Jesus is our role model as the ultimate atmosphere shifter
Jesus’ calming of the storm when He was with His disciples is a perfect example of how to shift atmospheres.
One of my favorite passages from Scripture is the story about Jesus calming the storm. Found in Mark 4:35-41, the famous passage shows Jesus and His disciples crossing the sea after ministering all day.
Falling asleep in the bottom of the boat, Jesus rests completely at peace. But a storm soon comes, and the disciples, afraid of dying, rushed down and wake Him, saying, “Master, do you not care that we are drowning?”
Whereas the storm was dangerous to the disciples, Jesus lived in complete peace. He released His peace over the storm and the situation and it calmed instantly.
International speaker and pastor, Bill Johnson, has a wonderful quote. I use it often, “You will only have peace over the storms you can sleep through.”
I love this story about Jesus and the storm because it shows that Jesus truly was the Prince of Peace. Interestingly, the Bible tells us:
“It is the God of Peace who will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:20).
Most of us tend to think of peace as the absence of conflict, but for Jesus, peace was an interior state that remained, whether surrounded by evil or blessing. David’s famous passage from the Psalms, “you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” speaks to this reality.
Often we view ourselves as peaceful when we “feel” safe and healthy, when everything seems to be going our way. We don’t consider the reality that even in our darkest moments the Lord is with us, and His peace passes all understanding.
“Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” (see John 5:19 NIV).
We need to practice being atmosphere shifter like Jesus. He only did and said what His Father was doing. He actively sought after what the Lord was after and imparted that reality onto His situations.
Obviously, His relationship with the Holy Spirit made a huge difference, but even before that, Jesus was showing His complete surrender to the Lord’s will.
When we abide in our relationship with Jesus, we can shift the atmospheres around us and see what He is wanting to provide. As we stay connected to the Holy Spirit, we will truly be able to step out in faith and shift the storms that are happening in our lives.