Mark 4:40-41 – “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Why are you frightened? Do you still have no faith?’ But they were terribly afraid and began to say to one another, ‘Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’” We have all heard the story of the disciples crossing the lake, the storm suddenly blowing up, full of fear they wake Jesus, and He speaks to the storm and waves and everything just as suddenly stops. Let’s examine this a bit.

Jesus lay sleeping in a little boat being tossed about by a great storm. How did the fact that He was not afraid escape the attention of His disciples? Had they not paid attention to what He had been doing? Were they not listening when He taught? The disciples took the tack, “How can you sleep at a time like this?” Did they think that He should have been on deck worrying and in great fear like they were, as if His worry might help matters? They still didn’t get it, even after He calmed the storm. “Who is this man?” (See also Mark 6:47-51 to get another glimpse into their unbelief.)

It’s easy these days to learn of approaching atmospheric disturbances, what with apps and radar so readily available. But what about other storms like physical, emotional, financial, or spiritual ones? Do we run about willynilly, wringing our hands and tearing at our hair? Do we expect the others in our boat, our close ones, to do the same? We can hardly ignore emergencies and just think they’ll go away, of course, but there’s a better way. We can call on the name of the Lord in true faith, being absolutely certain that whatever storm has crossed our path will continue moving along sooner or later and that our Father will be with us every step of the way. Hebrews 13:5, among other places in the Bible, says God will never leave us or forsake us. If we truly believe that, then what should we be doing other than holding onto His promise?