Discovering Yeshua's Divinity in the Gospel of Mark

When the Storm Rages: Finding God's Purpose in Life's Turbulent Seasons

Life has a way of tossing us into storms we never asked for. Sometimes these tempests are emotional, sometimes spiritual, and sometimes they manifest in our physical circumstances. We find ourselves in situations that feel chaotic, terrifying, and completely beyond our control. Yet within these very storms lies a profound truth about God's sovereign hand and His redemptive purposes.

The Brothers Who Lived in Fear

Consider the story of Joseph's brothers at the end of Genesis. For seventeen years—seventeen long years—they lived in anxiety, fearing retribution for their terrible deed of throwing Joseph into a pit and selling him into slavery. Even after all that time living peacefully in Egypt under Joseph's care, they couldn't shake their fear. When their father Jacob died, they fabricated a message, claiming Jacob wanted Joseph to forgive them.

The tragic irony? Joseph had already forgiven them. He had already recognized God's hand in his journey. While his brothers meant their actions for evil, God meant them for good. Joseph was exactly where he needed to be to save his family from famine. Can you imagine carrying unnecessary fear for seventeen years because you couldn't believe reconciliation was real?

This reveals something profound about human nature: we struggle to trust in restoration. We struggle to believe that God can transform our worst moments into His greatest purposes. We are, by design, limited creatures who cannot see the end from the beginning. This limitation isn't a flaw—it's intentional. It creates space for faith. It forces us to trust the One who does see everything.

Pay Attention to What You Hear

Before we dive into one of the most dramatic moments in the Gospels, we need to understand what preceded it. In Mark chapter 4, Yeshua teaches about the Kingdom of God through parables—stories about seeds falling on different types of soil, some producing abundant fruit and others withering away.

Then comes a verse that should frame every encounter with Scripture: "Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you; and more will be added to you" (Mark 4:24).

This principle is transformative. The Psalmist understood it deeply: "Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies... I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation... I have gained more understanding than all my elders, for I have kept Your precepts" (Psalm 119:98-100).

God's word unleashes understanding and wisdom when we hear it, study it, and most importantly, put it into action. It's not passive consumption—it's active engagement that transforms us.

The Storm That Revealed Everything

After teaching by the Sea of Galilee, Yeshua tells His disciples, "Let's cross over to the other side." They get into a boat, and Yeshua falls asleep. Then it happens—a great windstorm arises. Waves crash into the boat. Water rushes in. The vessel begins to fill.

The disciples panic: "Teacher, don't you care that we are perishing?"

Meanwhile, Yeshua sleeps peacefully on a pillow.

This scene echoes another famous storm—the one in the book of Jonah. When Jonah fled from God's call to preach to Nineveh, God hurled a forceful wind into the sea. The ship was about to shatter. The sailors panicked and cried out to their gods. And where was Jonah? Fast asleep in the lowest part of the ship.

But here's where the parallel ends and the revelation begins. In Jonah's story, God controlled the storm. In this moment on the Sea of Galilee, Yeshua demonstrates His divine authority by rebuking the wind and commanding the sea: "Quiet! Be still!"

Immediately, the wind stopped. Total calm.

The disciples were struck with awe: "Who is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

This wasn't just a miracle—it was a revelation of divinity. Only God has absolute power over nature. Only God commands creation itself.

Two Realities: Fear and Faith

But there's a crucial exchange in this story that we cannot miss. The disciples ask, "Don't you care that we are perishing?" Yeshua responds with His own question: "Why are you afraid? Even now you have no faith?"

Here we encounter two contrasting realities: desperate human fear and divine assurance that all will be well.

The rebuke isn't harsh—it's an invitation to repentance, to turning from fearfulness toward trusting in God's presence even when that presence cannot be felt. The storm was real. The danger was real. But so was God's presence in the boat.

How often do we find ourselves in similar situations? The waves of life crash over us. Our circumstances feel overwhelming. We cry out, "Don't you care?" And God's gentle response echoes back: "Why are you afraid? Where is your faith?"

The Message of Mercy

The connection to Jonah runs deeper than just a storm. Jonah is read every year at Yom Kippur because it's a story about repentance—and specifically, about the repentance of Gentiles. God's mercy extended even to the idolatrous people of Nineveh, and even to the reluctant, disobedient prophet Jonah himself.

After calming the storm, Yeshua and His disciples arrive on the other side of the sea in Gerasene territory—a region inhabited by both Jews and Gentiles. There, they encounter a man possessed by unclean spirits, living among tombs. When Yeshua commands the demons to leave, they beg permission to enter a herd of pigs. Two thousand pigs rush down a steep bank into the sea and drown.

The man sits there, dressed and in his right mind. The people who witness this are terrified—not by the drowned pigs, but by the transformed man. They beg Yeshua to leave their region.

Yet the man who was healed begs to stay with Yeshua. Instead, he's commissioned: "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, how He showed you mercy."

The message is clear: if God's mercy can extend to idolatrous Gentiles, to reluctant prophets, to demon-possessed men living in graveyards—how much more does His mercy extend to all who call upon Him?

Living in the Storm

God's mercy endures forever—a refrain repeated throughout Psalm 136. Life will be rough. Storms will come. Circumstances will feel overwhelming. But we have a God in whom we can place our trust.

The question isn't whether storms will arise. The question is: where is our faith when they do?

Will we live like Joseph's brothers, carrying fear for seventeen years when forgiveness has already been extended? Or will we live like the healed man, proclaiming God's mercy to everyone we meet?

The Good News is that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Restoration is coming. But if we want to be on the right side of that restoration, we must repent—turn from our fearfulness and trust in God's presence.

Even when He seems to be sleeping in the back of the boat.