Jesus often asked really challenging questions. And when someone asked him a question, he often responded with a question in return. He wanted people to think about what they were doing in life and why.
When his disciples woke him in the midst of a storm on the lake, Jesus could have asked a lot of questions: Where are we? What time is it? Which way to shore? Who knows how to swim? But he didn’t ask any of those questions. Instead, he rebuked the wind and the waves, stood there in the renewed calm looking at his disciples, and asked them, “Where is your faith?”
When we think about it, even though we can understand the disciples’ fear, maybe we should wonder about their reaction to this storm. Did they really think their journey with Jesus was going to end in a storm at sea?
How often might Jesus ask us where our faith is? Storms come up all the time: a cancer diagnosis, an empty bank account, the loss of a job, a broken relationship. All of these things can knock us off balance, and in the midst of them, our faith can falter. We wonder where God is. We question his judgment and love. But Jesus calmly asks, “Where is your faith?”—not in a condemning way, but with the most love and patience we have ever known.
Jesus’ question begs the answer: “My faith is standing right there, embodied in Jesus Christ, who is in control of all things, even the fiercest storm.”
Father, thank you for reminding us that you are in control and you are always with us, even when we feel like we are sinking. Amen.
About the author — Bret Lamsma
Bret Lamsma is Director of Faith Formation at First Church in Denver, Colorado, and has served churches in Michigan and California in youth, emerging adult, inter-generational, and educational ministries. Bret and his wife, Julie, have two children, and he enjoys hiking, disc golfing, and cheering for the Chicago Cubs.
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