Does it Seem Jesus is Sleeping While You're Drowning?
As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake." He was already in the boat, so they started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm arose. High waves began to break into the boat until it was nearly full of water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion.
Frantically they woke him up, shouting, "Teacher, don't you even care that we are going to drown?" When he woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the water, "Quiet down!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. And he asked them, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still not have faith in me?" And they were filled with awe and said among themselves, "Who is this man, that even the wind and waves obey him?" (Mark 4:35-41 NLT)
In our Scripture, the disciples are in a tough situation to say the least. A storm rises up and threatens to swamp the boat and drown them. And where is Jesus in all of this? Well, He’s sleeping in the back of the boat!
Do you ever feel like Jesus is sleeping while you are struggling?
If so, you are not alone. Many of us deal with the same issues again and again. Many of us struggle and struggle to overcome sins that keep us bound. Many of us pray and pray--and pray some more, yet nothing changes. It seems as if Jesus is not listening. It seems as if Jesus is asleep and leaving us to deal with our sins, problems, and struggles all by ourselves.
If you are like me, on more than one occasion you have screamed, “Wake up, Jesus! I’m drowning here!” If this is so, then what the disciples learn through their experience is for you. Even though it seems Jesus is sleeping, the disciples will quickly discover that He is very much in control. After all, it was Jesus who told the disciples to cross the lake knowing full well that a storm was coming.
When the storm does come, the disciples, in a panic, wake Jesus up, and scream, “Don’t You care we’re about to die here!” Jesus makes no immediate response to the disciples. Instead, He gets up and orders the winds and the waves to cease. They do.
What does this mean for you and me?
It means if we think Jesus is sleeping on the job, we are mistaken. Jesus is never asleep on the job. Jesus is always in complete control no matter what it seems like to us. Know this: Jesus is fully trustworthy. When the time is right, He always answers. True, His answers are seldom as instantaneous as we would like. Then again, if His answers were always immediate, when would we ever learn to trust?
Yes, learning to trust is key to our relationship with Christ. Because of that, we'll talk more about trust next time.
