The Importance of Understanding the Awesome Powers of Jesus; like Rebuking the Wind and Calming the Sea!

25 Oct 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s Scrip-Bit   25 October 2026   Mark 4:39.

Mark 4:39.        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.

Arise and go boldly and confidently to the Lord’s sanctuary, this bright and beautiful autumn Sunday morning my fellow believers, so you can meet and greet other believers and there praise and worship Almighty God, while encouraging each other to keep on keeping on, to keep fighting the good fight for Jesus.

And today’s song of worship is one written way back in 1874 by American songwriter Mary Anne Baker. Apparently, she was a member of the Baptist denomination, residing in Chicago, also an active worker in the temperance cause, and the author of various hymns and temperance songs. This song, ‘Master, The Tempest is Raging,’ turned out to be her most famous composition, based on the theme of ‘Christ stilling the tempest.’ Today we’re going to do a slow, soulful, heartfelt version, like that done by the Black American Gospel singer, Jessy Dixon, at the Bill and Goria Gaither Homecoming Sessions.

Singing: ‘Master, the tempest is raging, Oh, The billows are tossing high The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness Oh, No shelter, no shelter or help is nigh – Carest thou not that we perish? How canst you lie, How canst thou lie there asleep When it seems like each moment so madly is threatening, Oh A grave. a grave, a grave in the angry deep? Get up Jesus because! The winds and the waves shall obey thy will. All you got to say is, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still.

Whether the wrath, the wrath of the storm-tossed sea, Or demons, or evil men, or whatever it be No water can swallow the ship wherein lies The Master of the ocean, the earth and sky They all shall sweetly obey thy will, If You say, Peace, peace, be still They all shall sweetly obey thy will, If You say, Peace, peace, peace, be still.

Monologue: The Lord will give you peace, He wants to give you peace, In the midnight hour, When there’s nobody else there, God will give you peace, When you feel lonely, You have someone who will give you perfect peace. He ‘ll be your friend, Yes, He will, The Lord will give you peace, If you’re looking for peace, in all of your needs, in all of your days, get down on your knees and talk to Jesus, Yes talk to Jesus. Yes, whenever the Lord says, there will be peace, there will be peace, For He knew it, Yes, He knew it, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still Peace, be still….’

Ah friends, what an encouraging and inspiring song! And we all know the story on which it’s based, that of Jesus and the disciples crossing over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee when a terrible storm suddenly arises, threatening to sink the boat.  Jesus was apparently unperturbed about the situation, for he slept quietly in the stern of the boat.

The disciples, however, were very agitated and woke Him up, asking, ‘Master (Teacher), carest not that we perish?  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. And he said unto them, why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this (Who can this be), that even the wind and the sea obey him?  (Mark 4:38-41)

And the answer is the man who created the wind and the sea; the Prince of Peace. So, if He desires peace then there will be peace. That’s why in the song Dixon is so sure that anytime you want peace, even when you’re alone and lonely in the darkest midnight hour, all you have to do is talk to Jesus and He’ll give you peace; perfect peace. For whenever Jesus desires to let peace reign in our lives, peace will reign!

Yes, we know for a fact that the Lord will give us peace, when we come to Him sincerely and ask for it. Bruh Paul stated it very clearly in his letter to the Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7)

And Bruh Paul was able to make that confident claim based on these wonderful words of Jesus: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) You’ll notice my brethren, that Jesus’ peace is nothing like what the world calls peace. As Bruh Paul says, it’s a peace that passes all human understanding. Yes, our finite minds are too puny to comprehend it, because it comes from the infinite mind of God that’s ever so much greater than ours.

And if that verse on peace by Jesus did not grab hold of you, (smile) then listen to this one, where He further assures us: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Wow! Jesus did overcome the world by defeating, hell, death, the grave and the devil, through His sacrificial death and resurrection.

And Jesus is all about peace! That’s why the prophet Isaiah spoke of His is birth so long ago, saying: ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.’ (Is. 9:6) And while here on earth, Jesus did live up to all His many names, and still does! So, it’s no wonder that Jesus just exudes peace, (smile) and whenever we desire peace, or anything else, we just have to look to Him, for He is our Be All and End All, our Everything! Much LOVE!

…thou wilt keep him in perfect peace…whose mind is stayed on thee…because he trusteth in thee…  (Is. 26:3)

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Best Refuge for Stormy Weather is Jesus!

