The storrm's a-coming

Mark 4 v 37 -41

Jesus has been preaching by the lake. He wanted to cross over. 

"And a furious storm of wind [of hurricane proportions] arose, and the waves kept beating into the boat, so that it was already becoming filled. But He [Himself] was in the stern [of the boat], asleep on the [leather] cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, Master, do You not care that we are perishing?  And He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush now! Be still (muzzled)! And the wind ceased (sank to rest as if exhausted by its beating) and there was [immediately] a great calm (a perfect peacefulness). He said to them, Why are you so timid and fearful? How is it that you have no faith (no firmly relying trust)? And they were filled with great awe and feared exceedingly and said one to another, Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?"

Now, have you ever wondered where this storm came from? It seems so odd.  You would think that if there were big black storm clouds, the disciples would have said, "Hey Jesus, let's go tomorrow; there's a storm brewing". Or even if the disciples thought a storm may have been approaching, at least 4 of them were fishermen (James, John, Simon Peter & Andrew), and they would be used to being on the water in choppy times.  But this was such a storm that even the sea-faring fishermen were scared for their lives. Hurricane proportions!! Wow.  Where did the storm come from? Why did the storm come at that time?  I believe this storm was sent to destroy Jesus.  From before His birth, right back in Genesis 3, the promised Seed has been under attack. Of course, until Jesus was born, Satan didn't know who the Promised Seed was. So he just tried his best to thwart all possibilities of it.  There's no doubt the enemy knew who this was now though.....all the demon possessed people He encountered cried out in terror that Jesus was there in their presence.  It wasn't the first attempt on His life either. They tried to throw Him off a cliff, but He somehow managed to just pass through the crowd and boom...He was safe and fine. That's a super passage. I read that and I am in awe.  Luke 4 v 28-30 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.  So they had their hands on Him, took Him to the cliff - ALL the people in the synagogue.....yet He walked away. How? Because God had a plan for Him. 

Back to the storm. Has a storm like this ever come up in your life? A storm that seems unprecedented, and appears from nowhere?  There certainly has in mine. You wander along quite happily and "all hell breaks loose" for want of a better phrase.  You panic, you fear, you wallow on the "what if's" and the situation seems impossible and you can't see a way out.
Fortunately, there is nothing that can put Jesus into a flap or state of fear. He knows Who He is, and what authority He has. Furthermore, He knew that He had a plan and a purpose set by God the Father for His life. As long as God has a plan for you, no storm that is thrown at you will destroy you.  Just like Jesus, you have authority over your life because you have been bought and paid for by Christ Himself. He has a plan for you, and no matter what storms arise, no matter how violent and life-threatening that they appear to be, nothing can stand in the way of God's plans for your life. Just look at the Bible - it's full of people who encountered things that could have ended them, but because God had a plan, things worked out for their good. Joseph is a prime example. Sold into slavery by his own brothers, his father thinking he was dead; then he was set up my his master's (Potipher) wife. Thrown in prison.....ends up virtually ruling with Pharoah! Who saw that coming?? God's plans will work out, so long as you keep your eyes on Him. Joseph was hit on by Potipher's wife. There were no 10 commandments then, saying Do not commit adultery! There was no law. He just knew in his heart that he didn't want to do something which wasn't right in the sight of God. And God honoured him and kept him because of his heart towards Him.

Did the disciples think that Jesus would die in a boat on a lake? A lake!! Not even a sea or ocean. A lake!  Just like when Peter began walking on the water to Jesus, as soon as he took his eyes off Him, and put them on the things going on around him, he began sinking. As long as our eyes are on Him, our focus is Him, and our faith is in Him we can't fail.
When our eyes are on Jesus, we will barely notice the storm around us. We'll just say "Peace be still" and the raging storm will calm. The storms may come, in fact, they will come in life, but Jesus says, have faith, don't fear, look to Me and get to the shore (or your destiny).
Be blessed