The wind blows all the time where we live. It doesn’t seem to bother our neighbors on either side, of or even across the street, but it sure gets us!
We used to have two rocking chairs on the front porch. They survived the normal wind, but they kept getting blown off the porch until finally they were just kindling! Now we have much heavier and more durable chairs out there, they still get blown off regularly. We end up laying them down on the porch and just leave them like that for weeks at a time when the weather is bad.
The point is, we have a lot of wind! We have learned to deal with it, but it can cause some problems. And wind caused problems for Jesus disciples as well. The disciples were out in a boat, probably a fishing boat, with Jesus when a windstorm broke out on the Sea of Galilee.
Windstorms are not unusual on that lake. The Sea of Galilee is the lowest freshwater lake in the world, 690 feet below sea level. That low elevation and the surrounding hot desert results in high winds, especially in the Spring. Last May winds were recorded at almost 90 miles an hour. That is like a category 1 hurricane or an F1 tornado. The waves can reach over ten feet tall, easily enough to swamp a small boat.
As this storm hit, according to Mark, Jesus was asleep in the boat. The disciples, experienced boatsmen, were terrified, and woke Jesus up saying, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mk 4:38) Obviously they were very concerned, but at the same time, they did reach out to the only one who could do anything about their situation.
Jesus woke up and rebuked the wind and the sea, saying, “Peace be still!” and right away the wind ceased and there came a great calm. Then Jesus turned to the disciples and said “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40 ESV) They had walked with Jesus, seen him do miracles, they had at least some inkling of who He was, yet they still feared the storm.
I have been a believer for over 40 years. I have lived through some amazing times of God’s protection and provision. And yet, at times I still give in to worry and fear. The storms of life blow up, sometimes very suddenly, and it feels like the world is going to shake apart. And then, like the disciples, I reach out to Jesus. And, like He did with them, sometimes He looks at me and says, “Why are you afraid?”
Are you afraid? Are the winds of life blowing around you today? Reach out to Jesus! He was there on the Sea of Galilee, and He is here for you. Once you call on Him you may ask yourself, “Why was I afraid?”