Passage: Mark 4:35-41
The Big Idea
Jesus promised, “Let us cross over to the other side,” and then a storm nearly swamped the boat while He slept. The terrified disciples asked, “Don’t You care that we’re perishing?” Jesus calmed the storm with a word and asked, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The real problem wasn’t the storm; it was unbelief in His love. Storms show us His presence, His power, His peace and His provision. He will never leave us or forsake us.
“I Will Never Leave You”
Hebrews says that God Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). The idea of “leave” is letting someone sink, and “forsake” means abandoning or deserting them under any circumstances.
It doesn’t always feel true. On many dark days I’ve felt alone, whether I caused my own trouble or trouble found me. And it feels that way because of the storm. I want it to stop. And I reason that if God were with me, if Jesus loved me, He’d make it stop. He’s in charge of everything and powerful enough, so why wouldn’t He? And the enemy is right there with a suggestion: “Jesus doesn’t really care.”
I’m not the first to feel this way. Nearly every follower of Jesus goes through painful trials. Jesus even promised we would (John 16:33). So why are there still believers and churches in the world?
John Newton, the former slave trader who wrote “Amazing Grace,” wrote this poem:
I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek, more earnestly, His face.‘Twas He who taught me thus to pray,
And He, I trust, has answered prayer!
But it has been in such a way
As almost drove me to despair.I hoped that in some favored hour,
At once He’d answer my request;
And by His love’s constraining power,
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in every part.Yea more, with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.“Lord, why is this?” I trembling cried,
“Wilt Thou pursue Thy worm to death?”
“‘Tis in this way,” the Lord replied,
“I answer prayer for grace and faith.“These inward trials I employ,
From self and pride to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou may’st find thy all in Me.”
Jesus doesn’t promise to take us out of every trial in this life. He allows them. But He does promise to deliver us through every one, and to stay with us through every one. And if He’s with us, no trial can ultimately harm us. It’s for our good. If we put our hope in Jesus’ love and presence, we won’t fear the troubles of this life.
Think of the worst trouble in your life. Jesus was with you and loved you completely the whole time. That’s the truth, even if it didn’t feel like it. We so often judge what’s true by how we feel in the moment. But feelings change and lie. Jesus is truth that doesn’t change. His presence is with you. He will not leave or forsake you.
What does it take to experience His presence? Faith. Trust.
When we surrender to believe what He promised and trust His loving power and guidance, we’ll see that He has never forgotten us and will never let us be destroyed. Even in death, we’ll know His life and love, untouched by death’s sting.
But trusting Him isn’t easy. We’re tempted every day to stop. That’s the enemy’s big plan. Hebrews warns us to beware of an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God (Hebrews 3:12).
Will you have faith in your trial?
We’ll probably fail over and over before our hearts are truly convinced He’ll never leave us. Thankfully, God, for some strange reason, delights to walk us through these lessons, forming a people who know He loves them no matter how the storm rages, what others say, or what they feel or think: a people whose hearts are convinced of His unfailing love.
“But I haven’t been feeling this.” Walk in the Spirit. The Spirit is always working to help you know His love: its width, length, height and depth, the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:18-19).
“Let Us Cross Over” (Mark 4:35)
That evening Jesus said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side.”
- That’s the simple sentence Jesus spoke. Not “Let’s go halfway,” or “Let’s see what happens.”
- Jesus’ word is truth.
- His promises are as certain as things already done, like structures already built: reliable and dependable, even when I can’t see how or where.
- He doesn’t always tell us what we’ll go through between here and there. Most of it is a surprise. But He knows what we’ll need and what He will do to bring us through. And He goes with us!
The Storm (Mark 4:36-38)
Leaving the crowd, they took Him along in the boat, just as He was, and other boats were with Him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves broke into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
We all go through storms. Storms are:
- Unpredictable.
- Unavoidable.
- Uncontrollable.
“Oh no. I thought things were going so well!” Hope fades. We try so hard: rowing, bailing, steering, bracing, cowering, screaming, praying, worrying, stressing.
But their efforts couldn’t save them. Their nearness to the Son of God was what would deliver them.
Elisabeth Elliot told of standing by a shortwave radio in the jungles of Ecuador in 1956, hearing that her husband, Jim, was missing. She said God brought to her mind Isaiah’s promise: when you pass through the waters, I will be with you (Isaiah 43:2).
What could Elisabeth Elliot do to escape that storm? Nothing. She trusted God and drew near to His presence.
In the Gospels, Jesus didn’t always keep people out of trouble or fix things immediately. Sometimes He let them struggle for a while, then came and met their need. When Lazarus was dying, Jesus waited two days before going. By the time He arrived, Lazarus had been dead four days, and Martha and Mary said, “Lord, if You had been here, our brother wouldn’t have died.” Then Jesus raised Lazarus and their faith grew (John 11). Jesus sometimes lets us struggle so He can teach us greater lessons after He delivers us.
We tend to think our greatest problems are our trials. This story shows our greatest problem is within us: unbelief.
They woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we’re perishing?”
