The storms of life are a given. But repeatedly we’re told not to be afraid. And perhaps this is the mark of a mature and confident faith – approaching God’s throne boldly, rather than coming with fear and doubts.
For instance, when Jesus was sleeping in the boat as a fierce storm engulfed him and his disciples, they woke him up. And fearing they were going to drown they cried out to him to be saved. Jesus then asked why they were so afraid and why they had so little faith.
On the one hand, it seems only right and natural to seek Jesus in our time of need. He is the one who saves, and we should look to him rather than trusting in our own strength. And this makes Jesus questioning his disciples’ faith very curious. He’s said elsewhere that mountains can be moved with just the small faith of a mustard seed. And so the problem here is not so much the size of their faith, but rather its quality. It seems the issue is that they’re approaching Jesus plagued with fears and doubts rather than confidently seeking his help in their time of need.
And this is for our learning as well. A confident faith still looks to Jesus to save us. But we ask for his grace and mercy boldly as the true sons of God. We know he has the power to come through on our behalf, and so we don’t have to fear the outcomes of our present circumstances. When God is with us we have nothing to fear.
But, like the disciples, this is still an area of growth for most of us. All the same, part of our maturing faith is growing in this confidence as well.
In the end, continue to look to God in your time of need. But do so with a confident faith – boldly seeking him rather than coming with many fears and doubts.
Photo by Todd Turner on Unsplash
