{"id":213,"date":"2021-11-09T00:45:07","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T00:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deadmannotwalking.org\/?p=213"},"modified":"2021-11-09T00:45:23","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T00:45:23","slug":"still","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deadmannotwalking.org\/?p=213","title":{"rendered":"Still!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.  And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep.  And they came to Him<\/em> and woke Him, saying, \u201cSave us,<\/em> Lord; we are perishing!\u201d  He said to them, \u201cWhy are you afraid, you men of little faith?\u201d  Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.  The men were amazed, and said, \u201cWhat kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?\u201d  (Matthew 8:23-27, NASB)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this story, the Apostle Matthew tells us the story of a storm.\u00a0 It seems that Jesus wants to cross the Sea of Galilee with His disciples.\u00a0\u00a0
Now some of them were not unfamiliar with the sea.\u00a0 James and his brother John; and Peter and his brother Andrew, were fishermen by trade.\u00a0 They were used to being out on the water, and had probably seen their share of bad weather.\u00a0 These men were certainly not timid.\u00a0 They were used to hard work, and lived rough lives.\u00a0\u00a0The Sea of Galilee was, and is, prone to sudden, violent weather.\u00a0 The surface of the water sits at the bottom of a bowl, the sides of which are comprised of mountains.\u00a0 It’s not unusual for winds to rush down the mountainsides and bring sudden storms with them (I’m glad you don’t have to rely on my meteorological knowledge!).\u00a0 Anyway, in this story, a sudden storm came up.
The storm is so severe that the waves are covering the boat.\u00a0 Matthew tells us that Jesus is asleep in the bow of the boat (I’m glad you don’t have to rely on my nautical expertise!).\u00a0 He apparently wasn’t concerned.\u00a0 After all, He knows that God is in control.\u00a0 Oh, and He IS God!\u00a0
The disciples, however, fear for their lives (including, apparently, the four fishermen!).\u00a0 It must’ve been quite a storm.\u00a0 They wake Jesus, He chastises them for their lack of faith, then calms the storm.\u00a0\u00a0
I was at a men’s breakfast several years ago, and the pastor was discussing this story.\u00a0 Using the words from Mark’s Gospel:\u00a0 “And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Hush, be still.’\u00a0 And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.”\u00a0 (Mark 4:39)\u00a0 When Jesus rebuked the storm, according to the pastor, His words actually translate to a single word:\u00a0 “Still!”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“The Storm on the Sea of Galilee” by Rembrandt, 1632<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Once the storm is calmed, the disciples wonder Who this Man is.\u00a0 At this point in Jesus’ ministry, they had seen Him perform some miracles, but they still don’t get it.\u00a0 Of course, Jesus is God!\u00a0 Who else can control the wind and the sea?\u00a0 Who else could calm the storm with a mere word?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God is in control.  If you belong to Him, there is no detail of your life that escapes His notice.  We can be a member of God’s family by putting our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.  He has the power to calm the storms in our lives.  Have you called on His name yet? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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