storms, large, small, quick, and lengthy and some might devastate us and up root us like an old tree, or some might just come and blow some things around.  We never know the magnitude of the storm, but what we do know is that there will be storms. 

When a storm hits, like the physical one I had mentioned before, why did it take me so long to reach out to God.  Why did I need to see the physical manifestation of the storm before me, and feel threatened to react? 

I think, like the disciples, we never truly believe the storm, the lie, the threat; the disaster is going to happen, until it does.  We see the warning signs, we see the threats of here comes a big problem, but yet we don’t properly prepare for these moments in our lives.

Personally, I think it has to do with pride, and I think it also has to do with not accepting, verbalizing and then fighting back against satan, the one who is sending the attacks.

You see Jesus was super calm, peaceful and sleeping in the boat because satan does not bring fear to Jesus’s heart.   Satan is not a threat to Jesus, so He can rest calmly in the midst of a storm, while on the other hand, us, and the disciples are losing ourselves in fear, because satan is a threat to us. 

Satan is a true, living, pulsing, threatening force that wants to end you, your relationship with Jesus, and all that you are.  Satan wants to keep you in darkness and in fear, and how would he go about doing that, by putting you in a threatening position.

Satan comes to kill, steal and destroy and nothing else.  He doesn’t come to mess you about to help you, he comes to destroy you, and anything good that is in your life. Oh, and he will blame Jesus for the destruction, while he is at it.

We need to be more aware of the fact that we do have an enemy roaming about like a lion, trying to destroy anything that we are doing in the name of God.  Anything good, feels good, is good, is helping another person, or advancing you in anyway is going to be under attack.  Satan is going to find that loop hole, and he is going to start chiseling away at you, your mind and your surroundings, hence the storm while Jesus was in the boat.

We are just like the disciples, where Jesus was right there, He was in touching distance for them, and within hearing distance for us, but yet, we allow our pride and ignorance take over, and before we know it the storm is threatening us and our safety, whether physical or mentally, it is something we are now afraid of. 

I believe that Jesus was so annoyed with the disciples, and sometimes us, because He has shown Himself to be true.  He has shown Himself to be loyal, to be faithful and to be extremely protective over His sheep, you and me.   So if He has shown us all of these things, why would we not call on Him, or rebuke the storm ourselves, at the first sight of danger?

I see Jesus’s side on this.  I would be upset as well, if my family or friends were in danger/need and didn’t call on me,  I would wonder why they didn’t ask for help, or why didn’t they come to me right away, I’d always be there for them. 

Jesus did His thing, and once again, tried to show the disciples, and us, that He is the first thing we need to reach out to when we are in trouble.  He is the first name we need to speak when we see a storm coming, and we need to do it quickly.  

When Jesus rebuked the storm, and told the storm to hush, He was showing us that He is the one in control, not satan.   Satan brought on that storm to bring fear to the hearts and minds of the disciples, that they would possibly perish in the storm, but the disciples spoke the name of Jesus, and He was there.

He was there for them, and He will be there for us.  You see in verse 36 where we see They took Him with them.  This is good for all of us.  We take Him with us wherever we go.  We take Him to bed, to work, to the gym, to the grocery store, we take Him everywhere.

We don’t physically need to see Jesus to know that He is there.  We know He is there because we asked Him to be there.  Because He loves us, and He is with us to protect us, comfort us and guide us into all truth. 

Next time you have a storm in your life, whether it be big or small, call on Jesus.  Take a moment to think of Him, and how He can help you in your time of need.  Just like Jesus silenced the waters, and brought immediate peace to the disciples, He will do the same for you. 

You can allow satan to send the storms and try to, kill, steal and destroy you or; you can do the right thing, and call on your Heavenly Father to come and calm the waters!!