And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea,

Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39

 

 

       Stillness: it can be a physical response or an emotional one. I remember playing freeze-tag as a child. I wasn’t very good. If I got caught by the person who was it I couldn’t wait for one of my teammates to come to my rescue, tagging me so I could release my fidgety body from its statuesque torture. I doodle, I sway when I sing in church. I even have restless leg syndrome which means my legs twitch in my sleep.

     To not be still emotionally or spiritually is to not be at peace. It is the use of the word peace that leads me to believe the ocean was restless for a spiritual reason.

      I said earlier that some believe the storm was a tool of the devil but what if it wasn’t? What if the sea wanted no part in delivering The Christ to the other side which is the place of the tombs? Pure speculation on my part but Jesus did speak peace to the storm. The angel Gabriel spoke peace to a frightened virgin. The choir of angels spoke peace to the frightened shepherds. Peace was spoken in fearful situations.

     So what if Christ was telling the wind and sea to calm down and stop worrying?  It sure seems to me that He was saying, Look wind and sea I’m touched by your concern but I have to go and I will be fine so just relax. Whatever the reason was for all their fuss, Jesus spoke to them. Peace and stillness followed.

     Peace, be still. His words are still carried by the wind to restless hearts like ours.