Mark 4: 35-40
35 That day when evening came, [Jesus] said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Through their time together, the disciples have come to witness Jesus’ supernatural power and know that he was more than able to calm the storm that was raging all around them. It was because of this faith that made them indignant at his ability to sleep through that which was causing them so much fear and insecurity. On the other hand, this is not the kind of faith that Jesus was challenging them to exercise in this circumstance. In meditating upon this particular passage, I have come to wonder if a part of Jesus’ frustration with his disciples is not their “lack” of faith, but rather the stagnant quality of their faith, a faith that is more than happy to rest on convenient truths but refuses to wrestle with costly ones.
In our own life, how many times do we ask God to calm the storms we are facing so that we can enjoy a fragile form of peace that can only be experienced when everything in our lives goes according to plan? We fail to realize that Peace himself has promised to rescue us, protect us, and deliver us through the storm, and not just from it. We fail to see the sovereignty of God over life’s troubles as well as his ability to redeem painful experiences because we are so focused in asking for him to relieve us from them.
I believe that the faith that allowed Jesus to sleep through the storm is the same faith that allowed him to surrender to the cross. Jesus exercised peace that allowed him to sleep through the raging wind and waves as he secured himself in the truth that God is sovereign, good, and worthy of his trust and full surrender. It is the faith that knows that even in death, God’s will, in all its goodness and perfection, will be done and that he is able to work all things out for good.
A storm in our lives always presents an opportunity to grow in faith. It is good, and not wrong, to ask God to calm it, as it expresses our reliance in his power to deliver us from our circumstances. But storms also present an an opportunity to rest in the boat amidst the storm, to express our confidence that no matter how painful the circumstance, God is able to work all things out for our good.
Will you allow God to stretch you faith today?