“Then He said to them, ‘Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?’ ” Jesus, Mark 4:40
For me, the word yet jumps out most. When will we finally cast fears aside, by choosing to focus on faith and ignoring the negative? The above quote came Mark’s version of “The Calming of The Sea.” Notice the contrast between the Apostles and Jesus in that story. The Disciples are hysterical. Men trained to be on the water are suddenly convinced they are all about to die. However, Christ is only concerned with them, not at all with what has frightened them.
This article was pulled from my Kindle eBook, Catholics Have Courage, 40 Days to Beating Stress, God’s Way, because I think it is so relevant to today’s Church. There is a lot of fear these days. Listen to either Catholic or Christian radio and you here many admitting their fear of what’s becoming of our world. I read a variety of Catholic blogs and see that fear in detail, over and over again. Just like the waves on that night in Mark’s Gospel, our present enemies and odds seem stacked against us.
Now back to our story. The boat is tossing about, the wind is swirling, the thunder, rain and lightening are dropping like bombs, the waves are slamming into the sides of the boat and there is palpable fear from the twelve, but none of it phases Jesus in the least. Notice how He pays no attention to it, until He decides to address it directly and put it all in its place. Until then He waits, and first focuses on the men in the boat, those desperate to be saved.
And there I think lies the message. We are to follow the Apostles’ lead. When fear grabs hold of us, we just need to turn to Jesus, roust Him and say, “I need you now.”
What will He do? Well, since He knows and loves you more than you can understand, and since He is the same tonight as He was that night on the boat, He will respond accordingly. He will never take your faith for granted. His arms will reach out and steady the deck we are trying to balance on. At a moment of His choosing, He will order the winds and rain to retreat.
There is always order to everything when God is involved. He will never let things stray too far off course. He is the master improviser, using everything to His desired end.
The question is, will you have faith in the meantime?
John C Connell 
2 responses to “#20 Do You Not Yet Have Faith?”
John, perfect timing again for our family. Thank you for your clarity and insight.
Thanks for reading, my friend!