Replacing Fear with Awe
While spending time in Psalm 104, this morning, the study notes in the ESV Study Bible directed me to the Gospel of Mark. In verse 7 of the psalm, the songwriter says, “At your rebuke they fled [the waters after the Great Flood]; at the sound of your thunder they took flight.” In reference to this, the editors of the study Bible note the following: “Mark may have had this text in mind when he wrote that Jesus ‘rebuked the wind’ and commanded the sea (Mark 4:39).” So, I turned to Mark 4:35-41 and read through it a few times (Mark 4:35-41). Here are just a few quick thoughts that jotted in my journal.
Jesus is sovereign over the storm. When Jesus—and only when Jesus—commanded the storm to cease, did peace take over and reign. Jesus had all things totally under control. Evidence of this is the fact that He was fast asleep on a cushioned bench at the boat’s stern!
The disciples were controlled by fear, not faith. In fact, Jesus told them that they had no faith. Now, He was not saying they had lost their faith in Him, but that their fearful response overshadowed the evidence of their faith in the compassionate care of God. “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Their response to the storm gave the appearance that they had no effectual trust in the Lord. How often we do the same! When we allow fear to control our mind and heart then it is as if our faith has been set aside.
Beholding the mighty works of God shifts the mind from fear to faith. When the disciples saw the power of the Word of Christ, their fear of the storm (which was very real) changed to fear of God. Their awe of the Savior overshadowed the awfulness of the storm. In other words, the fear that controlled and crippled them was replaced by a greater fear—fear of the One whose sovereign power reigns over all. In turn, this brought stability to their faith.
What are you fearful of today? Turn your eyes upon Jesus and His mighty works and let your fear be replaced by awe.
