Thursday, May 14, 2009

STILLING THE STORM

The Sea of Galilee is only twelve miles long, seven miles wide and seven hundred feet deep. Yet over these waters come some of the most ferocious, vicious storms in the Middle East.The Sea of Galilee is located scarcely fifty miles from the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. To the northeast rise the Syro-Phoenician mountains of Lebanon. When a low pressure system comes off the Mediterranean and clashes with a high pressure system from these mountains, the calm surface of the Sea of Galilee can be suddenly transformed into a raging storm with waves fifteen to twenty feet high.

There is constant danger for fishermen caught on the lake in the springtime and early fall, when the storms most frequently occur. During these seasons, the weather may be perfect when the fishermen leave shore, but within minutes the sky becomes overcast and large swells mount to toss their boats about.Mark 4:36-41 records just such a day when Jesus and His disciples had gone out on the sea. "A great windstorm arose, and waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling" (v. 37). Jesus, who had been asleep, now rose, and standing in the middle of the boat, rebuked the storm saying, "Peace, be still" (v. 39)! Immediately the storm subsided. The disciples wondered among themselves, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him" (v. 41).

There are times in our lives when everything seems to be calm. But like one of the sudden storms on the Sea of Galilee, problems can suddenly arise, transforming our lives into a raging storm of stress and difficulty. Without someone to turn to, these problems seem overwhelming. Yet with faith in God, we rest assured that the voice of Jesus and the presence of God will still any storm of problems with a word: "Peace, be still!"

Lord, You still the raging storms in my life through Your presence and offer peace and calm when stress and trouble threaten to overwhelm me. In faith I rest assured of Your protection and deliverance. Thank You.

"Better to go through the storm with Christ than to have smooth sailing without Him." – Vernon Grounds

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