Have you still no faith?

And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:39–40)

I love the account of Jesus calming the storm recorded in Mark 4:35-40. Jesus leads his disciples to the “other side” of the sea, a gentile territory that is unwelcoming for any Jew. I can imagine Peter thinking, “Why are we going to an unclean place where the people are different than we are? Not only are they different, they raise and eat unclean animals like pigs! Isn’t there enough work to do on our side of the sea?” No one had the courage to ask Jesus, but they were probably all thinking the same thing. And now, before they even get to the other side, a great windstorm arose. The disciples probably thought that the storm was confirmation that they should not be on their way to the other side. Like the disciples, when God asks us to do something we do not want to do, we often grudgingly follow God. We do it out of obligation, but in our hearts we are protesting God’s instruction. Even when we genuinely ask God why, he does not always answer. And at the first sign of difficulty, we believe that God has made a mistake. Why would we face storms if we are genuinely following God? This narrative teaches us that we will face storms when we follow Jesus. Doors that were once opened may close right in our faces and what seemed possible may seem impossible. What are we to do? We are to remember that Jesus is not only the one who directs us, but he is also with us in the midst of the storm. The Well Church, as we journey with Jesus, let us remember that he is journeying with us. Let us not lose heart. Let us not hear from Jesus, “Have you still no faith?