Stay until the end, because this question was not only asked by the disciples in the middle of a storm… we also ask it when life feels out of control.
The passage is found in Matthew 8:23-27. Jesus gets into a boat with His disciples. They follow Him, but that does not mean everything will be calm. Suddenly, a great storm rises on the sea. The waves hit the boat with force. Water begins to come in. The disciples, many of them men used to the sea, become afraid.
And while everything seems to be falling apart, Jesus is sleeping.
That is very striking. The same Jesus who had healed the sick, delivered the oppressed, and shown authority over sickness is now resting in the middle of a storm. Not because He did not care about what was happening, but because He knew who was in control.
The disciples come to Him desperately and say:
“Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
It is a short prayer, but a real one. It does not have beautiful words. It does not have a perfect structure. It is the cry of someone who feels they cannot take it anymore.
And Jesus answers them:
“Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”
He did not say that to humiliate them, but to show them something deeper. They had Jesus in the boat, but they still thought the storm was greater than Him. They had seen His miracles, but in the moment of danger, fear spoke louder than faith.
Then Jesus gets up, rebukes the winds and the sea, and there is a great calm.
Then the disciples ask:
“What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
That question is the center of everything.
Because Jesus was not just a teacher. He was not just a good man. He was not just someone who spoke beautifully about God. Jesus had authority over creation itself. The wind heard His voice. The sea obeyed His word. What was impossible for the disciples to control was not greater than a command from Jesus.
And here is the lesson for us.
Sometimes we follow Jesus, but we still become afraid when the storm comes. We think that if we are with God, problems should not come. But this passage shows us something different: the disciples were obeying Jesus, they were with Him in the boat, and still they faced a storm.
The presence of Jesus does not always prevent the storm, but it does change who has the final word in it.
Maybe your storm is not made of wind or sea. Maybe it is sickness, debt, a family problem, a sadness that will not go away, anxiety that wakes you up at night, or a situation that seems to move more strongly than your faith.
But the question remains the same:
Who is Jesus to you in the middle of that storm?
Because it is one thing to believe in Jesus when everything is calm, and something very different to trust Him when the boat is shaking, when you do not understand, when it feels like God is silent.
Jesus sleeping did not mean Jesus was absent.
And that is also for you. Just because God does not respond the way you expect does not mean He is not with you. Just because the storm continues for a while does not mean Jesus has lost His authority. Just because you feel afraid does not mean you have no faith; it means you need to look again at who is in your boat.
The disciples were afraid, but they did something right: they ran to Jesus.
And we can do the same.
When you do not know what to say, tell Him: “Lord, save me.”
When you have no strength, tell Him: “Lord, help me.”
When your faith feels small, tell Him: “Lord, do not let me sink in this fear.”
Because the same Jesus who calmed the wind and the sea still has authority over whatever is stealing your peace today.
Let me leave you with this reflection: do not measure Jesus by the size of your storm. Measure your storm in the light of who Jesus is. Because the wind changes, the sea rises, circumstances come against us, but Christ remains.
And when He speaks, even what seemed impossible must submit to His voice.
I invite you to join me in this prayer:
Beloved Father, I recognize that many times fear takes over me when the storms of life come. Sometimes I feel like the boat is sinking and that I have no control over anything. But today I want to remember that Jesus is with me, and that His authority is greater than any problem I face. Lord, increase my faith. Teach me to trust even when I do not understand. Give me peace in the middle of the wind, strength in the middle of the waves, and a heart that runs to You before surrendering to fear. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Somos Cristianos, connecting hearts with Christ.
