MASTER THE TEMPEST IS RAGING (TH?PEACE)

        Does the pandemic make you feel like you are caught in a violent storm with no way of escape?  There seem to be dangers everywhere and at times they, like waves, threaten to overwhelm us.  At times no solutions or escape seems possible.  Many are worried, filled with anxiety and depressed.

          I  image that the disciples may have felt the same when they were caught in a terrible storm at sea.  They didn't see any way of escape or hope.  Panic filled their boat.  But then Jesus took over and suddenly there was peace in the midst of their storm.  

          And, He can do that again in the midst of our present storm.

          In recent months we have experienced numerous devastating storms that have taken lives and caused much physical damage.-  tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding and fires. However, while those storms have produced much damage, they have generally come and gone quickly. But sometimes the storms of life that we face don't end that quickly and they often leave permanent scars and damage. None of us are exempt from today's economy, from serious health problems, from family troubles, and from other woes. 

           Recent events have led me to a song that I haven't heard sung for many years, but it was a favorite when I was growing up. The song is based on the story in Mark of Jesus and his disciples caught in a fierce storm on the Sea of Galilee. But in the midst of the terror, "He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm."

          The author of the hymn, Mary Ann Baker. and her only brother suffered from the same respiratory disease that had taken their parents' lives.  Her brother left their home in Chicago to find a warmer climate in the southern part of the United States. For a time he seemed to be improving, but then a sudden turn in his health came and he died almost immediately. Mary Ann and her sister were heartbroken. It only added to their deep grief that neither their own health nor their personal finances allowed them to claim their brother's body or to finance its return to Chicago for burial. 

          Mary's trust in a loving God broke under the strain of her brother's death and her own diminished circumstances. "God does not care for me or mine," said Mary Ann. "This particular manifestation of what they call 'divine providence' is unworthy of a God of love." Have you ever thought the same thing? "I have always tried to believe on Christ and give the Master a consecrated life," she said, "but this is more than I can bear. What have I done to deserve this? What have I left undone that God should wreak His vengeance upon me in this way?" 

          But as the days and the weeks went by, the God of life and love began to calm the winds and the waves of what this young woman called "her unsanctified heart." Her faith not only returned but it flourished, and she learned new things, things "too wonderful" to have known before her despair. Later, in 1874, as something of a personal testimonial and caring very much for the faith of others who would also be tried by personal despair, she wrote the words of the hymn we have all sung, "Master, the Tempest Is Raging." As you face your storms of life, remember that God does care about you and He alone can give you a peace that passeth understanding. I have experienced that, have you?

(1)    Master, the tempest is raging! 

The billows are tossing high!

The sky is o'ershadow with blackness, 

no shelter or help is nigh;

Carest Thou not that we perish? 

How canst Thou lie asleep,

When each moment so madly is threatening 

a grave in the angry deep?

The winds and the waves shall obey Thy will, 

Peace, be still!

Whether the wrath of the storm tossed sea,

Or demons or men, or whatever it be

No waters can swallow the ship where lies

The Master of ocean, and earth, and skies;

They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,

Peace, be still! Peace, be still!

They all shall sweetly obey Thy will, 

Peace, peace, be still!

(2)    Master, with anguish of spirit, 

I bow in my grief today;

The depths of my sad heart are troubled, 

oh, waken and save, I pray!

Torrents of sin and of anguish 

sweep o'er my sinking soul;

And I perish! I perish! dear Master

Oh, hasten, and take control.

The winds and the waves shall obey Thy will, 

Peace, be still!

Whether the wrath of the storm tossed sea,

Or demons or men, or whatever it be

No waters can swallow the ship where lies

The Master of ocean, and earth, and skies;

They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,

Peace, be still! Peace, be still!

They all shall sweetly obey Thy will, 

Peace, peace, be still!

(3)    Master, the terror is over, 

the elements sweetly rest;

Earth's sun in the calm lake is mirrored,

And heaven's within my breast;

Linger, O blessed Redeemer! 

Leave me alone no more;

And with joy I shall make the blest harbor,

And rest on the blissful shore.

The winds and the waves shall obey 

Thy will, Peace, be still!

Whether the wrath of the storm tossed sea,

Or demons or men, or whatever it be

No waters can swallow the ship where lies

The Master of ocean, and earth, and skies;

They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,

Peace, be still! Peace, be still!

They all shall sweetly obey Thy will, 

Peace, peace, be still!

Listen to it here.   TEMPEST