The song, Master, The Tempest Is Raging, lyrics the cry of our hearts as tragedies of life overpower us, stripping away all earthly security and hope. Expressed in music seemingly so natural, no other song voices our soul’s anguish so appropriately. This is due to the fact that the song is closely based upon an account (Mark 4:35-41) written and revealed by Him who knows perfectly man’s life and heart. It is this incident in life of some of the disciples from which the song is written. Yet, with the violent storm, the desperate cry and the Master’s deliverance, this incident pictures storms not unlike those which are encountered by His disciples (as well as all mankind) today.
THE STORM
“There arose a great storm of wind” (Mark 4:37). The Sea of Galilee is 600 feet below sea level. The mountains of Lebanon to the north reach over 9000 feet and are covered with snow most of the year due to the frigid high altitude. As the air heats and rises above the sea, the cold and heavier air in the mountains is sucked down to fill the void. This avalanche of air will increase with intensification if it falls in and forces through the gorges leading to the lake. It is as the account in Luke describes it: “there came down a storm of wind on the lake” (Luke 8:23). Thus, due to the features of the land, these storms can be extremely violent and can come very quickly.
This particular storm was unusually violent. In the Greek it is described as a megas storm. Megas is a word that is used “of natural events powerfully affecting the senses, i.e. violent, mighty, strong”. Oklahoma has its wind, and it has its days of stiff wind, but one day in the mid 1980’s, there was the infamous day-long wind of 70 mph. This was an unusual, megas wind! Furthermore, Matthew calls the storm a seismos. From this word, we obtain our English word seismograph–an instrument used to measure earthquakes. Seismos is also used in Acts 16:26 in referring to the earthquake that shook Paul’s prison doors open, and appears in Revelation 11:13 in which it symbolically shook and destroyed one-tenth of a city and killed 7000 people. Still yet, Mark describes the storm as a lailapse, which means: “a hurricane, whirlwind.” Then to this he adds the word, megas.
Due to such violent wind rushing onto the sea from the cold peaks of the mountains, the water became turbulent with mighty waves. Not only was the boat tempestuously tossed, it was filling with water. Mark conveyed the situation with the word, semidzo, meaning: “to fill full.” This is the word which is used in John 2:7 to describe the first miracle in Cana when the water pots were filled to the brim. Matthew described the condition with another word which means “to cover up or over.” The waves were not merely slapping the side of the boat, they were rising above and coming down and over the boat.
This was truly a mega, seismatic, hurricane of a storm. The wind was mercilessly tossing them about, and the water was rising above and pounding into the boat. These men, some who were fishermen, knew what was happening–they were about to die (Luke 8:23-24).
Does not this storm at sea perfectly describe our storms of life? Our storms break upon us just as fast as we: get that certain initial pain; listen to the report from the doctor; answer the phone or the door or open the letter which unleashes the storm. Our tragedies come just as unexpected; just as violent; just as relentless; and just as consuming. Thus we can truly sing: “Master, the tempest is raging! The billows are tossing high! The sky is o’er-shadowed with blackness, No shelter or help is nigh.“
Furthermore, notice that this storm at sea come upon these men even though they were with Jesus and were sailing the course which He directed. While it is true that God’s directions help us to avoid many problems of life (Prov. 3:1-2), the Christian must realize that not all storms of life are averted just because he is a Christian. There are still the accidents, illnesses, deaths and even the additional storms just because one is a Christian (2 Tim. 2:12). If you have ever encountered situations as these, you know that the One who knows man’s life and heart has perfectly presented your storm in the account upon the sea.
Gary Henson