13TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

O you of little faith! 

That must have been some storm! The waves were so high that the apostles’ boat “was being swamped” (Matthew 8:24). Even the fishermen among them, who knew this lake intimately and had survived many a storm, were terrified for their lives. You can understand why they woke Jesus up and begged him to save them. Wouldn’t you do the same thing?

But Jesus didn’t sound so understanding. You can hear the disappointment in his voice when he called them “you of little faith” (Matthew 8:26). Clearly, he was looking for a better response! He wanted them to believe that his Father was more powerful than whatever forces were driving the storm. He wanted them to trust that even if they were to die, God would bring them into eternal life. Why couldn’t they place themselves in his Father’s hands, just as he had done?

If it sounds like Jesus was setting a pretty high bar for the apostles, it’s because he did. Jesus knew what faith could do in the human heart: it could remove obstacles as tall as mountains and calm anxieties as overwhelming as stormy seas. If only they had known how powerful faith could be, they might not have woken him up!

Jesus wants us to have this kind faith as well: the kind of faith that keeps us peaceful even in the most difficult situations. The kind of faith that enables us to offer comfort and encouragement to others even as we face our own trials. The kind of faith that continues to trust in his love and protection even when it seems he has fallen asleep.

So yes, it’s fair to say that Jesus has set a high bar, even for us. But that doesn’t mean he will condemn you for not meeting that bar. It just means that he knows how much power his gift of faith has. He knows that the more you exercise your faith, the more you’ll see that faith bear fruit—in your life and in the lives of the people around you.

Is there a storm of some kind raging around you or within you right now? If so, try putting your faith to work. Imitate Jesus and try to rest in God’s presence, maybe for just a few minutes. Surrender the storm to him, and let him give you his peace.

“Lord, you know I believe. Help my unbelief!”

Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12
Psalm 5:4-8
Matthew 8:22-27