Luke 8:25
He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?
Jesus, Sovereign over Nature
Jesus knew there would be a storm coming, and He knows when ours will come. These storms might be God’s voice saying, “Where is your faith?” These storms of life hit every believer from time to time, and they will test our faith to see if it is the genuine thing or not. This testing of our faith is not intended to discourage us but to strengthen our faith, as it can produce steadfastness (James 1:2-4). Strong, persistent winds strengthen the trees around us just as the storms of life strengthen our faith in God, and this is so we’ll know that we can lean on Him and trust in Him during these times in our lives.
Jesus Sleeps through the Storms. Can We?
No sooner than Jesus was in the boat He fell fast asleep, but He did so before the storms came (Luke 8:23). How could He sleep knowing there was such a fierce storm coming? He was full of faith, that’s how. He could rest in peace knowing that God is always in control. He could easily fall asleep because He was either so exhausted from His continuously full days of ministry, or He was so certain that nothing would happen that He would rest without ever having to worry about the boat and all of its occupants sinking. Maybe it was for both reasons, but the disciples panicked, and one of the most humorous statements you’ll likely ever hear comes from the disciples when they woke Him at the height of the storm basically saying, “Master, don’t you care that we’re all going to drown” (Luke 8:24a)? Now think about that statement. Does Jesus care about them? Naturally He does. Do you think Jesus was about to let them drown? Oh, by the way, Jesus was in the boat. Do you think He’d let the boat sink and, oh no, all of the disciples drown, including Jesus!? Their faith was shallow, but instead of pointing my finger at them about how little faith they had, I ask myself, “How am I like that too?”
Fear of Man or Fear of God
When they finally woke Jesus up, He rebuked the storm, and immediately everything was perfectly calm (Luke 8:24b). Right after Jesus rebuked the storm, He rebuked the disciples by asking them a rhetorical question: “Where’s your faith” (Luke 8:25)? When the disciples saw that Jesus had power over nature, that’s when they feared Jesus even more than the storm, saying, “Who is this that can command even the winds and the water and they obey him” (Luke 8:25)? Their fear was reprioritized; they now feared Jesus more than anything else. If they knew from the beginning that Jesus had power over the storm, would they have feared the storm as much? Or would they have had more fear of Jesus since He is also God? Where’s their faith? Where is mine?
A Closing Prayer
Righteous Father, You are sovereign over all nature. You are always in control of all things, so please help me to trust more in You than my eyes. I must fear You, God, more than fear what man or nature can do, and I ask for Your help in these things in Jesus’ name.
Amen
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