You of Little Faith… Why Fear?

Ever reflect back on some of the great heroes of the Christian faith? Not necessarily the Biblical heroes (though they’re great to study too)… but stories of people who have given everything for the God we love and serve? Maybe you’re considering the patriarchs of the church. Maybe some of the great reformers of the church throughout history. Maybe you’re thinking of martyrs and missionaries. I know you’ve got someone in mind.

Now think about their defining characteristics. Is fear one of them?

I hope not. Fear, though natural, cannot DEFINE the believer’s life. It certainly cannot paralyze us from action.

Consider Scripture.

Matthew 8:23-27
²³Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. ²⁴Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

²⁶He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

²⁷The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Think about this situation. The disciples are with Jesus, and have been for some time. They’ve witnessed Him doing amazing things… healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead… miracles of all kinds. They’ve seen Him preach to thousands, and confront the misguided religious leaders of the day. They should clearly have a sense that this Jesus isn’t any kind of ordinary man.

So they’re in a boat, crossing a lake in the middle of the night, and a storm comes upon them. The waves are high… the boat is rocking… they’re getting cold, wet… and are terrified. But Jesus? Yeah… He’s sleeping.

The disciples are wailing and crying out. “Lord, save us!” “Help us Jesus!” “We’re going to drown!” “I don’t want to die!”

Yep. They wake Jesus from His sleep. He rubs His eyes, looks around at the commotion… and shakes His head in disappointment.

“Oh you of little faith. Why are you so afraid?”

He stands up, rebukes the waves… and everything is calm again. I picture Him lying back down and going right back to sleep.

You see, Jesus isn’t surprised by the storm. He’s not worried about it… in fact, He’s not concerned at all. His power extends beyond all this. And He expects His disciples to know this… not just as fact, but as heart-comforting truth.

Think about this in your life. Are you paralyzed by fear? Has God allowed some sort of storm to enter your life? How have you responded? Has God given you a great task of some sort? Are you hesitant to even start, scared about the difficulty that you might encounter along the way?

Think about things for a second. Have you committed and entrusted your life to Christ? If so, God is not just for you… He’s with you.

You of little faith… why fear?