Mark 4:35 That day, when evening had come, Yeshua said to them, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So, leaving the crowd behind, they took him just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. 37 A furious windstorm arose, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was close to being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern on a cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, “Rabbi, doesn’t it matter to you that we’re about to be killed?” 39 He awoke, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind subsided, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you no trust even now?” 41 But they were terrified and asked each other, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the waves obey him?” (Complete Jewish Bible).
"Don't you care?" You can just imagine the fear and frustration of the disciples as the storm battered their boat. The waves were treacherous, the shore was distant and their odds of survival were increasingly slim--yet Jesus continued to sleep. Do their lives matter so little to him that he cannot be bothered to awake?
When God seems silent in our seasons of distress, the same question comes to mind. Hard pressed by anxieties and tragedies, we have little choice but to try and wake God up. We pray, we beg, we shout: "Lord, don't you care that I'm perishing?" If you are waiting for an answer to that question, then take this to heart: your God cares so deeply that God underwent death for you. Though the silence is deafening, your God is neither distant nor indifferent. The one who watches over you neither slumbers nor sleeps.
God of salvation, draw near to me in my distress and give me the peace that comes from you. Amen.
John Guthridge, '15
Pastor, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Grandview, Wash.
Mark 4:35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side."
36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.
37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.
38 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?"
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
41 They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (New Revised Standard Version).
"Don't you care?" You can just imagine the fear and frustration of the disciples as the storm battered their boat. The waves were treacherous, the shore was distant and their odds of survival were increasingly slim--yet Jesus continued to sleep. Do their lives matter so little to him that he cannot be bothered to awake?
When God seems silent in our seasons of distress, the same question comes to mind. Hard pressed by anxieties and tragedies, we have little choice but to try and wake God up. We pray, we beg, we shout: "Lord, don't you care that I'm perishing?" If you are waiting for an answer to that question, then take this to heart: your God cares so deeply that God underwent death for you. Though the silence is deafening, your God is neither distant nor indifferent. The one who watches over you neither slumbers nor sleeps.
God of salvation, draw near to me in my distress and give me the peace that comes from you. Amen.
John Guthridge, '15
Pastor, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Grandview, Wash.
Mark 4:35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side."
36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.
37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.
38 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?"
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
41 They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (New Revised Standard Version).
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