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Text: Mark 4:35-41

God didn’t bring you this far to abandon you now.

They called it the “unsinkable” ship. Titanic was a state-of-the-art craft and the largest vessel built in its time. Yet just four days into her maiden voyage, the luxury liner became an icy graveyard for over 1,500 people at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean after striking an iceberg on April 14, 1912.

Tragically, Titanic wasn’t unsinkable.

However, we do find a true unsinkable boat in Mark 4:35-41. This one wasn’t unsinkable because of its massive size or astute engineering. Based on archaeology, this type of boat was probably about 26 feet long, 7 feet wide, and 4 feet high. No, this measly little vessel wasn’t unsinkable because of human prowess, but divine presence.

What’s interesting about this passage is that Jesus led his disciples right into a violent storm. Jonah once ended up in a storm because of his disobedience, but the disciples found themselves in a precarious storm because of their obedience to Jesus.

Following Jesus doesn’t immunize us from hardship or trouble. Sometimes following Jesus puts us in dangerous situations. Even though much of our modern-day safe theology doesn’t make room for this truth, those very first disciples would certainly attest to its veracity.

Following Jesus faithfully will put us in some storms.

Yet the same Jesus who commanded the disciples to go into the storm also promised them where they would end up. Jesus didn’t say, “Let’s go perish in the middle of the sea.” No, he promised his disciples that they would cross over to the other side, yet he himself fell asleep during the journey. In his humanness, Jesus experienced fatigue and weariness just like we do. He was depleted from extensive ministry and service to others. Though his sleeping implies exhaustion, it also indicates an absence of fear.

I don’t know what bothered the disciples more, the fact that Jesus had led them into a storm or the fact that Jesus himself was sleeping in the back of the boat as they encountered the storm. They protest against his apparent indifference and hysterically awaken him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

We all have times when we feel like the disciples in this moment—times when we feel alone and sorry for ourselves. We question why things seem so unfair and wonder if Jesus has fallen asleep again—like God has forgotten about us.

Have you ever felt like God led you to a place and then went to sleep on you?

Maybe it was that relationship that went bad, a business plan that you were sure came from God but failed, or a ministry venture that didn’t turn out as you imagined.

Imagine what it must’ve been like for Elisabeth Elliot after she followed God faithfully into the mission field only to have her husband, Jim Elliot, martyred by a fierce Indian tribe called the Aucas. Talk about being led into a storm. The Elliot’s daughter, Valerie, was 10 months old when Jim was killed. Miraculously, Elliot and her daughter spent the next couple of years living with this same tribe that had killed Jim, sharing the gospel with them and seeing many come to Christ. They witnessed that there is a divine and mysterious “other side” to the unexpected storms we go through in life.

There is always a beautifully redemptive “other side” to the storms we face in life.

Sometimes it feels like Jesus is sleeping as we go through the storm, like God led us into a place and forgot about us. It’s in times like these that we should remember that the same Jesus who was asleep in that little vessel one stormy night at sea, is also the same Jesus who speaks to the winds and waves—and they LISTEN!

Jesus awoke, rebuked the storm, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Then he says to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” Jesus didn’t say, “Wow, what a storm!” Instead, he marveled over the disciple’s lack of faith. The storm could not disturb Jesus, but the unbelief of His disciples did disturb him. Perhaps what disturbed him most was their implication that he didn’t care if they perished or not.

Jesus wasn’t disturbed by the violent storm that threatened the boat, but he was disturbed by his disciples’ lack of faith.
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Thinking that Jesus doesn’t care about us is a lack of faith. He loves us more than we could ever imagine. We should be reminded that it takes a maturing faith to trust in the “sleeping” Jesus. I wonder if He might put forth a similar question to us? “After all that I have done in you and for you, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

Think about that as you abide in Him this week.

For further study: John 14:27, Psalms 107:25–30; Nahum 1:7, Isaiah 25:4-5, Psalm 89:8-9

Questions for Reflection and/or Family Discussion:

1. What do you find most fascinating about the story of the Titanic?
2. When have you felt that God led you into a storm and then went to sleep?
3. In what ways have you seen the “beautifully” redemptive side of storms in your life?
4. If thinking that Jesus doesn’t care about us is an indication of a lack of faith, how would you measure your faith right now? This past week?
5. In what ways can you prepare yourself to go through life’s storms with more faith and trust in the ONE Who truly is unsinkable?

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