But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Mark 4:38-41 (ESV)

We may wonder why Jesus’ disciples showed such a lack of faith. They had been with Jesus, and witnessed miracles of healing and casting out demons, so why did they demonstrate such terror in the midst of the storm? 

This event occurred relatively early in Christ’s ministry. The disciples may not have fully comprehended the extent of the power of Jesus or truly understood his love and concern for them. Jesus did put his disciples into a storm he knew would happen, and he did go to sleep, leaving them to experience the terror seemingly on their own. Why was Jesus asleep knowing his disciples were going to face a life-threatening storm? 

When we are faced with difficulties, we may wonder what God is doing. We may think that God doesn’t really care. Maybe God is too busy. The lesson for the disciples and for us today is that the storm is not a mistake. It is God’s design to test our faith and trust in Him.

Just as Jesus was in the boat with his disciples, he is in the middle of our own storm. The very fact that Jesus purposely went to sleep in the boat knowing what was going to happen is exactly what was needed to really test the disciples’ faith. 

In the same way, God allows us to go through each difficulty, seemingly on our own, for a period of time because that is exactly what we need to grow our faith and trust in him. Another way to help us to grow our faith is to think back to past storms and recognize God’s hand in bringing us through that test.

This week, look for ways to grow in the midst of your storm. If you do not have a personal relationship with Christ, trust in him and he will help you through your time of turmoil.