Biblical Principles For Kingdom Living

On the program this Sunday, Dr. Dan teaches about our spiritual freedom from Galations 5:1,13-25 as we approach our national Independence Day in the US.  The program includes inspirational bluegrass music!  Join him this Sunday at 1:30 Eastern Time and temember you can always visit the Archives to listen to previously aired messages at your convenience.

“A PILLOW FOR A STORM”

Mark 4:35-41

Scooter is our Corgi who has been with us for about thirteen years.  She came to love with us while I was at the Adair church and she made the move with us to Kenwood when I entered the retired relationship with the church in 2001.  The woods around our home are filled with trails the Scooter has made through the years and we know for a fact that she has traveled to town a few times.  We call her  “the great protector of our property” and laugh about this because when either or both of us arrive home, she is usually napping in the front flower bed.  Sometimes though in cooler weather she naps on the back porch.  On more than one occasion when I have opened the back door she takes off like a shot as if to say, “I’m not napping, I’m hard at word guarding the place.”  She is overweight, but can run like the wind if she wants to chase a rabbit.

Actually, there does not appear to be anything that Scooter is afraid of except for fireworks or a rifle shot during deer season and storms.  Lightening or just the distant rumble of thunder brings her to the backdoor scratching to get in.  In other words, Scooter does not seem to be afraid of very much, except for what she perceives to be bigger than she is!

For many years, we would find her in bed with us during nighttime storms.  Then, when we got a new mattress that is higher than the old one making it impossible for her jump onto, she scratches us awake to protect her from the threatening weather.

On one such occasion, I went in to lie down in the middle of the night on a futon we have in the den.  Happily, she jumped up to lie beside me getting as close to me as possible.  She rested her long nose on my shoulder and immediately I felt the heat from her rapid panting and the moisture from her drooling.  Realizing I had already had a bath, I got up and let her follow me around the house until the storm subsided.

In the Scripture for today, a story that is also found in Matthew and Luke, Jesus has spent the day teaching in parables when at evening He told His disciples that it was time to travel by boat to the other side of Lake Gennesaret.   The crowds that had followed Jesus were sent away and there were several boats needed to transport Jesus and His disciples to the other side of the sea.

The Sea of Galilee was notorious for unpredictable storms. A writer describes the scene:  “It is not unusual to see terrible squalls hurl themselves, even when the sky is perfectly clear, upon these waters which are ordinarily so calm.  The numerous ravines which to the northeast and east surround the upper part of the lake operate as so many dangerous defiles in which the winds from the surrounding mountains are compressed in such a way that, rushing with tremendous force through a  narrow space and then being suddenly released, the agitate the little lake in the most frightful fashion.”

Jesus was in one of the boats in a position near the stern reserved for a distinguished guest where a carpet and a cushion were arranged, and Jesus was comfortably asleep as the boat rocked back and forth.

Suddenly, one of these storms developed which caused the disciples in the boat with Jesus to fall into a panic.  The wind and the waves beat against the little boat filing it with water.  Picture the scene:  frightened disciples and Jesus sound asleep on a pillow as cool as a cucumber!

It is a rare scene for anyone to be perfectly calm if not asleep in the midst of turmoil.  I just finished reading a book on the life of John Brown who carried out a raid on Harper’s Ferry Virginia prior to the American Civil War.  He is described as one who was always believed his actions against slavery was in keeping with God’s will and he remained calm most of his life even though he was surrounded by turmoil.  Even when he went to the gallows to be hung for his crime, a colonel later wrote, “I stood close to him, and watched him narrowly, to see if I could detect any signs of shrinking or trembling in his person, but there was none.” (From “Midnight Rising” by Tony Horwitz)

Although Scripture does not indicate this, I can imagine one of the disciples kicking Jesus to awaken him say, “Hey, wake up! There is a storm and the boat is filling up with water and we are going to drown.  Don’t you care about us?

It is at this point that Jesus awakens and did two things.  First, He rebuked the wind and then he commanded the storm to cease, “and there was a great calm”. (Mark 4:39)

In rebuking the wind, Jesus did the same thing He did to demons that had possessed  a man Mark 1:25: “And Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Hold you peace and come out of him.”

The response of the disciples was one of fear and wonder at man who could command the wind and the sea to obey Him.  The logic of people living in this time was the same in their belief that just as a demon possessed that man, so the destructive power of the storm were demons at work in the realm of nature.

