Calming the storm

“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.” Mark 4:37-39
This event is recorded in three of the four gospels (Matt. 8:23-27, Mark 4:37-39, Luke 8:22-25). Although the Sea of Galilee is not that large, I’ve been told that it can experience some pretty violent storms if the wind comes from a certain direction. But this was no ordinary storm. How do we know? From the words Jesus uses.
First, He rebuked the wind. This is a strange thing to do, because the wind in itself is not evil and in need of rebuke (the wind is sometimes used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, c.f. John 3:8). Next, He says to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ The Greek words are ‘Be muzzled’ – and only occur in other places where Jesus is speaking to demons, telling them not to say Who He was.
This storm had a supernatural, Satanic source. This is why when He commanded it to stop, it did so. The question then arises: how many natural disasters today, might actually have a supernatural source? I would suggest that it is more than we think.