but he 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?” [mark 4:38-40]
in the uproar of commotion, and in the midst of confusion, do you trust the Lord?
in ephesus, we see confusion in its prime. men rushing together, following wherever the crowd is leading, shouting together regardless of the reason, filled with empowerment and anger without even knowing why. and we often feel surrounded by this same uproar. voices are coming from all directions, telling us what is true, telling us what to do, telling us what is right, telling us what to think. in these moments, or in these seasons, where do we go with our confusion? where do we go with our fear or doubt?
in these times of great storms, whether it be financial stress, uncertainty of health, decisions to be made, or persecution for our faith, all we have to do is go to the stern. Jesus is in the boat with us, in the same storm, because he has promised never to leave us or forsake us. and he is eager to remind us that even the winds and the waves obey him. we don’t need to be afraid, only to have faith. not faith in guaranteed calm, not faith that it will be easy, not faith that he will give you the answer you want. but faith in his sovereignty, his goodness, his faithfulness, and his glory.
Jesus promises:
- you are not alone [hebrews 13:5]
- he is in control [hebrews 2:8]
- he is truth [john 14:6]
- he is allowing the storm for your good and for his glory [romans 8:28-29]
- there will be an end to your suffering [1 peter 1:3-9]
in your confusion, come to Jesus. he will not turn you away. in your suffering, come to Jesus. he will give you rest. give him your heart, and let him speak over it, “peace, be still.”
come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and i will give you rest. take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for i am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” [matthew 11:28-30]
~ arwen eastman