Awake in a Sinking Boat
“On that day, when evening had come, Jesus 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 windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking 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 that we are perishing?” 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 so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:35-41)
I’ve read this story many times. What stuck out to me in the Mark 4 version was “the other boats.” When the disciples were freaking out, they assumed Jesus had no knowledge of their situation since He obviously was asleep. Not only that, they assumed He didn’t care. I’m sure someone said “right, like Jesus can’t hear the storm…and on top of that, He isn’t even throwing in with us to fix the problem…heck, He probably doesn’t care if it costs us our lives.” In fear, they couldn’t decide if He was unaware, wasn’t powerful enough, or simply didn’t give a rip. All they knew was the boat was filling up, the storm was barreling in, and they were far from anything secure in this world. It didn’t take a genius to see where this was headed. They knew the peril. Then I thought of those in the other boat who didn’t even have the option of waking Jesus up. What were they thinking? Maybe they thought “if only I was on that boat, I would have had hope.”
Both boats got thrown a moment to trust God and His Word in whatever happened. But the disciples chose doubt because fear looked stronger than God. Fear didn’t compel God to move. He was up to something greater. But even in their weak moment, God took care of both vessels. He didn’t settle the boat. He settled the storm. The disciples lost their anchor in what was truly holding them together. And the right move for the disciples would have been to trust He had the power over it all whether they saw Him working or not. And just because He was at rest didn’t mean He wasn’t at work. He was giving them an opportunity to trust His heart in the chaos. He was teaching them a calm that endures. He was driving out fear if they would trust His love and follow His lead.
Only a sovereign God could use sleep to wake us up to His deeper work. It’s ironic in the gospels that Jesus woke people up because of faith while the disciples woke Jesus because of their fear. But in love, He responded, grew their perspective, and increased their faith. Grace upon grace. The crowds couldn’t be with them to see that moment on the sea, but they would see it in the disciples’ courage later. For now, Jesus kept raising the vision in their hearts of the God they were dealing with and inviting them to know Him there. His Word sunk deeper in them as they heard the waves respond to His breath and they became a little more alive.
What’s pouring into my boat right now that seems more powerful than God? What part of God’s heart is the storm’s momentum challenging in my perspective? Where am I finishing His story with my fear instead faith? Where am I looking at the “other boat” for rescue? Where do I need to rest? How should I engage?