Thoughts from The Bible

Thoughts from the Bible

Wednesday, 22 September 2021 06:17

I Can Sleep When The Wind Blows
by Terry Broome

The story is told of a young man who answered an advertisement in the local newspaper for help wanted at a nearby farm. The farmer asked the young man what his credentials were, to which came the slow reply, “Well, not much of any, but I CAN SLEEP WHEN THE WIND BLOWS.” Obviously, this aroused the farmer’s curiosity, so he gave the young man the job. For the first few weeks things went along pretty well, then one night after they were all in bed a ferocious storm blew in. The farmer called to the young man to come quickly. They must put the livestock up in the barn before some were lost. As the farmer got to the barn, to his surprise the livestock had already been put up, and the young man was still asleep in the house. Then it occurred to him what had been meant by the statement: “I can sleep when the wind blows.” This young man had done his work before the storm ever hit and was prepared.

There was another – relatively young man – who could also sleep when the wind blew. One night on the Sea of Galilee, he went back to the back of the boat and fell asleep. The winds came up and the little boat was in great danger of sinking. His followers came to the man but Mark says in Chapter 4:38 that “Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.” They cried out: “Master, carest thou not that we perish?”
Jesus seemed a bit surprised that men who professed to be religious should lose all the calm of their religion in a moment of danger. He asked in verse 40: “…why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” Jesus believed in God, and believed that they were all in God’s keeping. He knew a kind of peace that allowed him to sleep through the storm. He worked the will of God while it was day, and had the peace of God to calm His troubled soul.

We need to develop the work-pattern of Jesus so we can “Sleep When The Wind Blows.” He had a marvelous zeal for completing his mission. No one could doubt that Jesus would put God’s business first. He said in Hebrews 10:9, “I come to do thy will O God.” He was so fervent in “taking care of business” that he had no regrets even when His life was taken after a short ministry of only three years. From the cross He cried out “It is finished,” (John 19:30), and so it was. His work, as well as His earthly life were finished that day. A few hours earlier in earnest prayer to the Father, He opened up His heart and declared, “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” (John 17:4). This is so in keeping with those often quoted words of our Lord, “I must be about my Father’s business.” (Lk. 2:49).

To be like Jesus, we too must be about the Father’s business. We need to cultivate His marvelous zeal and His attitude about service to others. The world is busy; calendars are full; people are weary. It’s understandable that we might look for less difficult roles of service. However, Jesus experienced an overcrowded, demanding schedule and still seized opportunities to do service. Christians must make similar choices—-Will we serve or not? Will we opt for areas of service that are convenient or profitable or power promoters for us? Jesus can help us make the right choices.
The author can be reached for comments at 256-574-2489.