Why are ye fearful?

Matthew 8:26

And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

When Jesus and the disciples were out on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of a storm, we can see why they were so disconcerted about their condition. For they had followed Jesus into the ship, perhaps not knowing exactly where He was headed, and encountered unexpected upheaval. They were in the midst of the sea, a storm hit, and to their great chagrin, their Master was asleep! He was sleeping as though no storm battered the boat. He was sleeping as though no tempest lay upon them. And they must awake Him! For they believed that they were perishing! And what a picture this is painting for us! When the Lord is not bringing the calm as quickly as we desire, we calculate the conclusion that He must be sleeping! He must not be paying attention to our plight and our predicament.

Here, they go to Him saying, “Lord, save us: we perish!” They thought that if they did not awake Him, all their lives would be over. But Jesus’ response is very telling to us. “Why are ye fearful?” He asked them why thoughts were arising in their hearts and causing concern and worry. He was the Master! And He was on the ship! Would they perish in His presence? Would the Lord of all things allow them to die while He took a nap? Certainly not! The Lord knew all that was happening, but their faith needed to be strengthened. They had “little faith.” “O ye of little faith,” says He to them. Little faith! That is what I have and that may be what you have. Little faith! If worry is rising up and anxiety is beginning to overtake us, we must have little faith! Because, if we remembered that Christ’s presence is always in the ship with us, we would not have anxiety. We would be at peace. For when Christ rebuked the winds and the sea, there was a great calm.

A great calm! Is this not exactly what every one of us needs? We need peace and calmness. We need placid serenity in our beings and in our souls. But how do we get it? Only by knowing that the Master is near, and by knowing that He is not ignorant of the problem and of the storm. He knows about it, but we must believe Him. The presence of the Savior brings the calmness that we need. Let us not be fearful. Let us remember that He is in our ship, and we are in His hands. Let us not be of such little faith. Let us remain calm in the Lord.

“Dear Lord, often there are storms that we must endure, and tempests of the soul that we cannot evade. But may there be a continual peace even in the tempest and storm, because You are in the boat with us. May our souls be at ease, and our minds at rest. For all of our peace is found in Thee. May we place all of our faith in You this day, and in what You are doing in our lives. And we shall praise You for all these things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”