Faith or Fear?
2003 : Week 4

Faith or fear, what do you have more of? What if you had been on the boat during that storm? Before you answer, if only for a moment, let’s imagine we were there; it might help us understand what the disciples went through.

We’ve just finished a successful day of ministry where Jesus performed countless miracles: the blind saw again, the lame walked, the diseased were cleansed and others were released of emotional burdens. People had come from far off places to hear Him speak, and none of them were disappointed. Some cried for joy as a family member walked again. Some danced as their children were healed, but everyone praised God for Jesus’ message of hope. As usual, they wanted Him to stay, but He had to visit other cities.

Several of us are fishermen and we’re familiar with the winds, the sky and the waters; it looks like tonight will be calm sailing. Tired from the day’s work, we’re ready to sleep. We set sail in tranquil waters, but things change quickly, and the winds steam in to hammer the lake. Soon, it's a downpour, and the boat doesn't look like it'll make it. “This is odd,” you think, “I've been fishing all my life, and I've never seen anything like this before. This is the worst storm I've ever seen, and it came from absolutely nowhere.”

We’re quite sure we’re about to die a horrible death, so we forget we’re rugged outdoorsmen and scream like children. The boat is creaking and groaning as it twists in the storm. You look back, and Jesus is quite unimpressed by it all. In fact, He thought this was a great time to catch a nap. Stunned, you yell for Him to wake up. Calmly He wakes, wipes the sleep from His all seeing eyes of love, yawns, stretches, looks you square in the eyes and asks, ‘Why are you afraid?’

You think to yourself, “Are you kidding me? We’re in a brutal storm: the wind is savagely pounding us, it’s dark, it’s cold and our boat is about to sink. You ask me why I’m afraid?”

"Yes," Jesus asks, and he looks calmly back at you. ‘Why are you afraid?’ “Wait,” you say to the others, “I didn’t say that out loud.” He just read your thoughts again; “He always knows what we’re thinking,” you say under your breath.

Momentarily you're distracted, as you look away to see the lightning that just lit the sky behind Him. You see and feel the storm raging, but your eyes focus back on Jesus, drawn as if by a magnet, and He calmly asks again, ‘Why are you afraid,’ as He wipes the rain from his forehead.

You don’t have an answer for Him.

The storm that had rocked your foundations didn’t wake Jesus; your crying and screaming did that. The storm raged, but there was still peace in Him. Life may have seemed dark and desperate to you, but Jesus had a different perspective, God’s.

You watch as Jesus says, "Hush, be still," and the storm dies down and it becomes perfectly calm: no more rain, no more wind, no more thunder and no more noise. The sky is now blue, and the sea is glassy smooth. A perfect stillness replaces the chaos; you’d been through the storm before the calm. You’re more scared now then you were during the storm. You simply can’t believe what you just saw, and you ask yourself, ‘Who is this; the winds and the water just stopped when He told them to?’ Jesus just smiles at you; He knows what you’re thinking again…

Would you have been more courageous then the disciples? Would you have shown more faith or fear? The story is interesting in that disciples had enough faith to ask Jesus for help during the storm, but they didn’t have enough faith to believe he’d actually provide it. Maybe they didn’t think He cared enough to help. Maybe they thought the circumstances were too great for Him to control.

The truth is, the disciples didn’t recognize who was in the boat with them. They admit this when they ask, "Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?" They had not yet come to fully understand the nature of Jesus. Like so many, they thought He was merely a Man, but Jesus was more then a Man. He was Almighty God living in human flesh. At once both Man and God, Jesus exists in a duality that’s difficult for us to fully comprehend.

The disciples’ mistake is the same mistake we all make; we underestimate, misinterpret, and put boundaries on the power of God, his love, and his mercy. By not fully understanding the power of God, we are fearful when obstacles arise. No doubt life is difficult and will test us, but our response during the storms is a barometer of our Christian walk. When the storm hits, do we wail like children: unable to speak, with a quivering lip and that blubbering nonsense they talk, or do we seek solace in God believing he’ll provide it. Do we truly believe He is almighty? If we did, we would show greater faith.

Are you going through a storm at this time? Does the situation seem hopeless? Perhaps you understand you can go no further without God’s help, but it appears He’s nowhere to be found. You wonder if God’s asleep while you’re ship’s sinking rapidly into the deep. Has God lost control of things?

Rest easy, God is still in control, and He will hear your cries to Him. No matter how blessed a life one leads, there will be times of turmoil, fear and danger. God does not promise us an easy path through this world. Our world is fallen, and we are the inheritors of its problems. Despite that, the story above illustrates that God will lead us through those times of uncertainty; He is in control, and nothing escapes his watchful eyes.

Had the disciples understood who they were in the boat with, they wouldn’t have acted with such panic during the storm, and they wouldn’t have reacted with such disbelief when Jesus calmed it. There is nothing beyond God’s eyes. There is nothing beyond His control. There is nothing that happens that will catch Him off guard. He saw the beginning of time from the end; He saw the end of time from the beginning. Christian, He is always with you, and your current storm is a chance to show Him you have more faith then fear.

Remember, He knows what you’re thinking.

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you today and always…



* Words of Jesus, from the Bible, appear in red.


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