The accounts concerning Jesus and Jonah share some similarities. One similarity is that both slept in a ship while a storm raged outside. The power of God calmed both storms. A valuable principle emerges from these accounts concerning Jesus and Jonah: Only God’s power produces the peace we desire.
In Jonah 1, Jonah fled on a boat in rebellion against God’s command. While traveling by sea, God hurled a great storm against them. Jonah’s traveling companions threw him overboard at his direction after discovering he was the cause of God’s wrath. Verse 15 relates that the great storm God had hurled against them then stopped its raging. God calmed the storm and appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah.
In Mark 4, Jesus was also on a boat. He also slept, and a storm arose. This storm is not credited to God, instead seeming to be a natural event. Verse 37 says the waves were breaking over the boat and filling it up. The men with Jesus feared for their life, so they woke Him and called for His aid. Jesus rebuked the wind and sea, saying, “Hush, be still.” Mark 4:39 states that the wind died down, and a great calm occurred. Jesus spoke with God’s power, and the forces of nature obeyed Him.
In both cases, God’s power calmed the storm. Mark 4 reveals an important truth: The word of Jesus carries the power and authority of God. John 12:48-50 further clarifies that Jesus spoke what the Father commanded, and His word will judge all people on the last day. If you receive His teaching obediently, He will save you, and your eternal storm will be calmed by God’s power. Only God’s power produces the eternal peace we all need. Let Him calm your storm.