Friday, March 10, 2017

JESUS, THE LORD OF OUR STORM


Mark 4:39-  ...”And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm”.
                                                                                                                                 

Storm is one of the things every fisherman or user of the sea/ river will like to avoid because of the dangers they create to fishermen or seamen. Likewise, life is full of storms or difficulties, and as storm is a danger to the fisherman, it also creates dangers for our lives. Storms can destroy your Christian life; your family; your marriage; your business. It can cause frustration for life. Sometimes, our reactions to the storms are disastrous- leading to request for death in both believers (eg. Elijah) and unbelievers.

Overview
In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus and His disciples, in their usual missionary works i.e. doing God’s business, decided to go to the other side of a lake by boat. On their way, they encountered a storm to the extent that the disciples were afraid. As expert fishermen as some of the disciples were, however, they began to fear the storm. The danger they encountered was so frightening that they lost the faith to calm the storm. They called Jesus, who was then sleeping in the boat, for help. Jesus rebuked the storm and it became calm there and then, but He queried the disciples.
How do you handle the storms (difficulties) in your life?

Our storm
As human as we are, we often encounter stormy (difficult) life problems. Sometimes the problems are so devastating and challenging that we forget about our victorious power through faith. Sometimes we wonder whether God is alive and seeing us suffer.
Are you afflicted by a sickness/ disease that is making your life miserable? Is it about your marriage? Is about your children or frustrations in work? Is something tearing your family apart? Is anything denying you your freedom in Christ? Rebuke that storm in Jesus name!

Rebuking the storm
To rebuke is to speak severely to or say sharp words to. Jesus Christ is telling us that we can rebuke the storms in our lives if we have faith. We have been given all power in heaven and on earth to rebuke. The storms, engineered by Satan, hear and they know that you have the power to quiet them and therefore they use fear to destroy your faith at the first instance.
The disciples were afraid because the water was entering the boat and as fishermen, they knew the effect of water entering a boat. Maybe your problem has dominated your solutions and getting worse. Man says you are going to sink or fail by all means. Don’t worry, it is all part of Satan’s agenda to destroy the child of God. Have faith and rebuke the storm in Jesus name and it will flee!

Getting the faith to rebuke
But as a Christian, do you have the faith Jesus is asking us to have?
  • Be careful of what you hear as a Christian. Know that Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17). Faith is simply: believing that you have something that does not exist in the physical, sensory and perceptive world that you live in. Let God’s promises in the Bible be your guide.
  • Don’t live by sight but by faith in Jesus. What you see can be damaging to your power to rebuke the storm and
  • Don’t panic at the storms, stay calm (like Job)
Readings
  • 1sam. 17:32-49: David and Goliath story. A small boy wanting to fight a giant whom even warriors were fleeing from. V37-38; 45-47; 49. Read Psalm 9:9-10.
  • 2Corin.   6:1-13- the Christian should rejoice in troubles. When the storms are coming we put on a confident smile because we have a saviour greater than the trouble.


Remember, there is no human alternative to faith. What man can do is temporal- like collecting the water from the boat. Just have faith in Christ and rebuke that storm in your life. …..Amen!

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