•Thursday, October 07, 2010
"The disciples went and woke him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We're going to drown!'
He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, 'What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!'" Matthew 8:25-27 NIV
The disciples witnessed first-hand as Jesus healed a wide assortment of illnesses and cast out demons. Were they dense? Did they have short-term memory loss? Why didn't they know who he was and believe that he could rescue them from this storm?
But before we criticize the disciples too harshly, let's pause and look in the mirror. How many times have I witnessed God working in my own life? How many storms has he safely carried me through? And yet I feel afraid. The winds and the waves in my life look so strong and I feel so weak. I forget who he is. I forget what he can do.
When the disciples begin to panic, Jesus looks at them and ask, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Our fear reveals that at the core level, we're failing to trust God. Fear cannot live in the presence of trust. The only remedy to our fear is to place our trust completely in God.
Of course, he won't always command the winds and waves to calm down. Sometimes God lets the storm rage and guides our little boat safely to shore. Either way, we can find calm in our hearts if we would only remember who he is and trust him with our lives.
He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, 'What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!'" Matthew 8:25-27 NIV
The disciples witnessed first-hand as Jesus healed a wide assortment of illnesses and cast out demons. Were they dense? Did they have short-term memory loss? Why didn't they know who he was and believe that he could rescue them from this storm?
But before we criticize the disciples too harshly, let's pause and look in the mirror. How many times have I witnessed God working in my own life? How many storms has he safely carried me through? And yet I feel afraid. The winds and the waves in my life look so strong and I feel so weak. I forget who he is. I forget what he can do.
When the disciples begin to panic, Jesus looks at them and ask, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Our fear reveals that at the core level, we're failing to trust God. Fear cannot live in the presence of trust. The only remedy to our fear is to place our trust completely in God.
Of course, he won't always command the winds and waves to calm down. Sometimes God lets the storm rage and guides our little boat safely to shore. Either way, we can find calm in our hearts if we would only remember who he is and trust him with our lives.
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