Matthew 8:18-34

“And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but He was asleep. And they went and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And He said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” (Matthew 8:24–26, ESV)

At least four of the Twelve were fishermen and accustomed to being on the Sea of Galilee. They knew that violent windstorms could suddenly arise and sweep across the water. But they had never seen anything like this! Waves were crashing into the boat, filling it with water; they were afraid the boat would sink, and they would drown.

Now usually Jesus was the master of every situation. He always knew what to do, and they felt safe in His presence. But where was Jesus when this tempest threatened their lives? He was sleeping in the back of the boat!

Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever been in a terrible storm of life where everything seems to be going wrong, and you wonder if you can make it out alive? Your life is out of control, and there doesn’t seem to be any solution. So, you cry out to Jesus, but where is He? It seems like He is sleeping when you are perishing!

But Jesus had commanded them to cross over to the other side of the lake (v. 18). Don’t you know that if Jesus commands something, it is going to happen? So, Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” We can measure our faith by how calm we remain when trouble strikes. If we are honest, we would admit that sometimes we lack faith in the Lord’s promises. We don’t see any change in our circumstances, so we assume that Jesus is sleeping or that He doesn’t care. But the truth is that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Jesus is still on our boat, and He will rebuke the wind and the waves in His time. Believe it!