Episode #179: Do You Still Have No Faith?
And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:39,40)
If the Bible used emojis, this text would probably have the “face palm” and “shaking my head” emojis included. I imagine there were times that Jesus was frustrated with the disciples. This was probably one of those times. They had seen Jesus do many signs, wonders, and miraculous by now. They had heard Him teach the Word of God with authority. But now, in the midst of the storm, they were afraid for their life and wondering if Jesus cared?
In their defense, this was no ordinary storm. They were fishermen and knew these seas well. This storm had them worried for their life. So much so that they forgot a promise Jesus had made to them. In verse 35, Jesus said to the disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” This was a promise of an arrival at a destination in the future. Jesus didn’t mention the storm to the disciples and probably for good reason. Had He mentioned the storm before they got in the boat, there is a good chance they would have stayed on the shore.
We can’t fault the disciples for wanting to avoid the storm. I’m sure they would have much rather had smooth sailing across to the other side of the sea. We want smooth seas as we sail through this sea of life. We want to avoid the figurative storms on the journey just like the disciples wanted to avoid the actual storms on the seas. But, Christianity is not life-hack to make the storms of this life disappear. Following Jesus will often lead us into storms. Sometimes, like Jonah, we are the cause of those storms and need to be tossed overboard so the people in the boat can get a little rest. Sometimes the storms are opposition from the enemy to distract us from the promises of Jesus.
Many times, like the disciples in the midst of the storm, we begin to wonder if Jesus cares. We forget all of the things He has already done for us in the past. We forget all of the times He showed up right on time. We forget all of the times Jesus was working in the background that we didn’t see until we looked back in remembrance. This is where we see the patience Jesus has with us. He could easily look at us when we forget all of the things He has done for us and ask, “Do you still have no faith?”
Let us be a people who do not let the storms of life, distort the memory of the faithfulness of God. Let our actions and attitude in the storms, bring peace to the others in the boat and in the seas around us. Let our faith in Jesus be evident even when the wind and the waves are howling.
Love Y’all! Be Blessed!
Let Us Be A People 