Great Fear And Great Faith
(Mark 4:35-41)
Mari Ikeda
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Being afraid of a crisis and frustrated with God (35-38)
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
B. Fear of God and our faith (39-41)
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
1. We get terrified of God’s power
2. That fear leads us to faith
Summary
When we have to face a problem we can’t control or solve by ourselves, we panic and fear. We may get irritated with and doubt God, who seems to have no interest in our crisis. However, He is not ignoring us, but instead telling us to trust in Him still in any situation. Indeed, He will answer to our cry by a specific way, despite our disbelief. Let us ask His help boldly. That will grow our faith.
For Discussion
1) How can you keep trusting God, when you are stuck in a bad situation?
2) Have you ever been terrified of God’s power? Did that experience lead you to faith?