Trials into Triumph

On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. 37And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Mark 4:35-37 NASB
And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. Mark 4:39 NASB

Where did this storm come from? Who stirred up the wind to cause the sea to begin to roar against the boat that Jesus and His disciples were in? While we don't know the origins specifically, we do know that Jesus gets up, rebukes the wind, and uses the words "Hush, be still." This combination of words and actions are used elsewhere when Jesus casts the demon out of the man in the synagogue. 
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm. Luke 4:35 NASB 
When Jesus rebuked the demon, it is the same Greek word to describe what Jesus did when He rebuked the wind. When Jesus tells the demon in Luke 4:35 to "be quiet" it is the same Greek word when Jesus tells the sea to "be still". I believe there is a connection here. It seems that Jesus is handling this storm the same way He would a demon or a demonic influence that was at work. To dive deeper, read Job 1:19 and see that one of the attacks that Satan brought against Job (under God's authority) was the wind. 
Let's assume that this storm came from Satan to afflict or try and prevent Jesus and His disciples from getting to the other side. Satan is using the wind and sea as a way to bring about fear, anxiety, and worry with the hopes that they would turn around; or even better, perish. Satan had something on the other side of the sea that he did not want Jesus touching; namely dominion and influence. The wind and sea became instruments that Satan was using to afflict and cause pain. Satan's work has not changed since then; he still uses things of this world to afflict God's people. One of Satan's primary tactics is to render God's people useless by causing them to be paralyzed by fear. This is the reason for the enemies afflictions, trials, storms, and temptations that we all face. He is no match for the Spirit within us; so he afflicts with the goal of getting us to surrender our power and authority we have been given through Christ. 
What we are about to see in Mark 5 is that Jesus is going to take something that Satan is using and turn around to demonstrate His power; namely the sea. He is going to turn the sea of trial into a sea of triumph; a sea of bondage to fear into a sea of freedom. 
The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” 13Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea. Mark 5:12-13 NASB
The same Sea of Galilee that was being used by the enemy to afflict and bring about fear, has just been used as an instrument of God to bring about freedom to a man. The enemies attempt to bring bondage did not succeed, but our God always succeeds. When we say "what the enemy meant for evil, God will turn it for good", we mean that our God is so much higher, more majestic, so mighty that even the plans of our enemies are used and turned for the purposes of God.

My wife and I went through a horrible trial in 2015. Our marriage was on the brink of divorce and I could not see how God could restore. The enemy had come in between us with the purpose of bringing about death and pain for generations to come. The trial was unbearable. Yet, one year later God worked in me and my wife's heart and restoration began. It was a miracle of God! But that wasn't all God was up to. God had used that trial from the enemy as a way to teach me personally the importance of sowing into my wife and kids more than I was sowing into others through ministry. God had taken the potential divorce, the pain, the sleepless nights, and the heartache that the enemy wanted us to drown and perish in, and used it to drown my apathy towards my family in. Without the storm I would have never experienced the freedom that God brought. My God turned a sea of trial into a sea of triumph.
Are you facing a trial from the enemy right now? That trial and storm is not unique. But what is unique is realizing that there is no safer place to be than in the boat with Jesus. He will bring you through; but if you set your mind on things above, He will use that trial as a means of freedom and growth that you may not even recognize you need. Trust Him; He is better at navigating and reversing the storms of life than we could ever be. 

Questions to Consider:

1. Have you ever experienced freedom that came as the result of a trial? How did that come about? 

2. Think of some of the things that Jesus has set you free from. Take sometime to thank the Lord for His deliverance. 
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