Lord, Don’t You Care?

The disciples had been with Jesus a while now, witnessing the miracles and learning from him. His teaching has been pointing them to the great secret of the kingdom—his identity—but they were still not prepared for the revelation of his power on the lake! His glory is veiled by his humanity. The Jesus who calms the storm is the same Jesus who lies asleep in the boat: thoroughly exhausted, thoroughly human.

So when he commands the storm to be still, the disciples are terrified. “Who is this?” (41), they ask, “who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves” (Psa. 65:7)? Scripture says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging… [He says,] ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth’” (Psa. 46:1-3,10). Jesus rebukes his disciples for their lack of faith. Have they not realized who he is? Although their faith is weak, Jesus is there for them and shows that he is able to bring peace where there was turmoil. Jesus’ disciples can have faith in him, even whilst the storms are raging, when God doesn’t seem to care!

God wants us to know by faith that he is able and he is with us. “In the presence of Jesus we can have peace in even the wildest storms of life” (William Barclay).

What storms are you experiencing? What fears, strivings and troubles are raging around you or in you? How can you stand firm in your faith, knowing Jesus is able and he is for you?