God Cares

“Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”  Mark 4:38

Does God care?

When life is like an afternoon boat ride on a beautiful lake with a balmy breeze, we’re certain that He does, but when we’re soaked and scared and clenching the sides of the ship in the middle of the storm, we’re not so sure.  The question is legit, so don’t be afraid to ask.  You are neither the first nor the last saint to wonder about the ways of God.  Even the disciples had their moments of doubt.

It was late and they were on the lake, crossing the Sea of Galilee because Jesus had said, “Let’s go to the other side”(Mk 4:35).  Suddenly, out of nowhere, “a furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped”(Mk 4:37).  The situation was serious and simple; if dumped, they would drown. All hands were on deck desperately doing all they could—which wasn’t much.  All hands, that is, except Jesus.  “Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion”(Mk 4:38).  Aghast, afraid, and angry, the disciples woke Him and wondered, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”(Mk 4:38)

Jesus didn’t answer their question with an explanation but an exclamation—to the storm.  “Peace! Be still!” “The wind died down and it was completely calm”(Mk 4:39).  He then turned to the now-truly-terrified disciples and asked, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”(Mk 4:40).  He had a right to ask.  By this time, they had heard Jesus teach and preach.  They had seen Him heal the sick and raise the dead.  They had watched leprosy disappear and demons depart, and they should have been sure that, awake or asleep, He was in complete control.  But it’s okay that they asked, and it’s beautiful how He answered. His presence and His power amazed them and assured them that One way bigger and stronger than any storm they could dream of would always be with them.

It’s okay that we ask too—as long as we’re willing to listen to God’s answer.  Life can be rough, and the storms are real.  If they aren’t rocking your boat right now, they are swamping the ones with us on the sea.  In the past week around me, a single parent has gone under hospice care.   A missionary’s wife is battling inoperable cancer.  A pastor’s daughter struggles with an ailing liver.  One friend can’t find a job.  Another can’t get a break financially.  The waves are breaking over their boats, and they seem nearly swamped.  But they are still afloat, and no matter the outcome on earth, eternity will still all storms.  

We often need to be reminded that when the wind is howling, the Father never sleeps, and the Son, no longer subject to the limitations of humanity, never slumbers.  Our God is always awake and alert and aware of the waves that we’re sure are about to wash us away.  But bigger and better than the fact that God knows is the fact that He cares—so much that He is with us in the squall, so much that He will not forsake us in our fear, and so much that by the power of His resurrection He has commanded our souls to rest in peaceful faith.

When you think you’re about to sink, remember that you’re not.

Sometimes God calms the storm.  Other times He calms His child.

But He always cares.