The Peace Speaker

Mark 4:39

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.  And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

I remember some of my childhood days living in North Central Texas, a place known to most as Tornado Alley. On one particular day, my brother and I were playing outside. It was a typical hot Texas summer day. The sun pasted against a bright blue backdrop, little wind and no clouds in site. Little did we know about the storm that was brewing from the south.

Without warning, the winds began to pick up and a dark shadow covered our yard. As I looked toward the sky, I noticed the clouds rolled like a boiling caldron ready to bubble over. Large drops of rain pelted our body and sharp jagged edges of lightening flashed through the sky. That was one time mom didn’t have to tell us to come in out of the rain.

My brother and I stood on the porch and watched the pouring rain as it mingled with little balls of ice. The howling sound of the firehouse siren filled the air. I wasn’t shaken by the event until I heard mom’s voice shouting with urgency to get into the house. We all huddled into the bathroom and waited until mom felt it was safe to come out.

Later that evening after watching the news with my parents, I realized what had happened. Not far from where we lived, a tornado had touched down and destroyed several homes in the area.  Fortunately no one was killed or injured.

The disciples were spending another day with Jesus. As they approached the Sea of Galilee, Jesus instructed them to get into the boat; they were going to the other side. Entering the boat, they were unaware of the impending danger ahead.

A short distance into their journey, the winds began to pick up churning the sea tossing the boat from side to side. Waves crashed over the vessel threatening to send it to the bottom. The clouds rolled overhead in an angry torrent. Fearful for their lives, they called out to the master. “Master carest thou not that we parish?” (Mark 4:38) Jesus stood and said, “Peace be still…” and the wind and the sea stood still. The disciples couldn’t understand how one man could calm a storm.

Sometimes we face spiritual storms in our lives that pop-up without warning. They threaten to crush us and destroy the very foundation of our faith. They pound us relentlessly with waves of doubt and fear. They tear at us with the strong winds of discouragement. Just remember when these storms come into your life; you’re not in the boat alone, and Jesus is the peace speaker.

Louis Edwards