When the storm hit the boat, water from waves flooded in and the disciples freaked out.
They questioned their safety.
And they questioned Jesus, who is sleeping on the same boat.
“The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’” Mark 4:38
I would be asking this same question, to be honest. Would you?
In fact, when life feels overwhelming, and when the storms hit, I think it’s very easy for us to ask God this exact question.
Don’t you care??
Because if you cared Jesus, it seems like you’d fix this.
It seems like you wouldn’t make me walk through this suffering.. if you really cared.
Luckily for them, Jesus stands up and rebukes the wind and calms the storm.
They are amazed and in awe, naturally.
But that’s not always how it works.
Sometimes He doesn’t calm our storm instantly like that.
So we may be left standing there questioning, where are you?
Don’t you care?
I’ll never know the answer to why God calms some storms quicker than others.
Or why He heals some people faster than others.
Or why He fixes some situations quicker than others.
I’ll never know those answers on this side or heaven.
But when I read this same story in Luke, I was struck with how Jesus responded to His disciples.
He just simply asks them one profound question, “where is your faith?” (Luke 8:25)
Where is our faith?
When the storm hits, where is our faith?
Because the storm is going to hit, friends.
That’s a part of living in this broken world.
So where is our faith?
Is it in our circumstances?
Is it in the illusion that we think we have control over things?
Is it in people in our life?
Or is our faith in the One who is on the boat with us?
Even if He doesn’t instantly calm the storm?
Because I don’t think the purpose of this story was to say, don’t worry, Jesus won’t let you experience hardships.
No, that’s not the case.
Hardships are inevitable.
But He remains on the same boat, right there with us.
I think that’s the point.
Of course He is powerful enough to calm the wind and wave.. its Jesus.
But what’s more important than Him fixing everything so life is easy, is us fixing our eyes on Him when life is hard.
It’s us truly learning dependence.
It’s us saying, “Jesus, whether or not you calm this storm, my faith is in you.”
Of course we are going to notice the storm...
...but our focus needs to be on our faith.
Because it’s our faith that gets us through it.
~Kelli Bachara, The Unraveling Blog
Comentarios