Let’s end this first month of 2020 with one last thought from Jesus and the disciples in the great storm recorded in Mark 4:35-41. (One of my favorite lessons that you’ve probably heard many times from me. But I remember what a bible college professor always said, “repetition increases remembrance!”)
Jesus had commanded the disciples in the boat with Him to go to the other side and they obeyed. Their obedience put them right in the midst of a very grave storm and they thought they were in danger of going under, all the while Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat, exhausted from that day’s work. Finally, the disciples wake Him and chastise Him for what they regarded as His lack of concern for them. After quieting the storm with a word, Jesus chastises them for their lack of faith.
Jesus understood the most dangerous thing for the disciples was not the storm – no matter how wildly it raged. The most dangerous part for them was their unbelief, their lack of faith in God’s ability to protect them and enable them to reach their goal – the other side.
Our greatest problems are within us, not around us. The true danger isn’t in the storm, it’s in our hearts. Hebrews 3:13 goes so far as to warn us about our “sinful, unbelieving heart” that has the power to turn us away from the Living God.
No storm can drive us to the bottom when Jesus is in the boat … no, we are guaranteed to get to the other side. But, but, our own hearts can turn us away from the Living God, and when that happens, even the mildest of storms may sink us.
Oh Father, keep our hearts of faith set securely in You. Amen.
