Matthew 8:24-27 -- On Fear and Faith

"And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
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.
But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!"
Matthew 8:24-27


This story is interesting because it shows that Christ could control the weather. Probably unsuprising in the abstract if you think about what else he could do, and the power of God, but from someone that you have been hanging out with, kind of a shock. I think this same thing happens to us in our lives. We think of God as limited and subject to the same failings that we are. We usually fail to comprehend the vastness of his competence, thinking as we do within the confines of what is "humanly possible" ... and even there we are wrong, for we know that with God's help that people can do things outside of that box as well. I also find it interesting that Christ, awakened from sleep, asked them about their faith. It sounds like a legitimately scary situation, but I think part of trusting in the Lord means that we don't need to fear, even in legitimately scary situations, because we know that God's will will be made manifest. He will either deliver us if it is not our time to die, or he will welcome us into the afterlife where things are better than here, which is also good. Not easy to take those as okay options, but if we're really trusting in the Lord and putting his will first, then we are also placing our lives in his hands (where they were anyway, but plus the agreement from us, which matters a lot). Today, let's try for a trust that transcends fear, knowing that God will lead us where we need to go. That doesn't mean we shouldn't avoid dangerous situations, but it does mean that we shouldn't let fear distract us from living life. Things will be okay in the end, whatever happens, and our focus should be on moving towards God and doing good. Let's also remember that God can calm the storms... both physically, and the emotional and spiritual ones that we are going through, if we look to him for help.