Unexpected Storms-- Part One

A recent trip to the emergency room (see the Sept. 19, 2011, post Real Life), got me thinking about what I call the unexpected.  From our perspective, life is uncertain, filled with unexpected storms, great and small.

Now, when we talk about 'the unexpected' happening, that may be true enough coming from our own perspective, but from God's perspective, nothing is unexpected.  He never sleeps (Psalm 121:4).  His plans stand firm forever (Psalm 33:11; Isaiah 46:9-10).  Each and every day of our lives was ordained by Him before it ever came to be (Psalm 139:16).  On top of that, He loves us and there is no one wiser.  Not only does He have perfect plans, but He has plenty of power to carry them out.

With that as a backdrop, consider with me this incident that Mark records in his gospel (Mark 4:35-41):

"And on that day, when evening had come, He (Jesus) said to them (his disciples), 'Let's go over to the other side.'

And leaving the multitude, they took Him along with them, just as He was, in the boat; and other boats were with Him.  And there arose a fierce gale of wind and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.

And He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, 'Teacher do you not care that we are perishing?'

And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Hush, be still.'  And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

And He said to them, 'Why are you so timid?  How is it that you have no faith?'  And they became very much afraid and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?'"

Now, when that storm hit, the disciples were convinced that they were dying.  They said so.  “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re perishing?”  They honestly thought they were going down, but they were overlooking one small fact.  At the beginning, Jesus had said, “Let’s go over to the other side.”  NOT, “Let’s go die in a shipwreck!”

I’m not sure why the chapter divider deciders decided to do it this way, but the first verse of the next chapter (Mark 5:1) actually has the end of this story.  It says, “And they came to the other side.”  That's right--they came to the other side.

When Jesus plans a journey, He finishes it.  However unexpected the storm was to the disciples, it was not unexpected to Jesus.  Yes, they ran into a storm.  Yes, the waves were breaking over the boat.  Yes, the boat was already filling up.  But they got to the other side, just as He planned.

The disciples let their fears get way out of control, way ahead of reality.  When Jesus asked them, “Why are you so timid?  How is it that you have no faith?”, their answer, in the form of the question hinted at the heart of the matter.  They asked each other, "Who is this...?"  They didn’t know, clearly and unmistakably enough yet, who He really was.  It wasn't fully integrated into their hearts yet that it was God in their boat, and that He would keep them afloat!

Somebody once defined worry as thinking of the future as if God isn’t in it.  Fear does the same thing.  They were thinking of their boat as if God wasn’t in it.  They didn’t understand yet that Jesus was Lord over what seemed, to them, their most 'impossible' situations, and that Jesus' plans for them would not be thwarted.  They were still learning that fear, in the face of unexpected storms, was never what Jesus had in mind for them.

If it wasn't fear that He had in mind for His disciples, what was it?  A bit later in Mark, Jesus reassures others who were wrestling with storms of a different kind, with these words, "Go in peace. . ." and, "Do not be afraid any longer, only believe."  Deliberately and progressively, He revealed to His followers more and more of Who He is and what He can do.  "Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid."

What are you afraid of?  Is there something that has taken you by surprise?  Is there a journey the Lord set you on, but now you're wondering if you will reach the end of it? 

We can rest assured that God doesn't have to wait to see the morning paper to find out what's happening in our world.  When you next check the weather forecast, remind yourself that He never needs to.  We can trust His power and His love through any storm.  And when He plans your journey, He will be with you, to get you to the other side.

I asked for a new song
These very themes are some of what I chose to speak about at the June, 2011, Indiana State Homeschool convention.*  As I was preparing, I was earnestly hoping to close the session with a song that we could sing together, that would capture these truths in a package my listeners would be able to take home with them to sing later, when they would inevitably run into storms of their own.  But all the songs that seemed to fit were copyrighted by others, and since the session was to be recorded, that would have been a problem.  So I asked the Lord if we could have a new song.  And He gave me one!

Here's the most amzaing part!  In His perfect way, He gave it, not just in time for the convention, but three months earlier, and just before our family ran into a storm of our own.  Here's what happened (our storm), and here's the song He knew we needed.

* I wasn't there because I've got everything together.  I haven't.  I was there because God has been my strength and comfort, and He wants us to pass on to others the comfort He supplies (II Corinthians 1, you know).  Anyway, what I shared there wasn't some theoretical formula.  I shared some of the truths from God's Word that had become a literal lifeline to me, and, in fact, they still are.  I never grow weary of hearing Him calm the storm again and again!