With Jesus in the storm

The Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn did the above painting in 1633. It is called 'With Jesus in the storm.' It is a great work of art. It depicts a story from the Bible where the disciples and Jesus found themselves in the middle of a ferocious storm in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. The storm must have been what is nowadays termed the 'Perfect Storm.' The storm was so bad that the disciples were convinced that they were about to die, and to their great astonishment, Jesus was sleeping in the midst of it all. We can read the story in Mark 4:35-41

I do wonder if the artist himself has ever found himself on a boat in the midst of a mighty storm. My opinion of the painting is that it lacks that element of anxiousness that I think was present at that time. Most of the men on this vessel were experienced fishermen. They knew the Sea of Galilee, and they understood storms. Yet they got so anxious that they woke Jesus, who was asleep in the boat, thinking they were about to die. For them to get this anxious, it had to be something they had never experienced before, and all their knowledge and experience could not save them.

Imagine being so afraid that you are completely void of any hope. This is the end, and there is no way out. Nothing you do can bring the salvation that is needed. It is not hard to imagine because we have all been in such a state of hopelessness, either for ourselves or a loved one, at some point in our lives. It is not a place where we want to be, but unfortunately, that is life, and life happens whether we like it or not.

The story of the storm has always fascinated me. There are so many lessons we can learn from the story. We have all heard or read countless messages with this story as the main point.

So, today I want to share what the Holy Spirit has shared with me regarding this fascinating story.

1. Jesus was in the boat with them.

2. They accused Jesus of not caring but never asked for help.

3. Jesus saved more than just the people in the boat.

1. Jesus was in the boat with them

I know I am stating the obvious now, but hear me out. When Jesus was on earth, He was fully human. That means He was bound by space and time the same as all of us. He could not be in different places at the same time. That meant He could help the people that were in His immediate surroundings, but not likely anyone else. For that reason, He told the disciples He had to go to heaven to send the Holy Spirit that could be omnipresent. That means everyone who has committed their lives to Christ has the Holy Spirit inside them. In essence, it means that Jesus is now also in our boat of life, just like He was with the disciples in their boat. So when we go through the inevitable storms of life, we are not doing it on our own but with Jesus in the boat.

2. They accused Jesus of not caring but never asked for help

As I contemplated this story, I kept returning to Jesus rebuking the disciples saying they have little faith.' It has never made sense to me. Why is Jesus upset with them? It must have been a terrible storm to get them this scared. Why did He not have more sympathy with them? In verse 40, Jesus puts it quite bluntly: “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith and confidence [in Me]?” (Amplified version)

It was during Sunday morning worship that I was again contemplating this story. I tripped over the same question. Why rebuke them? So, as we continued with the song 'I Surrender All,' I had an epiphany.

These seasoned fishermen have been on a journey with Jesus, and up to this incident, they must have experienced some amazing miracles. Yet they did not yet grasp who Jesus truly was. As they were fighting this monster of a storm, they were doing what they knew best. They exhausted their knowledge and understanding of storms. Yet, all of their hard work did nothing. They were at their wit's end. Then to add insult to injury, Jesus is sleeping soundly through it all. They knew Jesus had power from God, they saw Him do miracles, and they knew He can, why isn't He doing anything?

Here comes the interesting thing; they complained that Jesus didn't care, but not once did they actually ask Him to help them. They assumed that if Jesus really cared for them, He would automatically sort things out, but instead, He was sleeping. We do the same thing. How often have you heard Christians get angry with God regarding their circumstance? They ask questions like why did God allow this tragedy, why is He not healing me? He would not have allowed this or that if He truly cared for me. Christians know they serve a mighty and powerful God. They know He can do the impossible, which frustrates them that it seems He is doing nothing in the face of their trial.

What if the disciples went to Jesus and woke Him up and asked Him to help them? "Jesus, HELP!" Do we ask Jesus for help and guidance when we pray, or do we just moan with anxiousness and walk away burdened as before our prayer? A preacher once said that prayer is an exchange. I give Jesus my burdens, and He gives me His peace. So, if I walk away from my prayer still anxious, then perhaps I didn't pray but only complained. I know this is very simplistic, and every situation is different, but maybe we can try to pray about our circumstances instead of just complaining about them.

3. Jesus saved more than just the people in the boat.

Lastly, I would like to mention this extra bit of revelation that the Holy Spirit gave me: The moment that Jesus commanded the storm to be quiet, it listened and subsided. The people on the boat were rightly amazed. They were sure they would end up in a watery grave, but now, suddenly, the water is still, and there is peace. They have been saved. But they were not the only ones that were saved. Think about it. There had to be other fisherboats on the lake that day. In fact, Mark 4:36 actually mentions other boats that set out with them. That also means they were tossed about as much as the boat Jesus was in. It also means that the moment Jesus calmed the storm, they were also saved.

Very often, when Jesus changes our circumstances, it will benefit more than just ourselves. it tends to have a ripple effect on those around them. So, do you think the people in the other boat were slightly annoyed with the disciples in Jesus's boat? If they had asked Him for help sooner, their situation would not have been as dire.

If all of this is true, then we owe it to the people around us to pray for Jesus to intercede in our lives, not just for ourselves but for the sake of those around us as well. Jesus is in our boat and is the same yesterday, today and forever more. And to quote the song 'It is well,' the waves and winds still know His name (Bethel Music https://youtu.be/j4taAN4QtbI)

The Bible said there was an immediate stillness after Jesus rebuked the storm. Let us take heart in this story today. If even the winds and waves know His name, is there anything in our lives that He cannot change if we only ask?