OPINION:
Maybe you’ve heard the “Jesus calms the storm” story before. But really think about it: Jesus gets in a boat with His disciples, and they take off across a big lake. They get hit by a storm and everybody panics — except one guy.
They find Him — Jesus, of course — “sleeping on a cushion,” and they wake Him up, and He asks everybody, “Why are you so afraid?” and then He calms the storm (Mark 4).
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Two things stand out to me:
- This whole trip was Jesus’ idea! He was taking them on a follow-the-leader trip to show they don’t ever need to worry about anything.
- Jesus slept on a cushion. The writer, Mark, is known for being the least detailed writer of the entire Bible. He’s all big picture and big action. And Mark includes … a cushion?
I just checked, and it’s the only time “cushion” is mentioned in the 66 books of the Bible. What’s my takeaway here? I don’t know. Not everything has a takeaway, maybe? Or maybe Jesus usually packed His own cushion. My wife brings her pillow everywhere.
Jesus is showing the disciples something: If we trust Him, He will allow us to live a life in a wonderfully free way. Even if the ship goes down, we’ll be safe. If we are with Him, we’re safe. Death itself is not the last word.
No, the last word is joy.
Dallas Willard calls joy a “pervasive sense of well-being, regardless of circumstances.” That’s right: No matter what. Even in worst-case scenarios.
Yes, of course, there will be times when we should mourn. Yes, grief will visit us. Yes, pain is part of our existence. Yes, to all of that. But this will pass. That’s the promise, and that’s why Jesus is relaxed, and wants us to be, too.
But what if everything really is all going down? What if it all really seems to come apart? What if the country falls to pieces? What if the evil people seem to be winning? What if I lose everything? Shouldn’t I be anxious then?
Nope. No need.
Can anyone really live like that? Why yes, thanks for asking. I give you Jeremiah, writing after his nation — his way of life, everything — was gone. There’s some gut-level honesty here:
I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. So I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.” I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. – Lamentations 3:17-20 (NIV)
Yeah. I think I’d feel that way. But watch what he does next: he deliberately remembers.
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; Therefore I will wait for him.” – Lamentations 3:21–24 NIV
Does it sound like he’s talking to himself? It should … because he is talking to himself. He’s reminding himself that there’s more to this story.
Ultimately, he’s telling himself, “Wait: I know this God. I know He’s good. I know I can trust Him. No matter what.”
Jeremiah shows us this: We can be secure, not because we are blissfully uninformed, but because we are more informed. He’s the opposite of ignorant. He knows more.
As an author who is under contract to make as many allusions to C.S. Lewis as possible, I can’t help but bring up Narnia again, specifically Lucy from “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” who cries out to Aslan in mortal fear. She feels frightened and alone. She’s on a ship bound for utter darkness. Aslan — the lion who represents Jesus in the books — answers her.
There’s a sudden stream of light, and Lucy looks to the sky to see an albatross over the ship, flying and singing a comforting song.
“No one except Lucy knew that as it circled the mast it had whispered to her, ‘Courage, dear heart,’ and the voice, she felt sure, was Aslan’s, and with the voice a delicious smell breathed in her face.”
It’s nice to know the story ends with the ship being led to safety. But knowing this is even better: In real life, even if the ship goes down, I don’t need to be scared. My feelings may say otherwise, but my feelings have been known to lie.
Why? This God is good. I have to remind myself. I have to “call this to mind”: I can trust Him.
Really.
Courage, dear heart.
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Taken from “Life is Hard, God is Good, Let’s Dance: Experiencing Real Joy in a World Gone Mad” by Brant Hansen. Copyright 2024 by Brant Hansen. Used with permission from Thomas Nelson.
Brant Hansen is a bestselling author, syndicated radio host and advocate for healing children with correctable disabilities through CURE International Children’s Hospitals. His award-winning radio show, The Brant Hansen Show, airs on top stations in the U.S. and Canada. His podcast, The Brant and Sherri Oddcast, has been downloaded more than 15 million times. Brant writes about varied topics related to faith and speaks often about being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder as an adult.
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