Have you ever been in a really tough spot in life and wondered if anyone knew how close you were to drowning? Even those who are closest to you don’t seem to notice. You feel alone and forgotten even by family, by the world. You reach out but all you can grasp is air.
Jesus is in the boat asleep in the back on a cushion. That is confidence. He is on a mission to get to the other side. He is exhausted from ministering to others. They have helped Him get on the boat and He has fallen asleep in the back, away from hustle and bustle of the crossing.
Jesus had enough confidence in His disciples that He is able to sleep peacefully as they did their job. He is confident that He will be safe!
What is almost funny is that the expert fishermen are afraid. Haven’t they learned yet that they are always safe if they are with Jesus! And they continue to express fear, despite Jesus multiple commands to not be afraid. When are they ever going to learn the lesson! They are afraid, again.
What is really strange is that they think Jesus doesn’t care. This can be the reaction when you are in trouble and everyone else isn’t running to the rescue. We can interpret their inaction as uncaring. This is exactly how the disciples react. They think Jesus doesn’t care about them. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus had confidence in them, more confidence than they had in themselves. And yet, they are afraid.
Why are they afraid? They put their eyes on the circumstances rather than on Jesus. Jesus told them they were going to the other side. He didn’t say they were going to the bottom of the sea, or going to drown in the middle. He had expressed their destination and they were doubting His word in the middle of the storm.
It can be easy to doubt in the middle of your storm. It can be easy to get your eyes of Jesus and onto the wind and waves. After all, Jesus’ disciples did, and they had Jesus right in their boat! Jesus was with them. He wasn’t on a suicide mission. He was asleep. How bad could it be?
The hardest task in life is being able to rest in the middle of our storms, to express confidence in the presence of God when it seems as though our prayers aren’t being answered and we feel so alone and abandoned. That is faith in action. Jesus knew He was right where He was supposed to be, that He had something to do on the other side. He knew where He was going, so He didn’t get upset with a few bumps along the way.
The Arnold Journey 