The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Mark 4:35-41, “And on that day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’

36 “And leaving the multitude, they took Him along with them, just as He was, in the boat; and other boats were with Him.

37 “And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.

38 “And He Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’

39 “And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Hush, be still.’ And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

40 “And He said to them, ‘Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?’

41 “And they became very much afraid and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’”

Have you ever been in a situation that gave you cause to really fear for your life? I have; and it is an horrible experience, to be sure! There is absolutely nothing you can do and there is nothing that anyone can do! At least, that’s how it seems at the time.

The disciples had witnessed multiple miracles Jesus had performed in the presence of the people. They had seen blind eyes opened; weakened limbs strengthened. There was nothing He could not do. And they had seen it all.

But, now they are in a boat crossing the Sea of Galilee. That was no new experience, either. This sea was the disciples area of work. It was normal, too, for storms to arise on the Galilean Sea. So, thus far, there was nothing occurring that was out of the ordinary. In fact, it was such smooth sailing that Jesus Himself was asleep on a “cushion.” But, storms on this sea were known to arise quickly; and this one did.

The humanity of Jesus is noted in that He was sleeping through the storm. Yet, the disciples were looking to Him to deliver them from from the rigors of the winds and the waves that threatened them all with death. They awakened Him, asking, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” On that note, Jesus rebuked the wind and said to the sea,

“Hush, be still.” And the wind and the waves became “perfectly calm.” He then rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith. And they became fearful and asked, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

We need to remember this: there is no danger, no trouble, nothing from which the LORD cannot deliever us! The key to His deliverence is our closeness to Him that enables Him to hear our prayers when He is needed. Now, when is He NOT needed? Think about that and you will be all the closer to Him right now.

I’ll pray for you; you pray for me. That’s truly the Christian way.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”