Mark 4:35-41

As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. 38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” 39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

It’s here in Mark 4 that we see the disciples facing fear and the faithfulness of God in the midst of fear. It’s also here that we discover several things about God’s plan, first:

• His plan can be perplexing

Jesus had spent the whole day preaching and because of the crowds of people he had to use a boat as a pulpit. As evening came he directed his disciples to not only join Him, but to journey with Him to the other side of the lake. It’s here that we see Jesus inviting us to join Him, to get into the boat and go to the other side. So why don’t we respond to God’s invitation to get into the boat, often it’s because we are afraid. We are afraid of the unknown; we want to know the whole plan before we pursue God’s invitation. But Jesus didn’t reveal the whole plan, just part of the plan, the question is are we going to step into the boat based on faith and pursue His plan or stay because of fear? While the Sea of Galilee is talked about over 50 times in the Gospels and is the setting for many of Jesus miraculous stories, there seems to be little focus given to “the other side.” This is because the other side of the lake was where the Gentiles lived, it was a place that the Jewish people avoided at all cost. Jesus plan involved the pagan people living on the other side, which would have been very perplexing to His disciples. The “other side” may be unsettling and uncertain but we’re called to follow Jesus’ even when His plan doesn’t seem to make sense to us. Just as Jesus called His first followers to go with Him to the other side, so too each us must go where He goes. This is not a suggestion but a command of Christ, in Matthew 8:18 it says: “…He gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.” What about you do you obey even when the plan is puzzling, or do you spend your time arguing with the Almighty? It’s here that we see a powerful spiritual principle, disciples don’t delay, verse 36: “Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as He was, in the boat. There were also other boats with Him.” They took Jesus “just as He was,” they didn’t make any preparations or gather any provisions they just set sail with the Savior. How eager are you to obey, are you pursuing God’s plan or procrastinating? Are you following in faith or are you going to falter and flee because of fear? Second:

• His plan often includes problems.

The Sea of Galilee is really a lake yet it has many of the same characteristics of a sea, especially when it comes to sudden storms. Being the lowest fresh water lake in the world it is prone to problems, as cold wind whips down from snow-capped Mount Hermon and mixes with the warm lake air, resulting in raging thunderstorms with fierce gale-force winds. Because of the violent winds waves are known to reach 12 or more feet in height. It is here as the disciples are pursuing God’s plan that they encounter an explosive storm, Mark 4:37 “But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.” Notice that Jesus invited them to join Him in the boat knowing full well the explosive storm they would encounter. So why would Jesus invite them to launch out onto the lake knowing what they would face? Because our security is not in a storm free life it’s in having the Savior in our life. The truth is sometimes in order to get to the other side we need to go through the storm. So don’t believe the lie that just because you’re going through some stormy seas that you’re being disobedient and God is punishing you. Sure sometimes God sends the storms to get ahold of our attention, just like He did with Jonah when he was living in disobedience, but sometimes the storms surface because of our obedience. Why do we expect our journey with Jesus to be smooth sailing? Why do we expect obedience to be easy? This story doesn’t say that if we have Jesus in the boat with us, our lives won’t get rocked. It doesn’t mean that being in a relationship with Jesus is all roses, where belief brings a blue sky and singing birds. The picture that this story paints involves problems but it also involves the promise of His presence. Look Jesus doesn’t promise us perfect health, a successful career, or a life without cares. As believers we are still subject to the storms. The message here is not the pursuit of a problem free life but the presence of the Lord of life. When storms come, they are can be sudden, they come in a split second seemingly out of nowhere. All it takes is one phone call, a doctor visit, an accident, the loss of a job, or a relational rift. Not only are the storms sudden but they can be severe. Some of you right now are in the midst of the raging storms of life. For others it’s a family member or friend who is facing the fierce storm. May be it’s the howling winds of a health problem, or a marital problem, or an addiction issue, or even the final and sometimes most difficult storm of all, death. Storms can also be surprising and can catch us of guard, even though they shouldn’t, as 1 Peter 4:12 says: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.” Whenever and whatever storms you face remember you are not alone in the boat, Jesus is right there with you. When we forget His presence we are prone to focus on the problems and its then that our peace falls to pieces. We start to question the Lord’s love, and are tempted to stop trusting. Instead of clinging to Christ we abandoning ship and try to swim on our own only to sink. Instead of a steadfast faith we end up with a shipwreck faith. Don’t let the problems pervert your perspective, and prevent you from resting in His presence. It’s easy to sail when the seas are calm, but Jesus didn’t call us to be fair weather fans, which are faithful as long as everything is favorable, no he called us to follow regardless of how fair or foul the weather was. We need to reject a faith that is filled with a formula which says, “If I am obedient and do this then God is obligated to do what I expect.” Look we will encounter junk in the journey but if we have Jesus we can still have joy. Sometimes His plans are perplexing, often they include problems but they always come with His presence. So what are you going to focus on, the storm or the Savior?

