“But He [Jesus] was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” Mark 4:38-41
Monday, the last day of June. How about a thought-provoking statement that I read recently to start the day? Life is 10 percent of what happens to you, and 90 percent of how you respond to it. How often when you’ve been faced with a large challenge have you said or thought the following? “Jesus, don’t you care?” Yes, Jesus does care.
“Jesus, don’t You care?” was uttered by the disciples on an angry sea two-thousand years ago and that was not the last time that question has been asked. That’s because any time we’re caught in a natural disaster or accident or illness the temptation is there to ask, “Jesus, don’t You care?”
Yes, Jesus cares. The disciples had hardly finished waking Jesus up in the boat before He was on His feet, calming the raging waters around them. But other storms would come their way, and their faith during those storms was not an improvement on what they did on the Sea of Galilee. When Jesus asked them to pray with Him in the garden, they fell asleep. When He was arrested, they ran away. When He was crucified, they slipped into hiding. When He rose from the dead, they were slow to understand what had happened and what been fulfilled.
And we too have had numerous storms and challenges like the disciples and have also asked the question; “Jesus, don’t you care?” We need to hear His reply from the above scripture reading; “Peace! Be still!” In life’s storms, during those times when we’re afraid, when we question whether we can make it through the next day, the next hour, we need to hear Jesus. He will, just as He did for the disciples those many years ago, rise up and still the storm and tell us to be still. Sometimes He will make that storm disappear; other times He will give us the power to get through that storm. But either way, with Jesus we will survive. We will survive until the day comes when He safely takes us to our home in heaven. On that day, if we look back, we will see and thank Him for the many storms He has stilled in our lives.
Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you,
Jay