Our text for today is Mark 4:40.
“He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?'”
The disciples were trapped on a boat in a storm, the winds were blowing hard, and the waves were tossing them mercilessly. They were on a huge lake that was responsible for many deaths by storm. They tried to row hard against the wind to save themselves, but nothing helped. Jesus was with them, but he was sleeping while they were rowing and fretting. Eventually they woke Jesus with, “Don’t you care that we are about to die?” Jesus got up and spoke to the winds and the winds calmed. He then turned to them and asked two questions:
Number 1. “Why are you so afraid?”
Number 2. “Do you still have no faith?”
By putting these two questions together, Jesus is telling the disciples that faith is what you do in the storm. Anyone can have faith in fair weather, but real faith shows up when you need it. To help you know more about faith, there are three Bible passages that you ought to keep in mind.
Number 1 – Hebrews 11:6. “Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
This passage tells us that faith is necessary to please God. It also tells us that faith is believing that God acts in your life.
Number 2 – Hebrews 11:1. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Here, we learn what faith is. Faith in trusting God even when you see him.
Number 3 – Romans 10:17. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
This text teaches us how to build up our faith. We build our faith by spending time in the Word of God. If your faith is to grow, then your time in the Bible needs to grow.
To get a better understanding of faith, spent time in those three passages. Hebrew 11:6, 11:1, and Romans 10:17. And, of course, read the great honor roll of faith, which is the entire chapter of Hebrews 11.
Lonnie Davis