Young Adults' Group

Facing The Storms Of Life

by Pastor Mark
November 01, 2018

The testing of our faith

What is our faith like? We may be unsure as to what kind of faith we really have. We tend to assume that we have a reasonably strong faith. But in reality, our faith may be far weaker than we realise. The only way to determine our level of faith is to be tested.

The test of a storm

The Lord Jesus and His disciples were travelling on a boat when they were tested by a storm. As water filled the boat, the disciples felt that they were in jeopardy. (Luke 8:23) The disciples began to panic. They feared that they were going to perish (Luke 8:24) They sought to wake up their Master and to ask Him for His help. Despite the severe storm, Jesus was sleeping away. (Luke 8:23) He was not perturbed by the storm in any way. This showed that Jesus was in absolute control of the situation. This was in contrast to the responses of the disciples. The disciples did not fair too well in the test of their faith.

The display of the power of the Lord

When Jesus awoke, He calmed the storm immediately. The Lord Jesus demonstrated His power over all nature and the world…including the storm. At any time, He could have stopped the storm. When He rebuked the wind and waves, they ceased and there was calm. The disciples were greatly astonished. They marvelled at what the Lord Jesus could do. They were still not able to understand the Lord Jesus clearly and to have faith in Him.

The admonition of the Lord Jesus

The Lord Jesus sought to admonish the disciples concerning their faith. Three gospel writers gave slightly different perspectives concerning the rebuke.

“Where is your faith?”(Luke 8:25) The Lord was expecting more from the disciples. He rebuked them for not having the faith to trust in Him. Their faith should have come to the forefront during the test…the storm. Their faith was not found when they needed it the most.

“How is it you have no faith?”(Mark 4:40) The Lord revealed to the disciples that they had no faith. This does not mean that they were not saved. This is not about salvation but rather that they did not have the faith to deal with the situation. They did not have the faith to believe in the Lord Jesus and to overcome their fear instead. They really should have faith already…after all that the Lord Jesus had taught them and demonstrated through His signs and wonders.

“Why are you so fearful, O you of little faith?”(Matt 8:26) The word “fearful” in Greek is “deilos” which means “timid, cowardly”. The disciples were acting cowardly during the storm. The Lord was correcting them for being so fearful. They only had little faith. The little faith proved ineffective as they were not able to apply their faith to overcome their fears.

The challenge to have faith

Faith should not be just “knowledge”. It should come to the forefront and be applied in the context of life’s challenges. We should not allow ourselves to have this cowardly spirit. Let us be challenged to develop our faith well that we would have the courage to overcome our fears. Our faith in the Lord and His power should more than equal the testing and demands of life. Let us be challenged to cultivate a stronger faith to overcome the storms of life.

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