He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. Matthew 8:26
In the Gospel of Matthew, there exists stories about faith’s struggle against such significant life issues as fear (Matthew 8), worry (Matthew 6), and doubt (Matthew 14). Each of these become enemies to our faith. Life has taught me that the most intense of these enemies can be fear.
Fear is a real experience for many people of faith. Now, most will easily recognize that there are two expressions of fear in the Bible. First, we are encouraged toward a positive expression of fear which demonstrates awe, respect, and honor of God for His greatness, holiness, and glory. Psalm 111:10 teaches that this fear of the Lord “is the beginning of wisdom.” Proverbs 14:26 reminds us that in such fear of the Lord “one has strong confidence.” But second, and conversely, we are warned of a very negative expression of fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 references the spirit of fear which expresses a debilitating fear that exists counter to what God has placed in the heart of His children. The Psalmist wrote, “In God I will trust, and I will not be afraid. What can mere man do to me.” (Psalm 56:11). In Isaiah 41:10 God said to His people, “do not fear for I am with you.” In almost every reference to this negative fear, an encouragement to trust God becomes apparent. When Jesus addressed fear, He countered with both divine truths and miraculous works to instill faith over fear in His followers. Consider one such encounter.
The story of Jesus calming the storm is told in all three of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Following Matthew’s account, while Jesus was crossing the Sea of Galilee with His disciples an intense storm developed. Jesus was asleep, and out of fear the disciples cried out for Him. Jesus awoke, saw their fear, and gave that hauntingly familiar assessment: “why are you afraid you men of little faith?” The Gospel of Luke phrases the question more firmly: “where is your faith?” Jesus emphasized through His inquiry that the disciple’s faith had begun to fade under the grip of fear. The question inferred that they had forgotten that the Messiah was on board with them, and that all was well. Although the storm threatened the disciples, they had been safe all along because Jesus was there.
Often times we forget that God is literally with us. He is our present help (Psalm 46:1). The rest of the story in Matthew reveals that Jesus rebuked the winds and the waves, and the disciples were amazed that the winds and the seas obeyed Him. Jesus had them in His grip, but because of weak faith, they felt the grip of fear more tightly, and they panicked. They certainly thought enough of Jesus to cry out to Him in the midst of the storm, and this demonstrated some element of faith. Nonetheless, their faith was weak, challenged, and subdued by fear. But, oh how the Master’s power overwhelmed them even more than the storm. How magnificently and graciously Jesus overcame their fears! And, He will do the same for you.
Today, do not sell out faith to fear, regardless of how big or small your fear may seem. Consider three simple questions when you are tempted to be fearful. First, who is with you? The disciples seemed to have forgotten that Jesus was present in the boat, and more pointedly in the storm with them. He was right there! God incarnate who created the storm was with them. Sometimes we forget who is with us. While we may easily recite the familiar statement of our Lord, “and I am with you always,” we sometimes forget that He – the God of the universe – has promised to be with us perfectly and perpetually. The One who can defeat with a simple word anything that would come against us has promised to never leave us. Once you resolve that God is with you, ask a second question: how is He with you?The answer is grand and glorious. He is with you through the Holy Spirit. We have this solid and never changing guarantee straight from Jesus: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”(John 14:16-17). Finally, consider the question, “why is He with you?” Now, the obvious answer would be, “because He promised.” But, look a bit deeper. God, through Jesus, has promised to be with us and in us through the presence of His Holy Spirit. Jesus would later say, “I will not leave you as orphans” (John 14:18), indicating that the promise is founded on the relationship. How marvelous! The ultimate reason Jesus promised to be with us forever is simply because of love. He loves us so much, and certainly will keep His promise to us. The foundation of this promise is indeed love.
So today, fear not. God is with you. Jesus is with you. You do not need to be afraid. The disciples cried out, and Jesus rebuked the very threat that came against His own. He will do the same for you. In fact, He IS doing the same for you.
Do not fear. Go forward in faith.
Blessings,
Ken
