Evening Scripture Mark, Chapter 4Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”“Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Evening Reflection Living through multiple hurricanes in Florida, both on the Gulf of America side and the Eastern shoreline, we’ve experienced what it means to trust Jesus when the storms surround us. During times when we realize we are not in control of our surroundings, we begin to learn how to truly trust Jesus and let our faith take deep root within us, so that the storms in our lives don’t uproot us. Whether is actual weather storms we encounter such as hurricanes, tsunamis, tornados, or other natural disasters; or personal storms striking our lives through struggles, sadness, or difficulties with a husband or wife, children, parents, neighbors, co-workers, church members or a pastor, Jesus assures us of His presence, of being with us, calming the raging waters and winds that surround us. Although the disciples in Mark 4 didn’t understand that they could trust Jesus in the storm, He still came through for them, as He does for us in each and every storm we may encounter in life. It’s a lesson our family has learned, especially while living in South Florida, where we experienced numerous hurricanes. During one such storm, my husband was required to be in-house at the hospice where he served as chaplain. As our family joined him, sheltering in the hurricane-safe building, the irony of our situation struck me. In a place where individuals were dying, caught in the middle of their very real personal storms, we were trusting God to keep us safe from the physical storm surrounding us. While the eye passed over us, surrounding and engulfing us in the storm, the Lord brought the words of Psalm 139:5 to my mind: “You hem me in behind and before, and You lay your hand upon me.” No matter what type of storm surrounds us, whether personal or physical, and regardless of our status or location during it, the Lord is with us and we can trust Him. Evening Prayer God,I’m asking You tonight to plant Your seed of faith firmly within me, so that when the storms in life come as they sometimes do, both personal and physical, they don’t cause my faith to drift or fall away from You. Shelter me from the onslaught of storms whenever they surround me, I ask, and assure me of Your presence in the midst of them. Strengthen Your word within me. Send others to water it, so that Your truth grows within me and brings forth fruit that lasts for Your glory.Amen. Want More? If tonight’s episode blessed you, be sure to follow the show so your next nightly scripture is ready when you are. Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. Want More? If tonight’s episode blessed you, be sure to follow the show so your next nightly scripture is ready when you are. Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. 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