The story in Mark 4:35-39 reminds me of the trials and troubles every child of God faces in life. The interesting thing is that these troubles are not peculiar to just Christians/believers. People from other faiths and unbelievers face them too.
I imagined that while Jesus and His disciples were in the boat on this fateful night, there might have been other boats on the sea with people in them too; maybe fishermen.
When the storm arose, it definitely did not trouble just the boat Jesus and His disciples were in. It was a storm that came with a strong wind that almost drowned their boat. Probably a few of the other boats with their occupants might have drowned. Who knows? But there was one differentiating factor that changed a story that could have ended very badly for the disciples, and it was that Jesus was on board and He was called upon to save the situation (after their efforts failed).
Our lives are boats, the sea is the world and the storms/wind are troubles, chaos, disappointments, failures, etc. Every boat/ship must be captained by someone. Every one of us, Christian or not, will be faced with troubles and who we make as our Captain will determine if we survive or perish in chaos at sea.
Today, the storm of COVID-19 combined with marital, financial, educational, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual storms are beating hard against our lives, almost drowning us in the sea. Some people have tried and some are still trying to solve their challenges all by themselves with their understanding but it all amounts to nothing. If anything, it only leads to more frustration, depression and sadly suicide for some.
Those who have Jesus Christ in their lives have a choice to put Him to sleep and continue to struggle like the rest of the world (just like the disciples) or call on Him to help them calm the storm.
When I say put Jesus to sleep, I mean, you have taken over His job as Captain of your life. Our know-it-all and I-can-do-it- all attitude is simply telling Him “Hey captain, go rest; I’ve got this under control.” The Spirit of God who never strives with man, will let go and let you. But when trouble comes you will realise that you know nothing about life – you are nothing but a wannabe captain.
Are you a Christian experiencing storms in your life? Stop struggling. Stop trying to solve the problem with your wee little brain. Stop using the world’s or your own wisdom to solve the problem; where your effort has failed countless times, stop. Keep calm, breathe in and remind yourself that you have a Captain on board. Call on Him, then move over and let the Real Captain take the wheel.
If there is something I understand about the role of a captain on board a ship or boat, it is that he’s responsible for the lives of his passengers. Should anything happen within or outside the ship that would endanger the lives of the passengers, the captain would do everything in his power to save them. Even if it were an external force like a storm or deadly wave also affecting another ship, he will not jump ship. He will never abandon his passengers to go save the lives of others in boat/ship that he does not captain.
Are you drowning in the sea of troubles and you don’t have Jesus Christ as the Captain of your life? Just as the disciples called on Him to save them from drowning, Jesus is waiting for you to call on Him to save you. It’s not too late to make Him the Captain of your life today.
Iboro Tonye-Edet
