Why Are You Afraid?
By George Stroh
January 24, 2011
"And He said to them 'Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?' They became very much afraid and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?'" (Mark 4:40-41)
It had been a very long day for the Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples. From early in the morning until sunset He had healed many, confronted the false teaching of the scribes and was telling many parables about the coming Kingdom of God. The growing crowd was so large and pressing in on Him that He finally decided to get into one of His disciples' fishing boats. From there He could be better seen and heard by the hundreds, maybe even thousands of people following after Him.
"On that day, when evening came, He said to them, 'Let us go to the other side." They were sailing across the lake known as the Sea of Galilee which is about 18 miles long and 15 miles wide. It is surrounded by mountains and is the lowest fresh water lake on earth. It was not uncommon for strong winds to blow down from the western mountains sometimes causing violent storms on this rather small body of water; "And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up."
This particular storm was becoming so intense that even these seasoned fisherman, who had certainly experienced many violent storms, began fearing for their lives. But Jesus, in His humanity and physically exhausted, fell asleep on a cushion in the stern of the boat; "...and they woke Him and said to Him. 'Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?' 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."
That is when Jesus said to them; "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" It is a penetrating question for each of us as well. Why am I afraid when various trials and tribulations (violent storms) interrupt my tranquil (calm sea) life? Maybe, like His disciples, we forget that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is not only a man. He is the sovereign God who loves us and is in total control of every detail of our lives; "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword?" (Romans 8:35)
When the inevitable storms do come into your life, as a child of God, you can trust your heavenly Father who not only loves you, but is in total control of all things; "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) So then "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" We can trust the One that even the wind and sea obey. Maranatha!
