Do you know the feeling of walking through a haunted house and being scared? Can you feel the emotion of having a friend jump out and yell, “BOO” when you walk into a dark room? Most people don’t want to admit it, but at that moment, they shrill like a 7-year-old girl. The feeling of being afraid or startled elicits a fight-or-flight response from our bodies. We were never in any real danger, but our body senses it, and we respond. But what happens when we are in a situation and the fear is real?
Read Mark 4:25–41.
The storms of life are real. It can be the uncertainty of living through a pandemic, fear of a job loss, marital issues, problems with kids, infertility, financial problems, or whatever you are currently going through.
The disciples spent significant time with Jesus and experienced his teachings and miracles. But, when a new type of fear arose in their lives, an area of life that had yet to experience the miraculous power of Jesus, they immediately reverted to fear. The very Son of God was in their presence and was asleep, but all they could see was the size of the waves and their inability to fix the problem. The first thing they did was allow fear to overcome them. And second, they turned to Jesus and said, “Do you not care we are dying?” Have you ever felt that towards God? God, do you even care what I am going through?
One of the most significant overarching themes in the Bible is God using difficult circumstances to teach his people to cry out to him for help. We grow too big and too independent in our thinking. The longer we walk with God, we should grow to have a bigger view of him, more longing for his strength in our life, and greater dependence on him.
The waves of life crashing against you right now are not meant to make you stronger. They are there to drive you closer as you cry out to God.