Guest blogger: Laura Kuehn - The Lord of the storm

“That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4:35-41)

This is one of my favorite passages in all of Scripture. It has comforted me during some very turbulent times in my life. There are so many important facets in this story of Jesus calming the storm. And Mark adds a detail that all others seemed to miss that, to me, makes all the difference in the world.

That detail is the fact that, not only was Jesus tired, but that He was asleep on a cushion. This seemingly small detail humanizes Jesus for me in a way that touches my heart. He was fully human. We wouldn’t want to sleep on a hard plank of wood and neither did He. He knows full well what it is like to be us.

I also think about how tired He was. He was so tired that a storm, with the potential to capsize the boat, did not even wake Him. He was bone weary from His ministry and constantly giving to those in need around Him. So tired, his disciples have to actually wake Him up amidst a dangerous storm. If you have ever been that kind of tired, please know that Jesus gets it. He has been there. He sees you and He understands how you feel. Not in some intellectual way, but in a real, experiential, fully human way.

Another part of this story that I love is the juxtaposition of Jesus’ humanity with His majesty and dominion over all of creation. The same man, who lay sleeping on a cushion one minute, was standing and simply speaking to the wind and the waves the next. And they obeyed. Instantly. He was fully man and fully God.

This gives me so much comfort because this story shows me that, not only does Jesus fully understand my distress, but that He is capable of rescuing me out of it.

And, if we look at one more aspect of this story, we can see that nothing is out of His plan.
Notice in verse 35, that it is Jesus who initiated the trip across the soon-to-be wave-torn sea. As God, He knew what was before them. He could have waited, but He did not. They cast off from the shore, head-first into the tempest. His intention was not to avoid the storm, but steer them through it. He is always in control and He always has a plan and a purpose for what you are going through.

So, if you are in the midst of a storm right now and it feels as if your boat may capsize, remember you have some options. You can pick up your bucket and start frantically bailing as the water rushes in. You can shout at Jesus as the disciples did, claiming He does not care about you at all. Or you can put down your bucket and do what I suspect any little child might have done on that boat…make your way to the back, climb up beside your Savior and settle in, knowing that He fully understands what you are in the midst of and that you are always safe in His strong and loving arms.