“Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” (Matt. 8:25, CEV).
According to Matt. 8:23-27, Jesus and the disciples experienced a furious storm. The wind was howling, waves were crashing into the boat, and there was a legitimate risk of capsizing. Where was Jesus? He was sleeping in the back of the boat—with His head on a cushion!
The disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee at Jesus’ command; they certainly had not expected such a storm. Obviously feeling that they had nowhere else to turn, they woke Jesus and begged Him to save them from the storm.
I can’t tell you how many times I have stepped out in faith only to have a raging storm appear out of nowhere. No matter how hard I paddled or how much water I scooped out of my sinking boat, the shore wasn’t getting any closer. Exhausted, I have cried out: “Where is Jesus? Doesn’t He see I’m drowning here?”
Have you had that kind of experience? If so, you may have shared the surprise of the disciples at Jesus’ first words—”You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (v. 26, NIV).
According to this verse, before Jesus silenced the storm, He rebuked his disciples. He called them oligopistos, a combination of two Greek words meaning “faith” and “little.” Little in this case did not mean small, but underdeveloped. One definition, according to Strong’s Concordance, actually says “puny.”
The disciples said to one another: “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (v. 27). They had yet to discover that Jesus wasn’t just a man. He was also God. And God was in their boat.
Next time you are in a raging storm and calling out to God to save you, do not be alarmed if you do not see Him right beside you. He may just be “taking a nap.” He believes in you. He already saved you. He prepared you for this. He has filled you with His Holy Spirit.
God is confident that you can get this boat to the other side.
By: Justice Coleman, senior pastor of Freedom Church (San Fernando Valley Freedom Foursquare Church) in Chatsworth, Calif.
