“And a great windstorm arose…but He said to them, ‘How is it that you have no faith?’…and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4: 35-40)
If you read the story recorded in the fourth chapter of Mark you will see Jesus directing the disciples to get into their boat and cross over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. On this sea crossing a great storm fell upon them. They woke Jesus with the question, “Don’t you even care that we (including Him) are all going to drown?” After turning the great storm into a great calm, Jesus asked them the great question:
“How is it that you have no faith?”
Jesus had been teaching them that He was King of the Kingdom of God and they were subjects in that Kingdom. Did they really think all of this was going to come to an end at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee? One translation renders His great question: “Do you not even yet believe in me?” Another puts it: “When are you going to get some faith?”
Before we are too hard on the apostles, let’s apply the essential truth of this story personally. Jesus has promised us that He will take us from the other side of this life to the next dimension called Heaven. While we are on that journey, if a great storm falls upon us do we believe that storm declares all His promises to be null and void? Or do we have a quality of faith that can turn that great storm into a great calm?
Storms in our lives are a classroom in which God wants to strengthen, grow and authenticate our faith.
Dick Woodward, 20 August 2010
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