"PEACE!
BE STILL!" said with commanding
voice of authority is how I envision Jesus saying these words when a sudden
storm hit the boat He and the disciples were sailing in one evening.
Jesus Calms the Storm
As evening came, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s
cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they
took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although
other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm
came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with
water.
38 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?”
39 When Jesus woke up, He rebuked the wind and said to the
waves, “Peace! Be
still!” Suddenly the
wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then He asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no
faith?”
41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey Him!” Mark 4:35-41 NTL
I've
read this story in the Bible many times - it's one of my favorites, but this was the first I
noticed that the disciples were SHOUTING at Jesus to save them! The thought just occurred to
me that they had to shout to be heard above the roaring wind. NIV says there
was a "squall" which is a sudden, violent gust of wind that brings
rain. Can you imagine what that furious gust of wind did to the waves? It's
no wonder the boat was filling with water! The disciples were
sea-worthy men, some of them fishermen by trade and they would know, by
experience, whether a storm on the sea was dangerous or not so it must have
been one heck of a squall for them to fear for their very lives!
The other thing I
noticed was the huge contrast when Jesus rebuked the violent wind and the high,
choppy waves with just three words, PEACE. BE STILL. And it was very still.
Most translations say there was a "GREAT CALM." The Message says, "The wind ran out of breath; the sea became
smooth as glass." The storm didn't just naturally subside - as in
the wind died down and the waves became smaller, both the wind and the waves
obeyed Christ's words EXACTLY and IMMEDIATELY! No wind. No waves.
"Peace. Be still."
Studying
this Scripture passage, I found this commentary by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown who
noted that "Israel has all along been
singing of Jehovah, 'Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof
arise, Thou stillest them!' 'The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of
many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea!' (Ps 89:9; 93:4).
But, lo, in this very boat of ours is One of our own flesh and blood, who with
His word of command hath done the same! Exhausted with the fatigues of the day,
He was but a moment ago in a deep sleep, undisturbed by the howling tempest,
and we had to waken Him with the cry of our terror; but rising at our call, His
majesty was felt by the raging elements, for they were instantly hushed- 'What
Manner of Man is this?'"
Can
you answer that question? Who do you say Jesus Christ is?
All my paintings
begin with prayer. I ask for the Holy Spirit's guidance from beginning to end -
from choosing the canvas and paint colors to the last brush stroke. I pray that
the Lord's message would go forth through the art and that Father God would be
glorified.
I believe all
prophetic art has a message, but what the Holy Spirit speaks to me about a
specific piece of art, may be different than what the Spirit says to you. Seek
Him for a personal interpretation.
You can find more
Christian Abstract paintings that the Lord has given me on my Facebook page,
Christine Nichols-Art, in a Photo Album called FOR HIS GLORY. If you've enjoyed the art,
you're invited to LIKE and SHARE my art Facebook page: STEEN ART.