Storms In and Out
A blog by Next Generation Pastor, Rebecca DeLucia
Life has a way of throwing storms at us; some we can see and others we carry quietly inside. In Mark chapters 4 and 5, we encounter two powerful stories back-to-back that show us something essential about Jesus:
He has unmatched authority over both external chaos and internal captivity.
In Mark 4:35-41 Jesus and His disciples are crossing the Sea of Galilee when a violent storm erupts. Waves crash over the boat. Water fills it. The disciples, many of them fishermen, panic. Meanwhile, Jesus sleeps. They wake him, crying out, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” But Jesus calmly rises and speaks directly to the storm, “Peace! Be still!” In Greek the word translated “be still” is phimōthēti, which literally means “be muzzled.” It’s not a gentle whisper; it’s a command of authority. And immediately, the storm obeys.
No sooner does the sea grow calm than Jesus steps into another kind of storm in Mark 5:1-20. Across the Sea of Galilee Jesus and His disciples encounter a man possessed by many demons; isolated, tormented, bound by chains that never held. This man lives among the tombs, cut off from community, crying out day and night. His storm isn’t visible from a distance but it’s just devastating and terrifying.
Here’s the striking connection: when Jesus confronts the demons, He speaks with the same authority He used on the sea. Again, Jesus issues a command and again the chaos submits. The word used to silence the storm—phimōthēti—is the same kind of authoritative command Jesus uses to cast out the demons.
Whether it’s raging waters or a shattered soul, the result is the same: freedom, restoration, peace.
Mark places these stories side by side for a reason. Some storms threaten us from the outside: loss, uncertainty, conflict, illness, financial pressure, global instability. Others rage within: fear, shame, addiction, anxiety, grief, wounds we’ve carried for years.
These stories show us that Jesus doesn’t just specialize in just one type. He has power over both. And He cares deeply. Both stories echo this truth and both stories end the same way: with awe. The disciples ask, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” The people of the region witness a formerly demon-possessed man sitting clothed and in his right mind.
Fear gives way to faith.
Chaos gives way to testimony.
The man Jesus healed is sent back to his community, not to hide his past, but to witness:
“Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.”
Whatever storms come your way in 2026—seen or unseen—remember this:
Jesus has power over them.
He cares about what you’re facing.
He sees the chains that bind you.
He hears the cries you weep in the night.
And He is still speaking.
He is calling the storms to be muzzled.
He is calling you from fear to faith.
He is calling your story to become a witness that amazes the world, not because of how strong you are, but because of how powerful He is.