Taking Charge
When fear comes over you, to whom do you turn?
A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’ - Mark 4:37-40
Imagine for a moment that you are one of the disciples in the boat.
The teacher is asleep and you are frightened. You awaken him, not because you believe he can do anything to stop the wind and calm the sea, but because he's the guy in charge, the one you turn to for answers, for instruction on what to do.
When Jesus awoke, he took charge and set things right again.
Now, because we know these stories and we know his power, we expect that of him, but his disciples didn't. They had no idea how much he commanded.
They were in awe of him afterward.
Jesus rebukes them for having no faith, not because they should have known that he was going to fix the situation, but because they were afraid.
In other words, just knowing he was with them should have been enough to calm their fears.
So, what about us? Are we looking for guidance and instruction from God, or do we want Him to take charge and fix our messes?
When Jesus told them they should not be afraid, I believe he was saying they should never be afraid, because they are men of faith, people who know God's love for them, and know God is always with them.
But that requires they take charge of their own lives, doesn't it? Rather than cry out for someone else to come and save them, they need to be secure in their faith and believe.
That's hard to do.
It means we need to know God is with us and in being with us, we gain strength to take charge of our lives.
So, here we are, in the boat, feeling the wind and the waves pound against us, and we can be confident that we can survive this if we let go of the fear and follow our faith.
If only it was that easy.
More to come...