The Storms of Marriage

On that day, when evening had come, he 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?” (Mark 4:35-41 ESV).

I realize that for the last few days I have written some very practical “steps” to marriage success. Perhaps I have gotten a bit ahead in assuming that everyone would know all of these things were predicated on a vibrant relationship with Jesus. So, today we really get back to basics. In our reading today we see the story of Jesus launching out across the sea of Galilee with his disciples to get some rest after a full day of ministry. While crossing they encounter a fierce wind storm; there are waves of water spilling into their little ship and they fear sinking and drowning in the storm. These seasoned fishermen tried their best to navigate to the other side; they pulled out every trick in their sailing experience book, but it was not good enough. They panicked and finally wake Jesus up. He’s been asleep on a cushion in the rear of the boat which is the place where the captain usually steers the boat. Jesus gets up and rebukes the storm with the words “Peace! Be still!” The wind and waves immediately subside. Then Jesus turns to his harried friends and asks: “Why are you so afraid, have you no faith?” I have found over the years that no one is immune to the storms of life. These often radically affect our relationships. Even when we are doing everything “right” it is still an enormous challenge to overcome. This is exacerbated significantly if Jesus is “asleep” in your life. These challenges could be any one of dozens of challenges. Maybe the fierce winds of marriage and kids along with the waves of finances are your challenge. Perhaps it is the thunder and lightning of a health crisis. Regardless of the particulars of the circumstance you simply have you feeling like you’re sinking and out of control. You can’t shake the fear of the impending disaster waiting to happen. You know you can’t get to the other side alone. Well, let’s begin at the beginning. Wake Jesus up in your life. There is no need to shout. Even a tiny whisper will be heard and he has promised to come to your aid. Start there and then all these other things will work to make your marriage stand the storms.