The Wind and the Waves
As I was doing my daily Advent devotional the other day, I suddenly found myself going down a rabbit trail and ended up with some fishermen in a boat. I thought to myself, “What does this have to do with Christ’s birth?”
There are two different accounts in the gospels where the disciples find themselves on a boat in rough seas. In Mark 4, Jesus was in the boat with the disciples when “there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. And He Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”(Mark 4:37-38) Jesus “rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Hush, be still.’ And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.” (Mark 4:39) I’ve read this story countless times, but when I read it this time, my first thought was that it was an excellent metaphor for what this year has felt like. Between a global pandemic, civil unrest, and a contested national election, it feels like the waves just keep breaking over the bow of life. It is as if a flood gate has been lifted, and a tsunami-sized wall of water has been released upon us. The daily news updates never stop coming.
In Matthew 14, after witnessing the feeding of the five thousand, the disciples were instructed by Jesus to sail to the other side of the Sea of Galilee where He would meet them after He spent some time alone in prayer. During the trip, a fierce storm arose and the boat was “battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary.” (Matt. 14:24) Jesus came to them, walking on the sea and said, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” He invited Peter to join Him on the water. “And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” (Matt. 14:29-30) Scripture says that Jesus immediately reached out and took hold of him, and when they climbed into the boat, the wind stopped.
I tend to struggle with anxiety and fear, but in the past few months it has been crippling at times. About six weeks ago, I made the decision to stop watching the news every night and stop checking the headlines on my phone. I just couldn’t handle the feeling of helplessness and despair anymore. From that day forward, I began to experience a renewed sense of inner peace, even though the waves continue to crash and rock the boat. As I read and compared these two stories, noting how the rough seas felt like an apt metaphor for 2020, I identified with Peter. Whenever I looked at the news (wind and waves) I became afraid and started to sink into despair. Since I’m so familiar with the story and know that Peter will look at the situation and panic, I forget that when he first got out of the boat, he was successful! He was looking at the Lord and actually walked on water! The Lord is always in complete control. The waves are under His feet and He can command the raging elements to stop with a simple, “Hush, be still.” When I cried out to Him, He immediately took hold of my heart and mind and helped me climb back into the boat.
The last verse of Mark 4 says, “And they became very much afraid and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” The word afraid in this verse refers to the reverential, respectful awe sort of fear.
Whether in the boat with us,
or out on the water,
He is Jesus
God with us (Matt. 1:23)
The Prince of PEACE (Isaiah 9:6)
