Meditation

Hi there,

As we saw yesterday, peace is not the absence of danger, or chaos, or fear, but the presence of God in the midst of it.

In Judges 6, God spoke into Gideon's fear and assured him of His presence in his trouble. In today's passage, we find Jesus and his disciples in the midst of a storm.​

While the disciples are overwhelmed with fear, Jesus is sleeping in the stern of the boat. In the full knowledge that he could calm the storm if needed. Despite all that the disciples had witnessed from Jesus so far they lacked faith.

But they had enough faith to wake him. And we see that Jesus doesn't just give peace; he commands it. Even the creation responds to his voice.​

It's ironic that they are then terrified again, but for another reason; they have encountered the authority and presence of God. They now have an appropriate fear: the fear of the Lord.

So Jehovah Shalom finds its fulfillment here in Jesus. The Lord who spoke peace to Gideon now stands in the boat and speaks peace over creation itself.

I chose Mark's version to copy because it's the only one that quotes Jesus as saying, "Quiet, be still." I've linked to the versions in Matthew and Luke, which both state that Jesus rebuked the waves, but don't quote him.​

Today's text is Mark 4:35-41. The same events are also recorded in Matthew 8:23-27 and Luke 8:22-25.

Jesus Calms the Storm

³⁵ That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.

³⁷ A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.

³⁸ Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Encouragement

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7​

Bonus: This short video explains more about the origin and meaning of the name Jehovah-Shalom.

This study is inspired by a remarkable artwork I found on godsfingerprints.com. You can learn more about the background and purchase it here.

(Links are not affiliate links, and I am not compensated for any purchases.)

​Andy

God's Word In Your Hand

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