Part 1 Lord of the Storm by J.E. Rose
God's Plan for Suffering
When evening had come, he [Jesus] said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.” Leaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other small boats were also with him. (Mark 4:35,36)
The disciples were commercial fishermen and grew up on Galilee. In their minds, this was just another trip across the water. But Jesus knew something much bigger was taking place.
In 1986, two brothers who lived in this region of Galilee noticed what was later found to be the archaeological remains of a wooden fishing boat from about 100 AD. It was about 27 feet long and seven feet wide. It took them nearly two weeks to safely excavate it and take it to a special museum where it was carefully preserved and restored. There is no way to guarantee that it was the actual boat used by the disciples in Mark 4 but there is very good reason to think it was very much like it. it is on display at a museum in Israel. It is amazing to think that 2000 years ago, Jesus could have been there.
The Galilee Boat didn’t just have one rudder in the stern like ours today. It had one on each side. We can picture the disciples heading out from the shore on the fateful voyage, manning the rigging, oars and rudders. We can be sure they thought they knew what they were doing and what was going to happen. They had launched out so many times. Whoever was manning the rudders naturally assumed they had control.
They could have held the tillers in their hands but thinking they had control of the storm was a sad delusion.
One of the important lessons for the disciples was to show them they were not in control; and, even more importantly, to prove to them who was. There is only one who is Lord of the Storm.
Isn’t this so much like us? Like the disciples, as we go through our regular routines of life, most often we assume we have the rudder; that we are in control. We may give casual consent to the view that God is in control. But it isn’t usually until an unexpected storm of life that we are shocked to find we are not. As we begin this devotional series it will be important to put yourself in the place of the disciples in their storm. You may have never been in a boat during a storm but you have felt the same things they did.
Study Guide
Fill in the blanks with answers from the lesson:
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“The disciples were __________________________ ______________________ and grew up on Galilee.”
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“The Galilee Boat didn’t just have ___________ ______________ in the stern like ours toPart. It had _________________ on ___________________ ____________________”
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”They had _______________________ out so many times. Whoever was _______________ ______ _____________________ naturally assumed they had ___________________”
Reflection Questions
Describe a time when, like the disciples heading out from the shore, you had no idea of the storm that was coming.
What happened to your sense of control as the storm worsened around you?
The lesson warned how “casual consent” to the belief that God is in control can be upended by an unexpected storm. How has this happened in your life?
Storm Classroom