Fear Factor - Squared or Don't You Care?????

Lord, speak. I am listening.

Mark 4:35-41

³⁵ On the evening of that day, he said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.”

^36-38 So they sent the crowd home and took him with them in the little boat in which he had been sitting, accompanied by other small craft. Then came a violent squall of wind which drove the waves aboard the boat until it was almost swamped. Jesus was in the stern asleep on the cushion. They awoke him with the words, “Master, don’t you care that we’re drowning?”

³⁹ And he woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, “Hush now! Be still!” The wind dropped and everything was very still.

⁴⁰ “Why are you so frightened? What has happened to your faith?! he asked them.

⁴¹ But sheer awe* swept over them and they kept saying to each other, “Who ever can he be?—even the wind and the waves do what he tells them!”

*"They became very much afraid"               NASB

*"they feared a great fear"                             Young’s Literal Translation
*"they were filled with great fear"                              English Standard Translation

The command:                                  Let’s get in the boat and go to the other side.

The circumstance:                    BIG, BIG fear. Outside the boat are Big wind and Big waves. Worse yet,

                                                    the external terrors are now threatening the internal condition of their

                                                    present position.

The care factor of the leader:     Apparently zilch / zero; asleep in the back of the boat.

Their call:                                 “Don’t you care. . . ?”

His call:                                     “Hush. Be still.”

Their new circumstance:       BIG, BIG fear. The unleashed power inside the boat is enormously

greater than the overwhelming power wreaking havoc on them.

The overwhelming fear factor before them has just been dwarfed by an overpowering fear of being in the presence of the all-powerful.

Their conclusion:                              Be afraid. Be very afraid

When God wants to do something in me or through me, it is not unusual for him to throw me into a scenario that I think can cause me to drown (like working for a church, extending love to someone, investing myself in another, . . . ).

In the midst of that scenario, I question Jesus’ power, presence, and perspective. I question God’s leading.

·         If he is so good, why am I in such a bad situation?
·         If he is so powerful, then why doesn’t he do something (usual translation . . . to make my life more comfortable

When God acts, he has amazed me with his love and his provision. If his love doesn’t scare you, then you need a different perspective. When he has revealed his power and presence in my midst, I have been undone. It is scary for a God that powerful to personally intervene and reveal himself to me and others.

It all starts with, “You, me, let’s go.”

It ends with fear and awe.

May God’s power scare us.

May God’s love undo us.

May God’s trustworthiness give us great conviction.

May God’s hope give us courage to love with his love.

May you find yourself in a boat that Jesus has called you into.
May you find yourself going with Jesus to the place where he has told you to go. . . and
     maybe being scared in the process.
When you find yourself feeling like you’re going to drown, may you call out to him.
And may you (and the people around you) be stunned at the provision of God.