Master of the Storm

Mar 6:45  And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. 

Mar 6:46  And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. 

Mar 6:47  And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. 

Mar 6:48  And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. 

Mar 6:49  But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: 

Mar 6:50  For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. 

Mar 6:51  And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. 

Mar 6:52  For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened

When you read through this there is just so much to unpack.

Jesus sent the people away. This is our Savior, a man of the people accessible to all. He sent the people away personally. He didn't delegate this task to his disciples, He took the personal touch. 

Now we know He spent time alone in prayer and meditation, yet He always went among the people. He healed them, taught them, lifted their spirits and their burdens. He was God and He was man, He spent a lot of time with both.

When the people were sent away He went into the mountain to pray. He had just spent time with the people who needed Him and wanted something from Him, so He retreated to spend time in prayer renewing His Spirit, renewing His mind and strengthening Himself with the Father.

As much time as He spent in prayer should be a solid example for us, but how many of us do this? How much time do those of us, who are most definitely not God, spend time in prayer with Him?

Do we maintain such a balance as Christ did?

Do we, after being out among the world, go to our solitude time with the Father to renew?

He had sent His disciples on ahead of Him, yet while they were out on the water and He was on the mountain He saw them toiling.

How much comfort can we derive from this very thought? In His physical manifestation here on this earth, He saw His disciples in a boat on the ocean, and He was not near them. What does that mean for us now? That we are seen no matter where we go, what we do, He sees us, He knows when/what/where/why/and how long before we tell Him.

He saw them in the midst of the sea, toiling to get where He had told them to go and He went to them. Not only did He go to them but He went to them as master of the very element that was giving them trouble.

The sea was overwhelming them, yet He came to them walking on the very sea in the midst of the very wind they were fighting at the time. If ever there was a comforting thought in times of trouble this is it. Christ is Lord and Master over your sea of trouble. He is the Creator of all, there is nothing that overwhelms Him.

Jesus was out for a stroll, in the same storm that the disciples were toiling in. Not only that, pay attention here, they had a head start, they worked for hours and he caught up to them and was going to pass them by. When it was even (evening in our definition approx 6 pm) He was on land. About the fourth watch (3am) He came to them. 9 hours they struggled, and He caught up to them in their struggles effortlessly. If that does not change your perspective, nothing will.

He was going to pass them by, He knew they were okay and would make it. I often tell my employees in the midst of a problem, "when you see me sweating a problem then you can start to sweat".

Christ was not worried even though the disciples were sore afraid, overwhelmed, struggling mightily, toiling hard, He was calmly walking through the midst of the storm. However it is at this point that I must ask, if Christ is near is there truly a storm? Or is it our human need to conflate the issue?

He was going to pass them by, For He considered the storm of no moment. He knew they would be fine, but when they called out fearing it was a spirit He went to them and calmed then. He did not consider the winds, the rain, the raging sea an issue, but when they thought they saw a spirit then He made Himself known. For then they would not just be fighting the elements, He knew the real danger was more of their mind than of the storm.

He came to them in the midst of their storm, knowing they were ok, but calmed them, made Himself known and then He finished the trip with them.

Think this part through.

They were in the same storm He was in, yet He was calm and strolling through. He was going to pass them by because He knew they were going to be ok and make it through, yet when they cried out He went to them and comforted them, calmed the storm and traveled with them the rest of the way.

Why did He stay when the storm was calmed?

Why did He get in the boat?

It surely wasn't for Him, He was strolling through the storm, out for a Sunday walk! He stayed with them for their sake, their peace of mind. He was there for them. He knew what was going on, He knew they would be ok, yet He stayed beside them for their own peace of mind.

When the storm calmed, the peace settled upon them they were amazed. They had forgotten the loaves and fishes that had just fed thousands.

They forgot all the miracles, and power they had seen, they forgot all they knew and saw. Perhaps this is why we should keep a prayer journal and when prayer is answered we should write that out next to the prayer, then in our times of trouble we have a record that we ourselves wrote that we might remember and think on these things when we are in the next storm. Remembering the God who worked for us before and trusting in Him to do it again.

There is a God and that God is Jesus. He is Master and Lord of all. When you are in the midst of the storm calm yourself for He knows. When you are overwhelmed in the Storm call out to Him, He will hear you and come to you.

He sees and knows what you are in and going through. He knows that you will be ok, we, however do not always get that. We have a Lord who will come and calm the storm and travel with us that we might have peace. His very presence with us calms the storm.

This Lord is named Jesus. He lived for us, He died for us, He gave His life. He surrendered the breath of life for us, no man took it from Him. He lives today for us. He gave all that you might have all. Call on Him no matter the storm you are in. Call on Him and have Him make Himself known to you. He is there and He will hear.

The storm is of no moment, The Lord of the storm is.