Storms Of Life
There's a powerful moment in the Gospel of Mark that reveals both the frailty of human faith and the majesty of Christ. In Mark 4:35–41, we find Jesus and His disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee after a long day of ministry. As evening fell, Jesus told them, "Let us go across to the other side." So they left the crowds behind and set off in a boat, with Jesus, exhausted, falling asleep in the stern on a cushion.
Suddenly, a fierce windstorm arose.
The Sea of Galilee, known for its sudden and violent squalls, began to churn. Waves rose and crashed into the boat. Water poured over the sides, and the vessel started to fill. The disciples—some of them seasoned fishermen—were terrified. They scrambled to bail water and steady the boat, but the situation quickly became dire.
Meanwhile, Jesus was still asleep.
In their panic and fear, the disciples rushed to Him and cried out, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" (v. 38). To them, His rest seemed like apathy. They mistake His calm for indifference.
Jesus woke up. Without panic or alarm, He rose and rebuked the wind and spoke to the sea: "Peace! Be still!" In an instant, the wind died down, and the sea became calm—still as glass. The chaos was gone. The storm obeyed.
Then Jesus turned to His disciples and asked a heart-piercing question: "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" (v. 40). The disciples were left in awe—not only of the storm's sudden stillness but of the One standing before them. "They were filled with great fear and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?'" (v. 41).
We read this and wonder—how could they doubt? But time and again, we do the same thing, don't we?
When a storm blows into our lives—an unexpected diagnosis, a financial crisis, a fractured relationship—we begin to question. "God, don't You care?" It's easy to trust God when the seas are calm. But what about when the waves threaten to sink the boat?
Storms often strike suddenly. Life can go from peaceful to panicked in a moment. Like the disciples, we cry out in fear and assume that God's apparent silence means absence.
But the message of this passage is clear: Jesus is present, active, powerful, and gracious.
Yes, He calmed the sea—but more than that, He was teaching the disciples (and us) to trust Him even when it feels like He's asleep.
Sometimes, He calms the storm. Sometimes, He lets it rage and calms His child.
Either way, He is Lord over all. His love never wavers. His power never diminishes. His presence never departs.
We need to learn what the disciples were learning: to let go of control and rest in Christ's sovereign, saving presence. He is with us in the calm and the chaos.
And even when the storm lingers, even when the questions persist, we can cling to this unshakeable promise: And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. —Romans 8:28
Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Image from Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn, Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, 1633, detail, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
