The howling storm called forth the terror inside them. Can light prevail when darkness comes? When the wind screams, it summons fear. The wind became like the hands of a demon intent on destroying them. The waves were breaking into the boat and Jesus was asleep on the cushion in the stern of the boat.
The demon of the sea had done its work and the disciples were blinded by terror. "Teacher, don't you care that we are perishing?" "He woke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Peace! Be Still!'" (Mark 4:39) The power of the storm was matched only by the sudden calm that came when the wind ceased.
"Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?"
He howled among the tombs. There was terror in the darkness and his screams were heard even in the day. In agony he had bruised and cut himself with stones. The demons that possessed him were stronger than the cords and shackles that had often been used to try to restrain him. Was this a man forsaken and forgotten by God?
The demons had seen the storm cease and had come to meet Jesus as soon as he stepped out onto land. The disciples may have wondered who Jesus was, but the demons knew. They knew that he was the Son of the Most High God and that he had dominion over them. He cast the Legion out of the man and into the pigs. The pain that this man had experienced can only be matched by the perfect peace that blanketed him when the storm in his life ceased.
I have seen the fear that comes when the storm clouds rise. I have seen the agony of those who seem to be helpless victims among the tombs. However, some things never change. The same Jesus who was the Lord of the ancient storm is the Lord of all storms. The same Jesus who had dominion over the demons of the past has dominion over the demons we encounter today no matter how loud the demons howl.
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