A new year is upon us! i would venture that most of us are glad to see 2020 go. i doubt that very many of us will look back in the days ahead and say, “i sure wish it was 2020 again!” It was the year that looked nothing like any of us planned … and the year that none of us had hoped for. We were all going about our day-to-day business until a virus enveloped the world and changed our lives.
A brand-new set of words became a routine part of our daily conversations – words like pandemic, shelter in place, social distancing, Zoom, Covid-19, et al. Suddenly much of the world was working remotely … or no longer employed. The daily events that most of us had come to take for granted now looked very different. Many of us not only found ourselves in the midst of a health crisis … but also a financial crisis. Isolation led to depression. The inability to make plans for the near-term and the necessity to change existing plans created anxiety. And for those who experienced the health effects of the virus, or the tragic loss of family or friends as a result of it, the challenges were even so much greater.
In the midst of all of this, I am also mindful of many friends whose lives have been further disrupted by the diagnosis of a major health issue, unrelated to the virus – which is disconcerting and disruptive no matter when it occurs.
Additionally, elements of the crisis divided us as a people, even more than the effects of our physical isolation. We divided over whether the virus and its implications were real or contrived. We divided over our response to health and governmental officials’ recommendations and orders.
Much of what we are walking through here at the end of 2020, we will carry into 2021 – but we have no idea what all the new year will bring – for good … or for bad. In that respect, it will be like any year – a year filled with joys … and with sorrows – with victories … and defeats. Storms will arise, and many of them will come without warning.
Such was the case for the disciples one evening as they sailed across the Sea of Galilee. Simon Peter was piloting the boat with a group of seasoned fishermen. They’d grown up on that sea. They knew its shores, its depths, its bounties and its challenges. They had passed that way many times before. On that particular night, Jesus had told them to cross to the other side. Then He abruptly went to the back of the boat and laid His head on a cushion. It had been an exhausting day of ministry and He was ready to get some rest.(1)
Soon a fierce storm came upon them. They had never seen anything like it. It was so fierce that Peter and the disciples feared they were about to die. They called out to Jesus to wake up and help them bale the water that was flooding the boat. They really didn’t know what to ask Him to do other than to join them in what they were doing. At that moment, they were seeing things from their perspective and expecting Jesus to only do that which they could envision.
Let’s momentarily stop the story and ask ourselves: are we any different from those disciples? Are we guilty of only seeing the crisis of Covid-19 or any other crisis or storm in our lives from our own perspective? Are our expectations of what Jesus can do limited by our own viewpoint?
The disciples never expected Jesus to stop the winds and still the storm. That was nowhere on their radar! They had no idea what Jesus would do. They didn’t know to ask Him, “Jesus, would you still the storm?” They had an advantage over us in that regard. They didn’t really know Who He was, or what He was capable of. They had an idea, but they didn’t have the full picture. They didn’t comprehend the magnitude of Who He was and what He could do. Therefore all they could do was call out to Him in desperation. Whereas we, knowing that He is the Almighty God, still somehow have it in our minds to tell Him what we think He should do.
Most often, we have thought through what we think is the best solution to our storm. But the reality is He is so much bigger than we think! His thoughts are nothing like our thoughts, and His ways are far beyond anything we can imagine!(2)
His capabilities are unimaginable. He is the Creator … the Almighty God. There is nothing that is outside of His control or capability. And bear in mind that more than likely, He will not still our storm in the way we expect – or even in the way we would have preferred. But one fact stands above all the rest – He will still the storm in the way that brings Him the greatest glory!
Jesus rebuked the wind, and then He rebuked the disciples – “Do you still have no faith?”(3) Then we read “The disciples were absolutely terrified.”(4) The disciples were not terrified by what He asked; they were terrified by what they had just seen Him do. To some extent they had an excuse for underestimating Jesus – they hadn’t seen Him do that before. But we don’t have that excuse. We have it on the authority of His Word and the reports of the men who were in that boat with Him – Jesus stilled the storm! And He can do it again!
Whatever 2021 may bring – He is so much bigger than we think! Follow Him … and rest in His hands! (And while you do, i invite you to listen to the song below.)
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This post is adapted from Walking With The Master, chapter 29. This fourth book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is available through Amazon in print and for your e-reader. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy.
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(1) Mark 4:35-39
(2) Isaiah 55:8-9
(3) Mark 4:40
(4) Mark 4:41
Copyright © 2020 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.
Photo by Torsten Dederichs on Unsplash
Bigger Than I Thought
Speak to me
When the silence steals my voice
You understand me
You understand me
Come to me
In the valley of unknowns
You understand me
You understand me
You understand me, God
You understand me
So I throw all my cares before You
My doubts and fears don't scare You
You're bigger than I thought You were
You're bigger than I thought
I stop all negotiations
With the God of all creation
You're bigger than I thought You were
You're bigger than I thought You were
So much bigger than I thought
You're bigger than I thought You were
I believe
But help my unbelief
You understand me
You understand me
Help me reach
The faith that's underneath
You understand me
You understand me
Yes, You understand me, God
You understand me, oh
I throw all my cares before You
My doubts and fears don't scare You
You're bigger than I thought You were
You're bigger than I thought
I stop all negotiations
With the God of all creation
You're bigger than I thought You were
You're bigger than I thought You were, oh
I will rest in the Father's hands
Leave the rest in the Father's hands
I will rest in the Father's hands
Leave the rest in the Father's hands, yeah
I will rest in the Father's hands
Leave the rest in the Father's hands
I will rest in the Father's hands
Leave the rest in the Father's hands
So I throw all my cares before You
My doubts and fears don't scare You
You're bigger than I thought You were
You're bigger than I thought
I stop all negotiations
With the God of all creation
You're bigger than I thought You were
You're bigger than I thought
You're so much bigger than I thought You were
You're bigger than I thought You were
You're bigger than I thought You were
Songwriters: Natalie Sims / Sean Curran / Allen Swoope
Bigger That I Thought performed by Sean Curran