READ: Mark 4
BACKGROUND: By Verse –
2 – About 1/3 of Jesus’ teaching comes in the form of parables, stories that illustrate a point.
20 – A 100% harvest was an unbelievable harvest.
29 – The Word of God produces fruit…sometimes slowly, but it produces fruit.
31 – A mustard seed is a really tiny seed, but the mustard plant grows to a height of 10-12 feet.
37 – Powerful storms occurred often in this region because of the valleys descending to the lake which acted like wind tunnels.
THINK: In his book The Perfect Storm, author Sebastian Junger reports astonishing facts about the power of a hurricane: “A mature hurricane is by far the most powerful event on earth; the combined nuclear arsenals of the United States and the former Soviet Union don’t contain enough energy to keep a hurricane going for one day. A typical hurricane . . . could provide all the electric power needed by the United States for three or four years.”
Seafarers encounter diverse weather conditions. But those who experience a severe storm have one emotion in common—fear. Mark 4:35-41 records a gale that threatened the boat carrying Jesus and His disciples on the Sea of Galilee. In a panic, the disciples awakened Jesus. He calmly rebuked the wind and sea by saying, “Peace, be still!” (literally “hush”) as if He were quieting an agitated child (v.39). Immediately, the gale stopped and the water became inexplicably placid. The disciples asked, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (v.41).
Do you feel as if your life’s circumstances are a mighty storm? Look to the God-man Jesus Christ, who has authority over heaven and earth. He will give you the strength to survive the storm until He ultimately calms it.When we trust the power of God, His peace keeps us from panic.
By: Dennis Fischer in Our Daily Bread, June 26, 2007
PRAY: Thank God for calming the storms of your life and for sustaining you during them!
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