Helen Kim, a Korean lay leader and hymn writer, portrays this in her hymn, “Lonely The Boat”:

Lonely the boat, sailing at sea, tossed on a cold, stormy night;

Cruel the sea, which seemed so wide, with waves so high.

This single ship sailed the deep sea, straight into the gale;

O Lord, great is the peril, dangers to all assail.

Strong winds arose in all their rage, tossing the tiny lone boat;

Waves billowing high, tossing the boat, lost and afloat.

The sailor stood all alone, wondering what to do

Trembling with fear, deep in despair, looking for help all around,

The sailor saw, light from above.

What we learn from this story is that the Lord Jesus Christ rested in perfect peace in the midst of the storm and He is ready to fill your life with peace even though storms may fill your life from time to time.  His life was God centered and faith centered and He offers us the same assurance when we “Let go and let God.”

One of the first Bible verses I memorized comes from 1 Peter 5:7:  “Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.”  But in reality that is often not the case.  We may place our burden into the Lord’s lap, but then we take it back and we worry and fret over it only to be ashamed when all turns out well.  But lack of trust, fear and anxiety, is a part of human nature which God calls us to meet by trusting in Him to meet our needs.

There are some, and I am thankful for these believers, who don’t appear to have a problem with trusting that all will be well.  I usually don’t like to point out members of my congregation who teach us profound lessons, but Mr. Moss is a case in point.  When last Sunday I mentioned that I was waiting on the results of a biopsy, Mr. Moss said, “It will be clear.”  He just reaching out and claimed it!

At Annual Conference Hayes announced to those who had not heard that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.  The Bishop said, “I claim the healing.  The devil didn’t know what he was doing when he gave me cancer.  He will be whipped into submission!”

I have always believed that God will not give us what we want, but God will give us what we need.  He has promised never to forsake us, but trust in His care is always the challenge we face; trust that is developed as we grow in a daily relationship with Jesus.

In his commentary on Mark’s gospel, William Barclay writes:

“When the disciples realized the presence of Jesus with them the storm became calm.  Once they knew He was there fearless peace entered their hearts.  To voyage with Jesus was to voyage in peace even in a storm.”

What was true for the disciples is also true for us.  The storms we face through life are many and varied. When sorrow touches our lives, our faith is able to change the darkness of death into the sunshine of eternal life. Jesus tells us that those whom we love have entered into God’s presence; a place where we will meet again and the God of all comfort comforts us so that we can comfort others with the comfort we have received from God.  (2 Corinthians 1:4)

Jesus gives us peace when life’s problems cause doubt and uncertainty.  Jesus gives us peace when the storms of anxiety threaten to throw us off balance.

But one thing is clear and needs to be said. The presence of Jesus to bring calm to the storms of life depends on a developing relationship with Jesus through a life of worship and prayer.  The book of James says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you . . . .” (James 4:8)

When our faith in Jesus is deep, we will experience His presence with us in the storms of life.  The storms of life may not always go away, but one with strengthened faith in God’s power and provision will experience that “peace that passes all understanding.”  (Philippians 4:7)  In fact, Paul’s words in Philippians are most appropriate when we are faced with life’s storms:

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.  If you do this you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.  His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Jesus Christ.”  (Philippians 4:6-7)

Methodist missionary and evangelist E. Stanley Jones put it well when he wrote:

“If you look within you’ll be discouraged.  If you look around, you’ll be distracted; if you look back you’ll be paralyzed; but if you look at Jesus you’ll have peace.”

In the closing verse of “Lonely The Boat” Helen Kim captures this theme:

“Help can be found; my God is here in my small boat, standing by my side.

Pleading for your mercy, O Lord ,even a sinner like me;

Command, O Lord, calm to the sea, as in Galilee!

Please save my life from all danger, grant a peaceful life;

Oh please be merciful Lord, in times of calm and strife.

Storms in our lives, cruel and cold, surely will arise again,

Threatening our lives, threatening us on life’s wild sea.

Powerful and great, God’s hand is there, firmly in control,

O Lord, calm peace comes from you, peace comes to my lone soul.

So, when the storms of life come, let faith in Christ and His love and provision for you be your pillow.  He will sustain you through life’s storms, in whatever form they may come, and your witness will be a testimony to others of the power of the presence of God in your life.

Dr. Dan Eischen

06.24.12