As Christians, our lives are lived by our faith, or at least that is what we say and even convince ourselves that this is our truth. Yet, as the disciples show by their actions, we quickly forget who we serve and whose we are. We forget our friend, and our Lord, is the Master of creation. He is the author and finisher of our faith. When we act in a manner that doubts, we need to face our forgetful faith.
In Mark chapter 4, we find the disciples in the middle of a sudden, violent storm on the Sea of Galilee. As the waves crashed over the boat and it took on water, the disciples began to panic. They head to the back of the boat and wake Jesus up. The first thing they ask is, “Master, do you not care that we perish?” What an indictment they were making on the one who controls all. Obviously, they were very forgetful of who they were talking to. They had already witnessed many miracles done by Jesus.
Mark 4:38 “And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?”
In Mark 1:23-28, they had seen Jesus drive a demon out of a man at Capernaum. In Mark 1:29-31, He had healed Peter’s mother-in-law. In Mark 1:40-45, He had cleansed a leper. He healed a paralyzed man in Mark 2:1-12, and I could go on. The point is, they had been eyewitness to the powers that the Messiah had exhibited before them. Now, when they need Him to work on their behalf, they doubt His care for them.
We see in Mark 4:39 that Jesus stands, rebukes the wind and the waves, and commands them to be still. A great calm falls over the sea. He then asks a question that must cut deep. He asks them, “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” Even though the Master of the universe knew what was going to happen, it would still have been disappointing when they doubted Him. As a man, He still had human feelings.
Mark 4:39-40 “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?”
In verse 41, we see them questioning one another as if they were spiritual rookies who had just met Jesus. So when it says, “And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” You wonder why! Their unbelief was not a lack of information; it was a lack of application. They had failed to understand that one who could heal all sorts of diseases, deformities, and cast out demons could also control the environment. They did not apply His power to their personal lives.
How often do we act like the disciples? We have a problem, and we panic. We wring our hands, saying we are trusting God, but our fear shows we are not. When a new storm hits, we fail to remember all the times He has healed our hearts, our bodies, and answered prayers where the situation seemed hopeless. We, too, compartmentalize God’s power. We believe He can handle our past sins or our spiritual eternity, but we doubt He can handle our current storm. We must face and deal with our forgetful faith.