- They were upset because it seemed He didn’t care. They didn’t believe His love.
- They weren’t yet convinced, even though He’d never given them a reason to doubt. He’d always provided and cared for them.
- But this was another level. They didn’t trust that He could, or would, save them from a storm this big.
- “You don’t understand what I’ve been through! You have no idea of the pain and trouble I’ve seen. My storm is so big, I can’t trust Jesus in it. I’m on my own. I’m forsaken. He doesn’t love me.”
The Sword in Loving Hands
There’s an old story of a young military officer and his bride who set out on a honeymoon voyage. A violent storm struck. The bride was terrified, and she grew irritated that her husband wasn’t afraid. After a while he drew his sword and laid its point against her throat. She looked up at him and smiled. “You’re not afraid?” he asked. “Oh no,” she said. “I’m not afraid of a sword in the hands of one who loves me.”
Now watch Jesus prove His love. This isn’t just a story about people long ago. It’s Jesus declaring to you that He truly loves you and is right there with you, even if you can’t feel it.
Four Lessons of His Love (Mark 4:39-40)
He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”
“He arose.” The storm didn’t move Jesus to act. But the frightened cries of His beloved did.
1. His presence
- He was with them, available. The storm didn’t take Him away.
- He was there even when He seemed indifferent.
- Jesus loves you so much He’ll never leave you, no matter how it seems.
- He was always in control.
2. His power (“He rebuked the wind”)
- Jesus showed complete power over every circumstance and storm.
- “Rebuked” is the same word Mark uses when Jesus rebukes demons. There may well have been an evil source behind this storm. No problem for Jesus.
- The storm will never take you out if you’re with Jesus, even if it comes from the enemy himself.
- He has no trouble using His power to bring you through, because He loves you.
3. His peace (“Peace, be still!”)
- Now they were at peace. They could have been at peace the whole time, if they’d known who was in the boat.
- He took their anxiety and replaced it with calm.
- The storm won’t panic you when you know you’re with Jesus.
- His love secures this peace, not the calming of the storm. They had access to it all along.
Paul says not to be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, to bring our requests to God, and the peace of God that surpasses understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
4. His provision (“Why are you so fearful? Do you have no faith?”)
- He’d never failed to meet their needs, and He wasn’t about to start.
- The storm wasn’t too big for Him. He’ll provide everything needed to get through it. In fact, the storm is a tool to help us know Him more.
- He wasn’t amazed at the storm’s size. He was focused on His disciples’ faith. He always has the same focus with us. It’s not about the storm; it’s about your faith.
- That’s the main point: they had no faith. They had all heard Jesus say, “Let’s go to the other side.” They didn’t trust that word. They didn’t believe He could know or control that much, or that He loved them.
- Fear of the storm was a natural symptom. The main problem is always faith. When I don’t believe what Jesus says, I’ll worry about every threat and storm in my life. Jesus is in control, and it’s all going according to plan.
Grace in the Storm
Isaiah asks, haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn’t faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. Even young men grow tired and stumble, but those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength. They’ll mount up with wings like eagles; they’ll run and not be weary; they’ll walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:28-31).
That’s grace: trust the Lord, and He’ll do everything that’s needed. Wait on Him in faith. Call on Him in calm trust. Faith is how we access His grace.
Jesus was saying, “If you trusted Me, you’d know My grace, the fullness of everything I want to give you. Calming this storm is nothing compared to what I have planned. But you must trust Me, child.”
Who Is This? (Mark 4:41)
They were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
- Now they were starting to get it. Jesus is all that matters! His presence is the place to be. He is God, and nothing else compares.
- That’s the fear of the Lord: a healthy awe that Jesus is God and our lives belong to Him.
Spurgeon observed that when we get into trouble so deep we can’t help ourselves, and feel our entire dependence on Him, that’s when He reveals His power.
Paul said that in Asia he was burdened beyond his strength, so that he despaired even of life. He felt he’d received the sentence of death, so that he wouldn’t trust in himself but in God who raises the dead, who delivered him and would deliver him again (2 Corinthians 1:8-10).
Everyone needs to be convinced of God’s love. Everyone needs to grow in faith, even Paul. That’s what our storms are for. Don’t believe the lie that He’s indifferent or that things are out of His control.
Dive into His life and promises. Learn how much He loves you in the middle of every storm. Close your eyes and let the quiet confidence of His love wash over you like the waves.
It will be okay. Everything will be alright. We may suffer, and we may die, but that isn’t the point, or the end.
- God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
- Joseph told his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to save many lives” (Genesis 50:20).
- Paul says we don’t lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. This light, momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond comparison (2 Corinthians 4:15-17).
- The sufferings of this present time aren’t worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).
Grace Takeaway
Jesus said, “Let us cross over,” and nothing could keep that boat from the other side. In your storm, He’s still in the boat. His presence, power, peace and provision are all yours. The storm isn’t the real problem; unbelief in His love is. Rest in the hands of the One who loves you, even when the waves are high. He will never leave you or forsake you.