A FAITH FOR THE STORMS
During my lifetime I have witnessed several high-profile assassinations. I was in high school when President John F. Kennedy was shot. I was in college when Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were killed. I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I first heard about each of these tragedies. But the one that has affected me the most and has given me the greatest feeling of loss is the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
I am confused and puzzled by some of the things that I have heard people say that Charlie Kirk said. But still I see him as a man who deeply loved the Lord Jesus, who wanted everyone to know and love Jesus, who had boundless energy and an incredible gift for reaching young people, and who was able to present and defend traditional values and views in a way that made them credible and viable. And the way that his wife, Erika Kirk, in front of the whole world forgave the man who had killed her husband – because that is what Jesus did – was absolutely astounding. With her at the helm I am hopeful for the future of that organization.
The death of Charlie Kirk is certainly not the only example of a tragic killing that is a reflection of the political extremism, violent rhetoric, and high levels of hatred that are tearing our nation apart. Every single one of them should cause us to ask, “How did it get this way and what can be done about it?” We are living in the worst of storms – social, political, inter-personal, moral, and spiritual storms. What can help us as God’s people face, endure, and maybe even help calm the storms? What can give us A FAITH FOR THE STORMS?
We live in Arizona northeast of Phoenix. Up until a few years ago the area where my wife and I live was open desert. New homes are being built further and further out into the desert. Most of the time Arizona is sunny. But we do have storms. During the summer monsoon season we have thunderstorms that equal anything I ever experienced in Minnesota. And we can have very heavy rainfall. We can have rainfall that makes roads impassable. While walking our dog I was looking at the way in which the land was graded, desert washes were preserved, and the area was prepared before homes were built. There are major washes between rows of houses that allow for the flow of very heavy rain without endangering the homes. Storms will come. Very intense storms will come. How can a community be planned so that it is prepared for the storms? How can we live our lives so that we are ready for the storms? What can give us A FAITH FOR THE STORMS?
To answer that question I would like to look at the account of two storms in the Gospel of Mark – in chapter 4, where Jesus stills a storm – and chapter 6 – where Jesus walks on water.
The first thing I notice in both stories is that a storm came into the lives of the disciples even when thy were doing exactly what Jesus had told them to do.
Mark 4: 35 – “When evening had come, Jesus said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’”
Mark 6: 45 – “Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.”
Obeying Jesus and doing exactly what God tells us to do is not going to protect us from all storms. And just because a severe storm is happening to us does not mean that we are living outside the will of God.
Mark 4: 35-41 – Jesus Stills a Storm
Verse 37 – “A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.”
You might ask the question, Several of the disciples were seasoned fishermen. How could seasoned fishermen have gotten caught off guard by a storm? As I understand it, storms that come from the west – from off the Mediterranean Sea – are rainstorms that are accompanied by clouds. You can see these storms coming. But storms that come from the east – from off the desert – are windstorms. There are no clouds that warn you they are coming. And those winds are only intensified as they rush down the canyons surrounding the Sea of Galilee to a water surface that is several hundred feet below sea level. I am reminded of what Luke said in Acts 2:2 in his description of Pentecost. “Suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind.” The disciples who had been fishermen before they became followers of Jesus certainly knew what it was like to experience a sound like a rush of a violent wind.
Verse 38 – “But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’” When you are going through the storms in your life, have you ever wondered if Jesus is asleep? Have you ever wondered whether Jesus cares that you were perishing?
Jesus does care, and Jesus can do something about the storm. Verse 39 – “He woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Be silent! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.”
I believe that this was more than just a weather event. I believe that this was a spiritual event. This was Satan trying to stop Jesus from advancing into the Gentile world. And I believe that the political violence, hateful rhetoric, and extreme divisiveness that are disrupting our country and tearing it apart are not just human dynamics. They are spiritual dynamics. The Bible tells us that the Thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10: 10).
Mark 6:45-51 – Jesus Walks on Water
And then two chapters later Mark gives us another account of how our relationship with Jesus can give us A FAITH FOR THE STORMS. Here also a storm came into the lives of the disciples even when they were doing exactly what Jesus had told them to do. Verses 45-46 – which come right after the feeding of the five thousand – “Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.” There are three things that I would want to say from this account.
First, Jesus prays for us during the storms.
Whatever storm you are going through right now, Jesus is praying for you just as He was praying for the disciples. Therefore, Hebrews 4: 16 tells us that we can “approach the throne of grace with boldness,” knowing that there we will “receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Jesus intercedes for us in our time of need. We receive His mercy and grace and help in time of need.
Second, Jesus comes to us during the storms.
Verses 47-48 – “When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning.”
The same Jesus who saw that His disciples were straining at the oars against an adverse wind also sees you in all of your struggles. But notice something. Sometimes God does not intervene right away. When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, but Jesus did not come to them until early in the morning. Sometimes Jesus will not respond and come right away. But He will always come – never too early and never too late – but just at the right time.
And then –
Third, Jesus comes to us victorious over our greatest fears.
Verse 48 – “He came towards them, walking on the sea.” He came to them, walking on top of the very thing that terrified the disciples the most.
Whatever it is that frightens you the most, Jesus is literally on top of.
So, are you concerned for our nation?
Are you troubled by all the political extremism, violent rhetoric, and high levels of hatred?
Does it ever feel to you like Jesus is asleep?
To put it on a personal level, do you ever wonder if He cares about what is happening to you?
Do you ever wonder if He sees your struggles?
Do you ever ask why He does not respond any sooner?
Just look out on the waters.
He is walking on the waves.
He is literally on top of what frightens, threatens, intimidates, unsettles, and upsets you the most.
In the strong Name of Jesus,
Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
