Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:40 (NLT)
Have you ever watched a child encounter something scary? They quickly locate the person nearest to them that they trust and they go to them. That is their safe place.
What do we do when we encounter something scary or overwhelming? We focus on it, imagine all the worst things that can happen and sometimes, we are unable to get ourselves out of that place.
When the disciples were reacting to the storm, they said to Jesus “Don’t you care that we are going to die?” And in Jesus response it was almost like he was saying “I’m right here. I haven’t gone anywhere. I haven’t forgotten about you.”
Why do we forget that Jesus is right here? He hasn’t forgotten us. He’s not too busy to notice what we are going through and he will never, ever abandon us. No matter what storm we are going through.
What if we acted like little children (Matthew 18:3) instead of scared disciples? What if when we encounter something overwhelming, we locate Jesus and go sit next to him and remember that he is in charge of every storm? This is how we define faith. The ability to trust that Jesus has this no matter what tempest is circling our boat.