“He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.” (Psalm 107:29)
“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. …They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’” (Mark 4:39,41)
In our recent Sunday evening service, our speaker brought these two texts together. Both Psalm 107 and Mark 4 depict God’s total control over stormy seas. Our speaker used this as a metaphor and related it to some of the ‘storms’ we go through. What wonderful comfort there is in the glorious imagery of our ‘storms of life’ reduced to whispers and waves made flat calm when God speaks. Of course, not every ‘storm’ we encounter is quelled so quickly or completely. Sometimes God’s plans and purposes for us are served by a ‘storm’ that overwhelms us.
But what caught my eye though was the reaction of the disciples in Mark’s account. They had been afraid they were “going to drown” (Matthew 8:25) and they knew they were “in great danger” (Luke 8:23). Yet they were far more terrified by the demonstration of Jesus’ power (Mark 4:41). The underlying Greek text is highly emphatic and literally translates as “they feared mega-fear.” They were familiar with violent storms and strong winds, but the power and strength of these paled at this demonstration of Jesus’ greater power and strength.
His simple words of command – “Quiet! Be still!” – brought calm to the sea but chaos to the soul. For they caught in them a glimpse of the disturbing authority and immensity of God in Christ. They glimpsed in Him glory and majesty that shook them to the core. A truly awesome moment. “Who is this?” indeed. When next we find ourselves storm-bound may we discern the presence of One far greater.