Surviving Life’s Storms

Mark 4:37-41

37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

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?

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.

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

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?

The storm on the Sea of Galilee serves as a metaphor to remind readers that no one is exempt from life’s storms just because he or she follows Christ. As was true for the disciples here, tempests can burst upon His people’s lives even when

· They are near Him;

· They are doing nothing wrong and everything right;

· No sin separates them from Him;

· They are perfectly in His will.

So rough weather should never surprise us (1 Peter 4:12, 13). In fact, Scripture says that storms must come our way if we want to live a godly live (2 Timothy 3:12).

When Jesus and the disciples shoved off from the shore that day, He knew the storm was coming, yet He didn’t prevent it. Why? First, He knew He would be with them through it. Second, He knew that a life without turmoil has no real meaning, has no real joy, and produces no real faith (Psalm 119:67, 71, 75).

In all of life’s storms, Christian must remember that Jesus is in the boat with them. He is present; He is in control; nothing surprises Him; He has not forgotten us or our plight. If we know this, we can trust that He will bring peace into every situation (John 14:27; 16:33) – no matter how tempestuous our surroundings – and land us safely at His intended destination.

Confessions and the Life of Prayer

Jeremiah 11:18-23

18 The Lord made it known to me and I knew; 

    then you showed me their deeds.
19 But I was like a gentle lamb
led to the slaughter.
I did not know it was against me
they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
that his name be remembered no more.”
20 But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously,
who tests the heart and the mind,
let me see your vengeance upon them,
for to you have I committed my cause.

21 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth, who seek your life, and say, “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand”— 22 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: “Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine, 23 and none of them shall be left. For I will bring disaster upon the men of Anathoth, the year of their punishment.”

A series of prayerful laments known as Jeremiah’s “confessions” are found in 11:18-23; 12:1-6; 15:10-21; 17:14—18; 18:19-23; 20:7-18. In these prayers, we see Jeremiah:

· Complaining that his suffering is due to his faithfulness to God’s call on his life (15:16-18; 17:16; 20:7-18)

· Questioning why God allows the wicked to prosper (12:1; also see Job 21:7-12; Ps. 73).

· Calling for God to destroy the wicked who have persecuted him (12:3; 17:18; 18:21 also see Ps. 56:6-8; 58:8-10; 109:10).

· Expressing disappointment over God’s apparent unfaithfulness to him (15:18; 20:7; also see Ps. 13:1; 44:11-14).

· Cursing the day of his birth and wishing that he had never been born (20:14-18; also see Job 3).

Jeremiah’s prayer reminds us that we can be absolutely honest with God when we come to Him in prayer, even when we are expressing doubt and disillusionment. God bring healing and strength to carry on as we “pour our (our hearts) before him” (Psalm 62:8). In Jeremiah, Lamentations, J. Andrew Dearman writes, “One of the marvelous gifts of Jeremiah’s book is the humanness of his prayers when wearied and depressed by the struggle with rejection and persecution. Zeal for the path of discipleship (in the case of Jeremiah, zeal to carry out his prophetic commission) is no guarantee of smooth sailing in life. God will hear the prayers of his disciples…just as God heard Jeremiah’s cries.