Mark 4:37-40
“But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with His head on a cushion. The disciples woke Him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke up, He rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then He asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
After a long day of ministry, Jesus and the disciples are in a boat headed to their next destination. Jesus is so exhausted, He sleeps right through the terrible storm that comes up out of nowhere. The disciples, annoyed that Jesus is still sleeping, cry out to Him, ‘Don’t you care?’ In their moment of real honesty, Jesus responds. He performs a miracle and silences the storm immediately.
Respond in Prayer
If you find yourself identifying with the disciples, asking God, ‘Don’t you care?,’ follow their example and cry out to Him honestly now. Confess to Him the ways you’ve been depending on yourself and your own strength to calm the storms of life. Acknowledge Him as a miracle worker and ask for the faith to completely depend on Him to provide a way out of the storm of the pandemic and any personal storms you find yourself in.
For Families with Kids at Home
What feels hard for your kids right now? Ask them! Make sure you withhold judgment if it seems like a small thing to you. Remember: their worlds are smaller than yours, and hard is hard. Don’t minimize their pain or fears. Help them bring their hard thing to Jesus and pray together at some point in the day—before a meal, before bed, whenever you can—that you would all learn to trust and depend on Jesus more because of this time.