Lesson: Where is Your Faith?
Kentucky Division Chaplain Chaltas
May 1, 2005

One of the most beautiful lessons regarding faith can be found in Mark 4: 35-41. It is the story of Christ telling his disciples to cross over the waters to the other side. He fell asleep and while he was sleeping on a pillow in the boat a terrible wind storm developed. The boat was taking on water and it looked like all was lost. The disciples awoke Jesus saying, "Teacher do you not care that we are perishing?" Christ then arose and rebuked the wind and sea and then inquired of his disciples, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" And then the disciples became exceedingly fearful and said to one another, "What manner of man is this that even the wind and the sea obey Him?" Let us reason together on this story. Here was the Savior of the world asleep in the boat and the men feared the elements. There laid the Son of God who had performed miracle after miracle and they were sore afraid. Within their sight was the Christ and they believed not. How many of us have the same faith and value system? Oh, we will follow God when the winds are warm and friendly but when the storm approaches we question Him and ask, "Why have you abandoned us, don't you care for us anymore?" Even when He pulls us back into His safe quarters, we still fear.

On every battlefield our men and women were tested. Our forefathers feared and they questioned God's love and ability to save them during their trials. Some fell by the wayside and some followed the Carpenter by faith. Faith is wondrous during the harvest but wanes during times of drought. Why do we question His love? Why do we fear? Simply imagine what it would be like NOT to be able to see Christ in your boat and STILL have faith in His ability to safe you from a sinking boat. If the disciples doubted Christ after seeing the miracles He performed, how often do we doubt Him when the wind of change blows unkindly in our direction?

I think of four things when I ponder upon the passages from Mark. First, Christ was demonstrating to the disciplines by example of how to act during a storm. He knew everything was in His Father's hands and he simply turned it over to His Father by sleeping. Next, when He was awakened, He asked them of their faith in times of crisis and then rebuked the winds and sea. He showed them that by calling upon Him in earnest faith and NOT out of fear, that He would answer their prayer. God is like that. If you seek Him, He will come to you. And a peace that defies understanding will fill your cup. Thirdly, note that Christ has the power to change your life. He took a certain death by drowning and calmed the waters. How many times does He do that in your life and you don't even notice the touch of the Master's hand? God is all around us in all things. Finally the thing that answers the question of fear versus faith is found in verse 41. "What manner of man is this that even the wind and sea obey Him?" We are human. He is God. We see only the present. He sees beyond the turbid vale and knows what lies beyond the last galaxy in the universe. We are dust in the wind. He is omnipotent. We are as a vapor on the water. He is omnipresent. He is the great I AM. We can not fathom the love of God or His abilities as the Creator. We can only have faith in Him and to recognize that as human beings we will question that faith in times of tribulations and trials. But God is constant and will awaken to our needs whenever we call upon Him in earnest faith. We have an awesome God that will not abandon the sinking ship but will calm the waters and lead us to the other shore if we simply believe. We have faith in the chair that we are about to sit in so why can't we lean upon a God that will support us throughout eternity. Where is your faith? Is it hidden away by your fears? Come into a boat that will never sink or capsize for our Captain is the King of Kings