Keep Your Shout

Mark 6:50

For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

We know the story of how the disciples were commanded to go to the other side of the sea to meet Jesus. As they got in the boat and began to row to the other side, they encountered a great storm. It was the fourth watch of the night, somewhere between 3 am and 6 am, the darkest and loneliest part of the night, that they saw Jesus walking on the water. They supposed it was a spirit, and cried out because they were troubled. However, Jesus immediately talked to them and said, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

The command to Be of good cheer was given before the storm ceased. The word cheer means to shout for joy. Jesus was telling them to keep their shout in the storm. Jesus did not tell them to wait until the storm was over to be of good cheer, but to be of good cheer in the storm. Jesus wanted them to have the shout in the storm.

Now, how can you be of good cheer or keep your shout in the storm? The way to be of good cheer and to keep your shout in the storm is to know that Jesus is with you in the storm. Notice that after Jesus said to be of good cheer He said, it is I; be not afraid. He was telling them that the way to keep the shout in the storm was to stay focused on Him, and the storm won’t take your cheer.

I am afraid too many have lost their shout. When you go to the average church, it is not a church of good cheer, but a church of drudgery and holding on until the LORD comes. Church ought not to look like a funeral service, but it ought to be a place where there is a shout because the LORD is with us. Let me share a couple thoughts about keeping the shout in the storms.

First, the storm is not bigger than Jesus. Jesus is the Master of the seas, and that should encourage us to keep our shout in the storm. There is no storm greater than our Saviour. If Jesus commands us not to be afraid, we should not let fear take our shout.

Second, Jesus is with you in the storm. The disciples thought they were alone until they saw Jesus walking on the water. We don't know how long Jesus was there with them, but I think He was with them when the storm started. Jesus is always with us in any storm. My friend, don’t let the storm take your shout; Jesus is still with you. It is easy to keep your shout when you are focused on Jesus because He is the One whom we are shouting about. We shouted about Jesus before the storm, and because He is with us all the time, we ought not to lose our shout in the storm. The Jesus who was with us before the storm is still with us in the storm; therefore, the focus of our shout has never left us, which means our shout should not stop.

Third, shouting in the storm will make the storm not seem so bad. Shouting in the storm is simply telling the storm you are on the winning side because Jesus is still with you in the storm. The storm won't seem so bad if you keep your shout in the storm. Keeping your shout in the storm is a testament to your faith in Jesus, that He will see you through the storm. If you want your storm to seem insignificant, keep your eyes on Jesus and keep the shout on your tongue, and peace will be found in your storm.