“And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” Mark 4:40
There are some questions God asks in the Bible, not because He needs an answer; He asks them because we need to examine our hearts. In our verse for today, we find one of those questions. Jesus knew exactly why the disciples were afraid that night on the Sea of Galilee. The wind was howling, the waves were crashing into the boat, and the Bible says the ship was filling with water.
Remember, these were experienced fishermen, but this storm had frightened even them. What makes the story so interesting is that Jesus was in the boat with them. In fact, He was asleep in the back of the ship. Finally, the disciples woke Him and cried, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” Fear had caused them to question not only what was happening around them, but whether the Lord even cared.
SOUND FAMILIAR?
We can do the same thing. When the storm gets bad enough, fear begins asking questions. “Lord, do You see this?” “Do You know what I’m going through?” “Do You care what happens to me?” But before Jesus ever calmed the storm, He had already given them something they should have remembered. In verse 35 He said, “Let us pass over unto the other side.” He didn’t say, “Let us go out into the middle of the sea and drown.” He said they were going to the other side.
THEY HAD HIS WORD.
The storm could not cancel out what Jesus had spoken. The wind could not change His promise. The waves could not overturn His Word. *Faith remembers in the storm what God said before the storm.
THEY HAD HIS PRESENCE.
Jesus was right there in the boat. His presence did not prevent the storm, but His presence guaranteed they were not facing it alone. Sometimes we think being in the will of God means we should never experience trouble, but these disciples were exactly where Jesus told them to be and the storm still came. The great promise of the Christian life is not that we will never face storms. It is that we will never face them alone.
THEY HAD PROOF OF HIS POWER.
These men had already watched Jesus heal the sick, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. Yet one storm caused them to forget everything they had already seen Him do. Isn’t that just like us? God has carried us through so much already, and then another storm comes and we wonder if He can handle this one.
The truth is, the God Who was faithful yesterday has not changed today. Jesus arose, rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, “Peace, be still.” The wind stopped and there was a great calm.
Then He turned to the disciples and asked, “Why are ye so fearful?” Maybe the question for us today is not, “How big is the storm?” Maybe the better question is, “How big is our Savior?” Whatever you are facing today, remember this: the storm may be bigger than you, but it is not bigger than Him.
Sometimes Jesus calms the storm around us, and sometimes He first calms the storm inside us. But either way, the One in the boat is greater than anything outside the boat.
So, why are you fearful?
Think it over…
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