[Jesus] got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Peace! Be still!' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
Mark 4:25-41
This verse follows a day upon which Jesus has been preaching to great crowds beside the sea. He has asked the disciples to have a boat ready to withdraw from the multitude. As Jesus and his disciples depart, a powerful storm arises and the boat begins to fill. At the request of his frantic disciples, Jesus "rebukes" the storm, and calm is restored.
Peace: Jesus needed it, and so do we. Overwhelmed by the clamor of massive crowds who pressed upon him to listen to his parables and begged for Him to heal them, even Jesus sought relief, peace and quiet. And at sea with the disciples, a new storm develops that He must still.
This is so similar to the lives so many of us lead: we are constantly "busy," seldom "still" and rarely "completely calm." As I write this reflection, I have received three emails and one phone call. But I think this is what Jesus is asking from us: moments when we can be quiet, calm, still, so that we can reflect upon what we are called to do in life. We are to rebuke the wind and waves in our own life by telling them, "Peace! Be still!"
Diana Doswell
