9/8/16
“What manner of man is this, that even the wind and sea obey
Him?” Mark 4:41(b)
Dear Congregation,
Pessimism is
poison. Yes, I believe that with a Biblical understanding of the power of God
and the absolute force that the Lord Jesus is, pessimism as a way of life is
wrong for the Christian. In The Gospel of Mark chapter 4 we have the famous
account of the storm coming up on the Sea of Galilee .
The disciples assume they are going to die and they are incredulous that their
master is able to sleep through such a horror. However, The Lord exerts his
power as creator and calms the sea and the wind. The Lord Jesus inquires about
the strength of His disciples’ faith, and they marvel as they are still
learning about their Master.
We are all
prone to the same panic and pessimism as the disciples. In fact, I would argue
that we practice that pessimism more than we practice a calm faith in our
Master. Where is your faith? How is it that you have none? Don’t you know that
the wind and sea are controlled by your greatest advocate? Whether its
politics, or corruption, or disease, or war, or loss, or debt, or pain, or just
not getting our desires met, we cry in our hearts, “Carest thou not that we
perish?” May our Lord’s words, “Peace be still”, remain the tonic for our worry
and pessimism. May we trust the one who controls wind, sea, pain, politics,
money, and church. May a delight in his providence and direction cause us to
have an optimism in Him alone and His glorious future. May satisfaction with
His plans keep us content, and may all of this strengthen and deepen our
obedience, devotion, love, and worship of Him! The one who even the wind and
sea obey, our Master, Savior, and Friend. The Lord Jesus Christ!
Sincerely,
Pastor Basile
