Overcoming the Storm: The Unshakeable Covenant with the Lord
Shalom from Jerusalem, brothers and sisters! Let’s turn to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 4, where from verse 35 we read:
“That day when evening came, he said to them, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Here we see that Yeshua turned to his disciples and said, “Let us go over to the other side.” And according to His word, they set out. But during their journey, they were caught in an unexpected fierce storm. Suddenly, they all found themselves in a situation that became a real test. The disciples encountered a crisis, critical circumstances—that very “moment of truth”—circumstances in which every person becomes able to see their true inner state.
Similar things often happen in our lives: more frequently for some, perhaps less often for others. But sooner or later, we all go through our tests. Notice that this happened in the evening—”evening of the day” symbolizes a moment when darkness gathers in the spiritual realm.
Briefly, I would like to highlight three main points that we can and should learn from this story:
- No matter how much darkness gathers around us, our enemy the devil cannot and will not do anything to us beyond what our Heavenly Father allows. Understanding and being confident in this truth is extremely important. And if a real storm occurs in our life—things and events that shake our life to its foundations—we must also remember the following:
- Yeshua is with us in our boat. The boat represents the covenant between God and man. And our covenant with God is unshakeable because it was established by the Lord Yeshua ha-Mashiach Himself and sealed with His Blood.
- In the midst of storms and tribulations, when waves are beating against the boat so that it fills with water, we must hold onto the Word spoken by Lord Yeshua—”let us go over to the other side.” If you are in that place where the storm caught you because of Yeshua’s word, then His word will be decisive.
A great storm doesn’t come into our life because we are so great. Most often, the trials that crash into our life try to shift our focus to what’s happening around us, to circumstances, to inner fear, to ourselves, and to divert our attention from the Word that Yeshua spoke to us. Darkness comes to steal the Word from us, for the devil came to steal, kill, and destroy. But Yeshua Himself said, “Let us go over to the other side!” If we shift our gaze from what’s happening around us to God and evaluate the situation with spiritual eyes, we will surely understand, see, and remember that Yeshua Himself is in our boat! Therefore, we can worthily pass these trials if we keep our eyes on Yeshua and remember that He said, “Let us cross over!” And undoubtedly, after passing this test, we can enter a new level of trust in the Lord, a new level of relationship with Him, a new level of walking with Him.
Dear friends, I want to remind you that you are carriers of God’s Word, which gives you vision, which gives you plans, goals, and ways to achieve them. Don’t try to weather times of storm and tempest by your own strength. Pray to the Lord, meditate on what He has told and promised you, declare His Word over your life. Don’t try to reproach the Lord and accuse Him by asking, “Why did I end up in such a situation?” He has a plan for your life! When you arrive on that shore, you will be stronger, more experienced, and wiser in the Lord. Your trust in God will grow, and through your personal example and life testimony, you will be able to serve those in need “on the other side,” where He will certainly lead you!
And to conclude this message—a passage from Jeremiah 29:11-12 and 33:3:
“For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Pastor Oren Lev Ari