Daily devotional · September 3
The Storm and the Sleeping Savior
“When that evening came, He said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side.” After they had dismissed the crowd, they took Jesus with them, since He was already in the boat. And there were other boats with Him. Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped. But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?” Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm. “Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?” Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?””
The disciples were experienced fishermen, so when they panic in this storm, the danger is real. And Jesus is asleep in the stern. Their question in Mark 4:38, whether he cares that they are perishing, is one many of us have whispered. Notice that he does not scold them for asking; he gets up and speaks, and the wind obeys. Only afterward does he ask why they were so afraid. The storm was never bigger than the person in the boat. That does not mean every storm ends in a moment, but it does mean we are never sailing alone. Faith here is not calm feelings; it is bringing the fear to Jesus rather than hiding it. Today, when worry rises, pause and say his name once, slowly. Then tell him exactly what you are afraid of, as plainly as the disciples did.
Also read
“But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?””
Mark 4:38
Prayer
Jesus, you are in my boat, so I will not be afraid. Speak peace over the storms I am facing today.