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Aug 14, 2023 18:30pm

Where is Our Faith?

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Open, honest, bare.

I’m choosing this approach this morning, even though there are other ways to tell a story to make myself look better. But that’s not what I’m here for. That’s not the purpose of this daily writing. Instead, it’s to give solid truth that’s life-changing.

So here it goes.

I pride myself on being independent.

My parents couldn’t afford to pay for college, so I took it upon myself to make it happen. I applied, I got my own place to live, and paid my own bills. I worked 3 jobs, I took out loans and if it was something I wanted, I paid for it.

When someone tells me I can’t, I say “watch me”. Not just because I know I can, but to prove them wrong. I don’t like asking for help. And if I have to wait on someone to do something, I’ll just do it myself.

But, marriage isn’t a one man show. It’s not a place for pride or independence. It’s a team effort – a joining of two minds to make better decisions. One of the characteristics I love about my husband is his ability to lead with discernment and patience that I long for. He is able to remain calm in even the most trying of situations.

When something happens financially – a bill we didn’t anticipate, a problem with the car, or a charge that was higher than we thought – I can immediately go into warp speed of worry. I’ll get overwhelmed thinking about all of the issues, and then Shaun takes my hand and calmly says, “it will be fine”.

I know this. I mean, really, I know it will all be fine, but it’s so hard to keep my emotions and anxiety in check when that occurs. I go into panic mode and start to question if he’s really got it under control or if there are issues I need to know about. My mind will go a thousand different directions. But ultimately, I know I have to trust him to work it out. And in the end, he does.

He calms my storm even when I have little faith.

Just as Jesus does.

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.”

The disciples knew Jesus. They knew His power. They had seen multiple miracles and amazing things happen. They knew the scriptures that told of His greatness. They walked with Him daily experiencing all of this.

But as the storm was building around them, fear, worry, distrust, it all began to creep into their minds.

Why?

Because they saw Jesus asleep. They assumed He was no longer in control. They feared He had somehow become careless or didn’t know what was happening.

“How could He let this happen to us? We are His disciples! Does He not realize what’s going on? How can He sleep at a time like this?! We are going to die!”

And y’all, I get it. I don’t blame these men at all for their worry. It says the boat was filling with water and they were in trouble. It was real! But they did exactly like I do. They allowed their fears and their worries to take them to a place of distrust and faithlessness.

To them, He was no longer in control.

He woke up and with a simple word of rebuke, the storm calmed.

“Where is your faith?” He asked them. He knew what was on their minds without them saying another word.

See, when God told Abraham to go and sacrifice his only son Isaac, Abraham obeyed. He didn’t know how God was going to do it, whether it was providing a replacement sacrifice instead of his son or bringing his son back to life, or whatever… he trusted God was in control, no matter what. His faith made him righteous.

Jesus asked them, “where is your faith?”

He could ask us the same thing today.

The storm rages around us. Our government seems to be a mess. Our country allows anything and everything. People praise, worship and parade all that God calls sin. Babies are murdered and it’s called freedom. And we cry out, “God! Do you not see what’s happening?! How can you allow this? When will it end? Why are you not stopping this from happening?!”

Do we think God has lost control? Do we not believe He is sovereign? Do we not trust Him? Maybe with the little things, but what about the big ones?

Where is our faith?

We too can go to Jesus and beg for His help just as the disciples did, but we must have faith that He is in control.

“For he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.”