“You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” – Matthew 8:26
I love that our daughters have a strong streak of independence. They love to explore and experience new things. However, when the situation is overwhelming, when there are too many strangers involved, when they are out of their comfort zone, I have noticed that their independent streak shrinks, and they begin to draw closer to their mom or me. We are glad to be there for them and encourage them as they experience more and more of life.
As parents, we are glad to be with our girls, to provide support and to help them find comfort and peace in the midst of challenging situations. I believe that God, our heavenly Father, is all the more delighted to be with us through every situation life has to offer.
In the book of Matthew, we read one of the great stories of our faith. Jesus and the disciples are in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when a storm suddenly appears. Jesus was resting, and it did not seem to bother him. The disciples, on the other hand, were starting to worry (this story always caught my attention as it was the fishermen from Galilee who were more nervous than the carpenter from Nazareth). As their fear grew, the disciples go to Jesus and say, “Lord save us! We’re going to drown!” (Matthew 8:25)
Jesus ask the disciples in this moment, “…why are you so afraid?” The Bible does not record an answer from the disciples. Matthew records that Jesus, “got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” (Matthew 8:26)
Like a parent who only wants the best for their children, Jesus did not tell the disciples to go away. He did not tell them that they were wrong for disturbing him while he was resting. I believe that Jesus was wondering why it took them so long to come to him. The scriptures teach us that God is with us. God is for us. In God’s presence, we have no need of fear.
We are going to face overwhelming situations in life. Our independence and desire to venture out on our own is going to take us into scary situations. We do not have a reason to fear. There is no situation we encounter where God is not with us. We must make the decision to go to God. It is in God’s presence that we find peace and courage, even in the midst of the storm.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
