Master Of The Storms

Master of the Storms

Read: Matthew 8:23-27

“You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”

Matthew 8:26

“There is never a fear that has not a corresponding ‘Fear not.’”

—Amy Carmichael

IN WORD Why does Jesus have to ask His disciples this? He knows why they are afraid. They are weak, vulnerable human beings. They are no match for the violent forces of nature. What normal human being wouldn’t be afraid? And what Savior wouldn’t understand this human tendency?

Jesus asks this question because these normal, fearful people in the boat with Him have missed the key element in the situation. It isn’t the storm that matters. It isn’t the size of the waves or the structural integrity of the boat. It’s the company they are in. They are accompanied by the image of the invisible God, the One by whom all things were created (Colossians 1:15-16). As His disciples, wherever we are, no matter how fierce the winds are, we are with Him. That changes everything.

We need to hear this convicting question on numerous occasions in our lives. Storms swell, sometimes gradually on the horizon, and sometimes, as in this story, suddenly and furiously, without warning. Either way, fear is usually our first reaction. It isn’t that we overestimate the storms. They really can be damaging. We’ve seen them destroy the lives of other people. No, our problem isn’t having an inaccurate view of the storm. It’s in having an inaccurate view of Jesus. As long as we’re preoccupied with the storm and Jesus seems to us to be asleep in the back of the boat, we will fear. It is a natural—and inevitable— human response.

IN DEED But Jesus asks us to do the unnatural and avoid the inevitabilities of our human frailties. He asks us to have faith in Him. Yes, the storm is dangerous. Yes, we are weak and vulnerable. Left with those two facts alone, we are overcome. But Jesus gives us another fact to throw into the equation—Himself. He is the King of all creation, God with us. With our eyes fixed on Him, we can say “What storm? What danger? What weakness?” The storms must obey Him. What do we have to fear?