You of little faith, why are you so afraid?

By Michael Youssef

The storm set in suddenly. Not only did the disciples face the dangers of the rough waters, but they were surrounded by darkness as well. There were no life jackets. There were no life boats. They felt they were at the mercy of the great storm. 

In a panic, they called for Jesus crying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” (Matthew 8:25). As Jesus woke from His sleep, He did not instantly calm the storm. Instead, He asked the disciples, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (Matthew 8:26). Only after His rebuke did He calm the wind and waves. 

Many times, we want God to fix our problems instantly. We want the raging waters around us to cease immediately. Yet, sometimes in the middle of the crashing waves, God has a word for us. He wants to deepen our faith and to encourage growth in Him before He intervenes. He wants us to follow in faith—no matter how dark our circumstances seem. 

When Jesus spoke to the disciples, He acknowledged that their fears were great and their faith was little. The relationship between faith and fear is like a seesaw. When one is up, the other is down. So when we allow fear to rise, our faith will decline. But the opposite is true as well. When we increase our faith, our fear will fall. 

Jesus wasn’t talking about our saving faith, but our daily living faith. Our saving faith remains constant, but our daily living faith rises and falls according to the strength of our relationship with God. When we are not in constant intimacy with God, the first storm that hits will create fear and panic. 

When we give God the crumbs of our time and attention, our faith and understanding in Him will weaken.