Psalm 27:1-14

“1 The Lord is my light and my salvation so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? 2 When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. 3 Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. 4 The one thing I ask of the Lord, the thing I seek most is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. 5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. 6 Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music. 7 Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me! 8 My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” 9 Do not turn your back on me. Do not reject your servant in anger. You have always been my helper. Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me, O God of my salvation! 10 Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close. 11 Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me. 12 Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I’ve never done; with every breath they threaten me with violence. 13 Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. 14 Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”

Not only did David look to the Lord and live with the Lord but he also:

• Listened to the Lord vs 7-10

David focused on God by listening to His voice over the voice of fear or that of the cynical critics. Are you going to listen to the Lord and hear the voice of victory or that of the naysayers who want to fill you with fear? As David meditated in God’s Temple, he mulled over God’s word. Which means that he took the time to chew over his conversation with God, so that instead of choking on God’s Will He was able to swallow and digest it. One of the reasons we struggle to swallow God’s Word and have difficulty digesting it is that we don’t take the time to chew it. Our quiet time with God should involve contemplation not just conversation. If we fail to take the time to chew over God’s Word we will end up with indigestion, instead of satisfaction we will have a stomach ache. David chose to listen to the Lord which means he learned to let God speak, he didn’t try to control the conversation. How about you are you dominating the time and trying to dictate to the deity? Or are you letting Him lead while you listen? So often our prayer time amounts too little more than petitioning without paying attention. We dominate the time with our demands, ramroding our requests without ever realizing what it is that God wants to say. Is there a place in your prayer life to listen, a space for God to speak? When we create space for God to speak we learn to listen to the voice of counsel instead of confusion. When we chose to look to God, live with God, and listen to God we will come to know Him intimately. We will stop seeking a solution and start seeking the Savior. As we do we will be able to look fear in the face and by faith like David voice the victory, “5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. 6 Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music.” Which voice are you going to listen to the victor and live in the victory or that of the enemy and live as a victim? Looking to the Lord, living with the Lord, and listen to the Lord will result in:

• Letting the Lord Lead vs 11-14

As David prays he acknowledges his need for God, which means that he is confessing that he cannot handle life by himself. When we admit our need for the Almighty we will turn to Him and learn to wait on Him. Letting the Lord lead means learning to rely and rest on Him. This means that David turned to God trusting only in Him to intervene on His behalf with concern and compassion, verse 7, “Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me!” He also turned to God for guidance and protection, verse 11, “Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me.” God desires to see child-like dependence, where we come to Him with all of our heart and say “I need you!” So often we miss God’s peace and end up living in the fear because instead of going to God for help we try to handle things on our own. What about you are you trusting or trying? When my children were little and became sacred they would turn to me and hold on tightly. Instead of facing their fears on their own they turned to their father and so should we. Verse 8 reminds us that we can be confident when we come to God because He is the one calling us: “My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” How will you respond to God’s invitation to come and commune, are you going to seek His comfort or stay in the chaos? God cares about His children, He will never turn you away. Sometimes we are fearful to come to Him because we feel that we have let God down and He no longer wants us. David expresses this fear as he says in verse 9 “do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger… Do not reject me or forsake me…” But in verse 10 he focuses on the truth and rests in the reassurance that God will never reject us no matter what! As David chose to focus on God his fears dissipated and his heart grew confident that he would see “the goodness of the Lord” even though he had not yet received the answer he was looking and longed for. It is here that David gives us some of the greatest counsel concerning God, verse 14 to “wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart…” Like David we have many reasons to fear but we also have one greater reason to have peace. As we like David focused on the Lord and remember that he is the source of our Light, our Salvation, and our Stronghold we can have victory over fear. What about you are you going to live in the worry or wait on the Lord?