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A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."
Luke 7:23-25
At times I feel like the disciples in that boat. There are storms in my life. Storms that look so big and dangerous that the mere thought of them makes me feel swamped. They make you wonder if God really knows what He's doing. If you'll really survive the wind and the waves. In fear and despair I cry out. "Father! I'm going to drown!"
Yet He was there all the time, in control, not worried. He responded with miraculous power. And amazing as that was, it's not what caught my attention in this story. Rather, it was Jesus' question.
"Where is your faith?" He asked. I wonder what was going through His mind. Why did He say that? Why did He choose those particular words? He didn't launch into some long lecture. No. He asked a simple, pointed question. Where is your faith?
And the question remains today. Where is my faith? We're all in our boats on the lake of life, making the journey to the other side of the shore. Can we believe that He has brought us to this, and He will take us through?
He may not instantly rebuke and remove the storms in our life, but that doesn't mean we will drown. There are other things to learn that miracles can't teach.
Where is my faith? The faith that God who has always been there is still there. Faith for the unseen. Faith to place my trust and hope in Him completely. Perhaps when Jesus poised that question to His disciples, it was another way of saying, "Why are you so upset and frightened? Didn't you know that I was here? Didn't you know that I would keep you from drowning? I'm God!"
The waves continue to crash about us. We feel so very tired. But our anchor holds. Our captain knows the course. We will not be drowned.
"Who is this?" the disciples asked. So must we ask ourselves. Who IS this in our boat of life? This is Jesus. He controls the real wind and waves as well as the ones in our lives. He can do anything. And when you know someone who can do anything, why waste time with worry about drowning?
You might still be afraid, and you might even get wet in the process. But where is our faith? Watch, trust…see what He will do.
Hannah, that is so beautiful! I can not believe you posted this. I have been thinking along these lines and wondering if maybe I should blog about it. The exact story and everything! You put my thoughts into words better than I could’ve! Thanks!