Fear - Pt. 2

 

And when he [Jesus] got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” (Matthew 8:23-27 ESV).

 

I’ve lived in places where the likelihood of a severe storm was ever present. I grew up on the island of Galveston where hurricanes were always a threat. In fact, I stayed on the island when one of the deadliest hurricanes ever to hit the coast came ashore. Carla, with winds of over 170mph and torrential rains, wasn’t much more than a curiosity to me as I watched from our second floor window. Little did I realize the destruction it would cause until later. I’ve also lived in areas where tornados are likely. We live in one of those places now. I like to go outside and watch the thunderheads move in and see if I can spot one in the distance. I know that’s foolish and DO NOT recommend that, but storms are not one of my fears. Now, watch me retreat and run for the gun if I see a snake in the yard!

 

We all have fears that are more difficult to handle than others. The disciples had every right to be afraid of the storm that came upon their boat. The waves were sweeping right in! It is hard to fault them for fearing for their lives. But when they woke up Jesus, he asked why they didn’t have any faith. It’s easy for us to read this and think, “Of course their boat wasn’t going to sink; Jesus was on it!” But when you are in the middle of a frightening situation, rational thinking is one of the first things to go.

 

A lack of faith and the onset of fear are often paired in the Bible. It may seem unfair at times to blame our fear on a lack of faith. But when it comes down to it, our faith in God and his promises are enough to overcome all fears. God doesn’t promise that we won’t ever be in frightening situations. But he does ask us to trust him all the time. Even if the situation we are in goes terribly wrong, we are still children of God. Our destiny is in his hands, and he is ultimately in control. He will not fail us, nor forget us!