Mark 4:35-41 - On that day, when evening had come, He [Jesus] said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"
I'm intrigued by one bit in this story: "And leaving the crowd, they took [Jesus] with them in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him." Who are these people in the other boats, out on the Sea of Galilee that night? I can only assume these are people from the same crowd that had been listening to Jesus all day. When they saw that Jesus was leaving, they got into whatever boats they could find, and set out to follow Him.
But then the storm came up, and the waves were so high, they were filling the boats. Can you imagine what it was like for those people, caught in that storm without Jesus? They must have been utterly terrified.
It didn't last too long, though. The disciples woke up Jesus rather rudely, and He dealt with the problem. And the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. What a relief for everyone—including the people in the other boats!
The disciples had something the other people didn't have—they had Jesus on board. And so when they were scared to death, they cried out to Jesus for help. And sure enough, Jesus rescued them.
But whether the disciples realized it or not, Jesus was also saving the people in the other boats-the ones who didn't have Him on board. The disciples' prayer had overflow effects. And the same is true for Christians today. When we pray for help in times of trouble or sickness or fear, who else benefits?
The people in the worst fear of all—the ones living without Jesus. The ones who are all alone in their earthly boats, who have maybe never even heard of the God who loved them so much that He came down into our world to lay down His life for them on the cross. The ones who don't know that He has risen from the dead, and that they too can live forever if they trust in Him.
These people benefit from our accidental prayers. Now let's pray for them on purpose. After all, someone once did that for us!
WE PRAY: Dear Savior, please bring to faith the people who don't know You, so that they can have You with them forever. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do you think the other people found out why the storm went away so suddenly?
2. If they did, what do you think happened to their attitude toward Jesus?
3. Who are you praying for to know Jesus?
Today's Bible Readings: Proverbs 27-29 Acts 5:1-21
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