Luke 8:22-25
Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.
Have you ever been bidden by the Master to launch out into the deep? To leave your current estate and follow Him into the great unknown? If you follow Him long enough, this will become a regular occurrence. I remember the days when He was bidding me to Africa. There is an anxiety about the unknown elements of the trip, and yet there is an excitement knowing that He has bidden you, and you aren’t in the boat alone. You are with Him, and He is with you, and so you set off: “They launched forth.”
The very next word is “But,” indicating that things did not go quite as well as they had expected. The optimism they left the shore with gave way to pessimism; their faith devolved into fear, and the voice they once heard so distinctly bidding them to this perilous journey hasn’t been heard for some time now, nor has His face been seen: “But as they sailed, he fell asleep: and there came a storm.” With every passing moment, the ship was being rocked, and their confidence that they would make it to their destination wavered. Water was rushing in, and this was not imagined peril—they were indeed “in jeopardy.”
So has been the case for many of Jesus’ disciples. Some find it more often than others, “in jeopardy every hour.” Don’t be shocked when you find yourself in real trouble in the life of faith. Following Christ ultimately leads to a cross. For Paul, the path grew more and more narrow until “no man stood with him.” Jesus, when on the cross, had only a handful of ladies, and of the 12 men, there was only one “timid” disciple who proved to be the bravest. Your path will grow narrow, your popularity will dwindle—even amongst the brethren. Your ship will take on water, and it may be many days before you hear His distinct voice again. Peter told us, “Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.” Storms, jeopardy, abandonment, and many other hurts are all part of the Christian life. No wonder Jesus told us, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
Now let’s see what they did right in the midst of their storm and what they got wrong. We will start with the things they did right.
First of all, they kept sailing: “As they sailed.” They kept going where He told them to go. They went afraid, they went struggling, they went unsure of the outcome—but they went. So it is with us, Christian. If He has called you to a place or area of ministry, made His direction clear to you, then sail on. In the rain, in the wind, in peril, in suffering—just sail on. Put your hand to the plow and don’t look back.
The next thing they got right was their coming to Him: “They came to him.” When their ship was about to go down, they went to the Savior, woke Him, and pleaded their case with Him. And He arose and did what they could not do. Christian, sail on, but don’t let the ship sink for your stubborn refusal to ask for help—not from men, of course, but from the Savior. Before you fail, or before someone is lost to the waves, go to Him. Plead your case, make your request known to Him, and He can rise and replace your tempest with glassy seas and smooth sailing.
The only thing they got wrong was their reaction to this storm. They let the winds and seas crash into their hearts, and fear took over. Many times, the circumstances we are passing through have a tendency to crash into our hearts, wave by wave, wind by wind. The little cracks in our confidence are exploited, and before long, not only is there a storm raging all around us but also within us.
Jesus’ rebuking question might seem like He was angered that they had awoken Him, but He was not a quick-tempered man who gets irritated over being awakened. Rather, He is a just God who was disappointed with their lack of faith. It was the fear that they began to operate by that was their mistake. They began their journey guided by faith, but now fear was at the helm. It was to this mentality that Jesus asked, “Where is your faith?”
We should ask ourselves that same question this morning. We set sail with Him, sure of what He said and where He sent us. But problem after problem has risen—betrayal, needs, loneliness, or whatever it may be—exploiting the weak areas of our faith. The storm has crashed inside our hearts. Do not sail on another moment in fear. Look at who is in the boat with you. The ship can’t go down, for it carries the Master of the sea! Your voyage through this life will be troublesome. Many times, your life may be in jeopardy, but you will, without a doubt, reach the shores of eternity in one piece.
Where is your faith? Is it in your rowing? Is it in your strength? Is it in the storm, believing that it will indeed get the best of you? It goes without saying, but it should be in Him—the Captain. He is with you, even when He is silent and unseen. He is with you even when it feels like you are doing all the rowing. He is with you when a wave crashes on your head, and it’s all you can do to dip the water out of your vessel. If it is more than you can take, then wake Him and bid Him come to the rescue. Then our fears will subside, and we will stand in awe of the Savior once again, saying with the disciples, “What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.”
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