02 Feb 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mark 4:40.       And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

Sunday, Sunday, most welcome Sunday! That blessed time for believers to gather in the Lord’s sanctuary and observe His special day with praise, worship, joy and thanksgiving! And that’s a must, especially in these turbulent and tempestuous last days, because fellowship with God and with others, renews our faith, restores our confidence and gives us the vim and vigour we so desperately need to get out into our troubled and evil world and do the very important work that Jesus desires of us, as stated in our Great Commission: 

‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:19-20) And from the very chaotic state of our world, it’s obvious we haven’t being our duty to the best of our ability, that’s why we need to regain our focus and start taking the battle to the enemy, instead of waiting for him to come to us. Remember, the best act of defence is strong offense. 

So, today, we’re going to open our worship session with a very appropriate song for these tempestuous times, titled, ‘The Tempest is Raging!’ It’s a Mary A Baker composition, wonderfully done by the Chicago Gospel Artist, Jessy Dixon in concert with the Bill and Gloria Gaither Homecoming Ensemble. So, without further ado, let’s open our hearts, mouths and voices in sweet sacrifices of praise, as we render a most soulful and heart rending version of this marvelous song. 

Singing: ‘Master, the tempest is raging, Oh, The billows are tossing high The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness Oh, No shelter, no shelter or help is nigh – Carest thou not that we perish? How canst you lie, How canst thou lie there asleep When it seems like each moment so madly is threatening, Oh A grave. a grave, a grave in the angry deep? 

Get up Jesus because! The winds and the waves shall obey thy will. All you got to say is, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still. Whether the wrath, the wrath of the storm-tossed sea, Or demons, or evil  men, or whatever it be No water can swallow the ship wherein lies The Master of the ocean, the earth and sky They all shall sweetly obey thy will, If You say, Peace, peace, be still They all shall sweetly obey thy will, If You say, Peace, peace, peace, be still. 

The Lord will give you peace, He wants to give you peace, In the midnight hour, When there’s nobody else there, God will give you peace, When you feel lonely, You have someone who will give you perfect peace. He‘ll be your friend, Yes He will, The Lord will give you peace, If you’re looking for peace, in all of your needs, in all of your days, get down on your knees and talk to Jesus, Yes talk to Jesus. Yes whenever the Lord says, there will be peace, there will be peace, For He knew it, yes He knew it, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still Peace, be still…..’ 

Oh that was wonderful my fellow believers! And yuh know why, because it truly evoked the tempestuousness of the times we’re living in, as well as the unsettled and unpeaceful situations in so many of our own personal lives. And the only way to handle both a tempestuous world and a tempestuous personal life is by having Jesus as Lord and Saviour and clinging tightly to Him. For remember, He is the Prince of Peace! (Is. 9:6) And ONLY He can calm the storms in our world and in our own lives. Or as the song says, ‘No water can swallow the ship wherein lies The Master of the ocean, the earth and sky.’   

And we all know the story on which the song is so competently based. Mark tells it thus: ‘And the same day, (Jesus, after speaking in parables to the multitudes), when the even (evening) was come, he saith unto them (the disciples), Let us pass (cross) over unto the other side. (The other side of the sea of Galilee). And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there was also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full (already filling). 

And he (Jesus) was in the hinder part of the ship (the stern), asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master (Teacher), carest thou not that we perish? 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. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this (who can this be), that even the winds and the sea obey him.’ (Mark 4:35-41) 

And that last question is an easy one to answer. The wind and sea obey Him because like us, He is their Creator and Controller and sets their boundaries and directions. Meanwhile, as per Jesus’ question to the disciples about their lack of faith, the scholars tell us that ‘Jesus constantly questions in order to spur people to deeper trust.’ And since many of us can use a sense of deeper trust in these tough times, we should possibly ask that question of ourselves right now: why is our faith not as great as it ought to be? And then turn to the Lord and ask for it to increase. (smile) 

Now, let’s end on this note of encouragement from an article by Wilfred Graves on the subject of ‘Peace be still.’ He writes: ‘In our text, Jesus reveals his authority and power over nature by bringing order to a chaotic situation.  He says to a raging storm, “Peace, be still!”  Immediately, the winds and waves obey his command. No matter what you may be going through in your life right now, the Lord can speak peace to your situation. 

When the storms of life come your way, you can put your trust in the Lord and He will sustain you. He is always with you and He will never leave nor forsake you. The Lord will either quiet the storm that you are in or He will bring you successfully through the storm. Sometimes God saves us from trouble; sometimes he saves us in trouble. In either case, divine help comes to those who put their trust in the Lord’s saving power.’ 

Oh friends, I could not have said it any better. So let’s take those words of encouragement to heart nuh! Much LOVE!

…in times of storm…Jesus is the ONLY answer…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien