Matthew 8:23-27 ESV And when He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but He was asleep. And they went and woke Him saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And He said to them, “Why are you afraid, o you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey Him?”
The disciples found themselves in a dangerous situation and cried out to the Lord. This was the correct thing to do. It is what we should do. It is what God wants us to do.
God is our good Father. Every good father wants their child to come to them when they are in trouble or needing comforting. God wants us to realize our need of Him and to rely on Him. Calling out to God in our time of need is a good thing.
However, when we come to God it should be with confidence. He is the sovereign, all-powerful God who loves us and wants what is best for us. Even when circumstances are bad or the situation dire, we should trust God. We may not always get what we want but we can be confident that God will do what is ultimately best for us.
Jesus did not criticize His disciples for waking Him, He rebuked them for being afraid. They let their circumstances control them. Yes, the situation was urgent, but they should have come to Jesus with assurance that he both could, and would, do what was best for them.
As a small child I had different reactions when my parents would let go of me. My dad used to throw me high in the air, and I would laugh because I knew he would catch me. He always caught me. I felt safe so I was not afraid despite flying relatively high in the air and then falling. I had faith in him.
On the other hand when my mom would try to put me down I would cry and hold on to her tightly. She loved me and would not have intentionally hurt me but her eyesight was very poor. Sometimes she would let go of me before I was on the floor and I would fall. Therefore, I did not trust her. I had no faith in her.
God wants us to trust Him even though we are flying through the air because we know He will “catch us”. Despite being in a scary situation we do not need to be afraid because we are confident in God. God wants us to have faith.
When we do not have faith, we cry out in fear until the situation has passed and we are safely on the ground. That is what the disciples did. Despite the incredible miracles they had witnessed, they did not fully trust in Jesus to save them. They hoped He could. They were desperate enough to ask, but they were afraid because of their lack of faith.
Heavenly Father, increase my faith. I know you are all-powerful and want what is best for me. Give me the faith to always trust You no matter what circumstances I am in.