This year has been one of total upheaval and change and some people are walking with a deep fear of what may happen to them. Will they get Covid-19? What if our country falls into a civil war? What will happen tomorrow? Some are fearful of things that may never happen or fearful because of something that has happened in their past. Today’s Scripture shows us that we’re not much different than the Disciples. Mark 4:35-41 tells the story of Jesus and the Disciples out on the Sea of Galilee when a storm comes up suddenly. Jesus is asleep in the boat and the wind and waves are violently beating against the boat. The Disciples are afraid they are going to sink and drown. They wake up Jesus and say, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38 NASB) Jesus immediately rebukes the wind and waves by saying, “Hush, be still,” (Mark 4:39 NASB), and immediately the wind and the sea were calm.
The Disciples were scared to death, they had little faith, or maybe non-existent faith, yet they knew where to go in the middle of their fear. They went immediately to Jesus. This is a lesson for us to remember. When we are facing fears that seem to overtake us, the first thing we must do is RUN, not walk, to Jesus. He is the one who calms our fears, He is the one who can take any situation and make sense out of what makes no sense. If we continue reading, the Bible says that once Jesus calmed the storm and sea, the Disciples became more afraid because when Jesus spoke, the storm was calmed instantly! I looked at a commentary by J. Vernon McGee, and he said that the reason they were afraid wasn’t so much because of the storm or that it was quieted, but that it responded instantly to Jesus’ command. They didn’t completely understand that Jesus had control over everything, and it scared them. But the interesting thing is, Jesus was WITH them in the storm, and by putting them in the middle of a storm, they learned that they needed to go to Him immediately for help.
Jesus has given us a promise. He has promised to walk with us and never leave us. (Hebrews 13:5) God tells us we are not to be afraid. “…Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;” (Isaiah 43:1-3 NASB) Over and over we see where Jesus says, “Fear Not!”
We are not to live in fear. Do bad things happen? Of course they do! But we are not to allow fear to have total reign in our lives. We need to engage our faith and believe that Jesus will take care of us. You may say, “I don’t have much faith.” Well, the Bible tells us that all we need is faith the size of a mustard seed. (Matthew 17:20) Have you ever seen a mustard seed? It is the tiniest of all seeds, you can barely see it. Yet it yields a plant that becomes the largest in the garden and becomes a tree. Our faith can become just like that seed.
When we trust God to walk with us and help us, that faith in God can, and will, overcome fear. Our faith becomes greater than fear! By exercising our faith, we can conquer fear in our lives. The more faith we utilize, the less the fear has control over us. We can then live in peace, knowing that nothing that happens to us is without God already knowing about it, and watching over us.
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