Mark 4: 35-40
Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along.
Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?”
He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, “Silence! Be still!” The wind settled down and there was a great calm. Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?”
When I read stories about the disciples and Jesus, I often put myself in the disciples’ shoes and think about how I would have reacted to Jesus. Personally, I’m not a fan of deep water. The idea of being in a boat, out in the middle of a lake, being battered by waves, is pretty much a nightmare for me. If these seasoned fishers were fearing for their lives at that moment, I would’ve been in much worse shape.
For the disciples, their boat was getting swamped by water and they were getting pretty anxious. I think many of us can relate to the feeling of being swamped today, though it’s probably not from water. We may be dealing with stress in our homes, sickness of loved ones, health concerns, worrying about the salvation or welfare of family, or carrying other burdens that are weighing us down.
And sometimes, we can feel like God is asleep during the storms in our lives. The disciples definitely felt that way when their boat was taking on water. They said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?” One commentary says that the disciples were “chiding Jesus for sleeping.” When we’re taking on water in our lives, it can be frustrating when it feels like Jesus is silent about what we’re going through.
But after Jesus calms the storm, he asks the disciples an important question. “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?” He was asking them, don’t you believe who I am? Don’t you have faith in my care for you? Don’t you know the peace I bring? And in the story, Jesus does bring peace. He says to the storm, “Silence! Be still!” Jesus spoke a word of peace into the storm, and suddenly there was a “great calm.”
Hebrews 11:1 says about faith, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The truth is, we don’t always know how God will work in a situation. We don’t know if the struggles we face will be resolved in the way we want. But what we can always believe is in who Jesus is, and His ability to bring peace into our lives and situations. We can trust that we can cast all our anxiety on Him, knowing that he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).
God is with us through the roughest storms in our lives, as well as the most still calm. In whatever situation you’re in today, know that Jesus is truly worthy of our faith and hope.