The waves and wind still know his name

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt

This past Sunday at church, my pal Alli sang this song from Bethel's You Make Me Brave album. It is a re-imagination of the classic hymn "It is Well." There is a line in the song that says "The waves and wind still know His name."

Yesterday, at Bible study, we happened to be on digging into passage from Mark 4:

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?” 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 afraid? Have you no faith?” And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?”

There are so many aspects of this short part of the Bible that I could talk about: the fact that Jesus can control the weather with only his voice; the contrast of the chaos of the sea and the peace of Jesus. But what really grabbed me about this passage is the question the disciples asked Jesus. It is a question we all ask, in our hearts: "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" 

The disciples had seen Jesus heal people who nobody else could heal, forgive people's sins, teach brilliantly, and cast out demons. They had left their families and careers to follow this compelling young teacher around the countryside and learn from him. But now they were in a difficult situation. It was the dead of night and they were in the middle of the sea. They were, both figuratively and literally, out of their depth. And here was Jesus, asleep while the chaos surrounded them. It was Jesus' idea to go to the other side. But he seemed utterly unconcerned with their current situation. And so they asked "Do you not care if we perish?"

It is a question that was planted in the Garden of Eden when the serpent asked, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?" This question could also be phrased "Do you not care if we perish?" In the end, it is all the same question: "Does God really care about me?" or "Does God really love me?" Here, Jesus shows that faith is not believing in his power: surely the disciples believed, at least some amount, when they asked the question. He shows that faith is believing in his goodness. With only three words, Jesus puts an end to the terrifying, seemingly uncontrollable storm. With that, he shows that the disciple's fear was pointless. He loved them. He did care if they perished, and moreover, he could actually do something about it.

And this is the truth: Jesus is both powerful and loving. Let me tell you, this is perhaps the hardest thing to know. But that is faith. You've gone all Carrie Underwood and cried "Jesus, take the wheel," and now you wonder if he's actually asleep at the wheel. Jesus has said "Let us go across to the other side," and you go but in the middle you wonder if he still cares. Faith is being in the middle of the storm and knowing Jesus has the power to help you, and asking. Faith is being able to sleep in the storm, because you know God will help you reach the other side. 

In my life right now this is my struggle. A lot of things are up in the air in my future, meaning I live each day with no idea what tomorrow is going to look like. Despite God having done so many amazing things in my life to date, the question still creeps in: "Does he really love me?" And I read this story, and think YES YES YES. He does. Friends, he does love you. Trust him. Trust his goodness. He does care if you perish. He wants to help you. He has power over all the chaos in your life.

Also check this out. My friend Mark wrote this song that relates to this passage as well.