“In the same boat”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Sunday, June 23, 2024
Mark 4: 35-41 (Forward, p. 56) CEV p. 1031
I can well imagine their fear. After all, a storm, a windstorm, had suddenly arisen and already waves were splashing into the boat and threatening to swamp it. Sudden, unpredictable, and violent storms were frequent in the Sea of Galilee, and yet, the disciples—many of them fishermen and well accustomed to the ‘moods’ of this lake—were plainly frightened, fearful for their very lives.
And, as this very fact was not bad enough, here was Jesus fast asleep, head on a pillow, in the hinder part of the ship. ‘How could He sleep through this,’ they wondered. ‘Does Him not care?’ They forget that Jesus is ‘in the same boat’ as they—literally and figuratively. And that is the truth, not just as with this situation, but in every situation. Jesus, by virtue of becoming one of us, becoming human, has been ‘in the same boat’ as us, no matter what that ‘boat’ might be. He has experienced hunger and thirst, tiredness and sorrow, rejection and misunderstanding, opposition and hardship, and even death. So truly He has been ‘in the same boat’; He knows what it is like for us, He understands!
However, before moving on to our ‘conclusion’, the ending of this story, there are a couple of other things that I feel are important to mention. Firstly, they were out on that lake, out there, exposed to danger and peril, because Jesus commanded it. That is something that has always ‘bugged me’. I have somehow assumed that because I am following Jesus’ orders, doing His will, everything should be ‘clear sailing’, and yet, all too often, there are storms, problems. What I forget it that this too can be part of God’s plan, not to be immune from the stresses and strains of life but be able to ‘roll with the punches’ and deal with them.
And I forget too that there are other boats with us on this stormy lake, experiencing the very same problems. But here we have an incredible and incomparable advantage: we have Jesus with us! He is in our boat and very near to us when we call upon Him. And when He calms our storms, there is a very strong possibility that He is also stilling the storms for someone else as well. Our prayers of fear and desperation may have an impact on these others as well.
One final thing: sometimes Jesus calms our storms, stills the waves of criticism and nastiness around us, and sometimes He simply provides a way, teaches a way, through them to the other side. Either way, He is ‘in the same boat’ as us, and truly does care. Thanks be to God.
Forward notes: “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” (verse 40)
“I was lost on a remote mountainside. Having left my wife and backpack at a resting place, I wandered off the trail seeking a panoramic view. After a long while, darkness was encroaching, and temperatures would soon plummet below freezing. I suddenly felt vulnerable and ran in all directions, shouting.
“Exhausted, I sat down and prayed to Jesus, who, in my mind, was slumbering, unconcerned about my plight. In the stillness, I heard the voice of an angel, my wife, calling me in the distance. When we reunited, she embraced me, followed by a well-deserved scolding.
“I pray daily. So, in my fear, why didn’t I immediately rouse Jesus? Bottom line? Great fear, little trust. I had to be desperate before I could surrender my self-reliance and begin trusting Jesus. Jesus was there, awake, amid my storm, but I did not see or listen until, sitting on a log, I relinquished myself. Storms and fear are inevitable. But we can be confident that Jesus weathers them with us, bringing calm and strengthening our faith.”
Moving Forward: “What storms in your life has Jesus weathered with you?”