"And the same day,
when the even was come,
he saith unto them,
Let us pass over unto the other side.
And he was in the hinder part of the ship,
asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him,
Master, 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,
that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
Mark 4: 35-41
"If we think celestial,
we will understand that in our lives
we will face challenges that seem
greater than our
capacity to overcome them.
During our mortal time,
we are subject to the attacks
of the adversary.
Like the waves that had power (on) that... day,
we can feel powerless
and want to give in to a stronger fate.
Those “malicious waves” could jostle us from side to side.
But do not forget
who has power over those waves and,
in fact,
That is our Savior, Jesus Christ.
He has the power to help us out of every
miserable condition or adverse situation.
Regardless of whether we feel close to Him,
He still can reach us where we are as we are.
As we reach out to Him in faith,
He will always be there,
and in His time,
He will be
ready and willing
to grasp our hands and
pull us up to a safe place."*
"The scriptures immortalize
the symbol and significance of the Savior’s hands.
In His atoning sacrifice,
His hands were pierced by nails to affix Him to the cross.
After His Resurrection,
He appeared to His disciples in a perfect body,
but the prints in His hands
remain as a reminder
His hand will always be there for us,
even if we cannot see it or feel it at first,
because He was chosen by
our Heavenly Father to be our Savior,
the Redeemer of all humankind."*
"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."
Isaiah 49:16
"And he said, Come.
And when Peter was come down out of the ship,
he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
But when he saw the wind boisterous,
he was afraid; and beginning to sink,
he cried, saying,
Lord, save me.
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand,
and caught him..."
Matthew 14:29-31
Master, the tempest is raging!
The billows are tossing high!
The sky is o’ershadowed 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 threat’ning
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.
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.
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.
Master, the Tempest Is Raging
Text: Mary Ann Baker, 1831–1921
Music: H. R. Palmer, 1834–1907
One day my brothers went to play where the waves were breaking, and I felt big and mature enough to follow them. As I moved toward that area, I realized the waves were larger than they appeared from the shore. Suddenly, a wave rapidly approached me, taking me by surprise. I felt like the power of nature had taken over me, and I was dragged into the depths of the sea. I couldn’t see or feel any reference point as I was tossed around. Just as I thought my adventure on the earth might be coming to an end, I felt a hand pulling me toward the surface. Finally, I could see the sun and catch my breath.
My brother Claudio had seen my attempts to act as a grown-up and had come to my rescue. I was not far from the shore. Even though the water was shallow, I was disoriented and had not realized I could have helped myself. Claudio told me that I needed to be careful and, if I wanted, he could teach me. Despite the gallons of water I had swallowed, my pride and desire to be a big boy were stronger, and I said, “Sure.”
Claudio told me I needed to attack the waves. I told myself I would surely lose that battle against what seemed like a huge wall of water.
As a new big wave approached, Claudio quickly said, “Look at me; this is how you do it.” Claudio ran toward the incoming wave and dove into it before it broke. I was so impressed with his dive that I lost sight of the next incoming wave. So again I was sent to the depths of the sea and tossed by the forces of nature. A few seconds later, a hand grasped mine, and I was again pulled toward the surface and air. The flame of my pride was extinguishing.
This time my brother invited me to dive with him. As per his invitation, I followed him, and we dove together. I felt as if I was conquering the most complicated challenge. Certainly, it was not very easy, but I did it, thanks to the help and example shown by my brother. His hand rescued me twice; his example showed me how to deal with my challenge and be victorious that day."*
