Where is Your Faith?
“They went to him and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And waking up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. Then he said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’”
Yesterday, we read about the people who followed Jesus and showed faith in him. However, this passage quickly reveals unbelief in the hearts of those who are with Jesus.
As you re-read the passage, imagine yourself in this situation. The winds are howling, the waves are crashing into the boat and splashing water over your face, so you can hardly see. Thunder and lightning rage around you. Maybe you are hoisting the sails, rowing the boat, or using buckets of water to keep the boat from sinking. Then, you look over, and Jesus, the one who asked you to get into the boat, is sleeping! You feel like you could lose your life at any moment.
After Jesus saves you from the storm, he asks you a crucial question: “Where is your faith?” Just like the disciples, our faith can be mixed with doubt. The disciples come to Jesus and ask for his help, but show unbelief and doubt through their cry, “We are perishing!” This mixture of faith and doubt is reflected in the prayer found in Mark 9:24: “I believe; help my unbelief!”
Even if we live in the Bible Belt, go to church, and do all the right things in Jesus’s name, we will face storms and trials that reveal unbelief and doubt. Even if you have faith in Jesus, the weakness of our flesh may lead us to doubt in some circumstances. We have to remember that Jesus models strong faith by resting while the world is raging.
Where do you find doubt in your life that is causing you to strive for more control over a situation? Or do you feel like you are clawing and scratching to stay alive? Today, as anxieties, worries, or storms arise, remember Jesus’s invitation to trust in him. Give yourself permission to pray, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
Father, show me where I’ve been doubting you and forgive me. I choose today to trust in your protection from the storms that I face. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
ISAAC WROBEL
Master of Divinity Student
Honolulu, Hawaii