Why are you frightened? Are you still without faith?
When we read the story of the storm on the lake, we are fashionated to see how Jesus responds to the fear of his disciples. They were crossing over to the other side of the lake. Jesus was in the boat with them.
"A very strong wind blew up and the waves began to spill over into the boat, so that it was about to fill with water. Jesus was in disciples woke Him up and said: Master we are sinking! Do you not care? ... Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves: Hush! Be still! The wind died down, and there was a great calm. Then Jesus said to his disciples: Why are you frightened? Are you still without faith?" (Mk. 4, 37-39)
The disciples were people like us: fainthearted people. People with their shortcomings; with moments of anxiety and fear. When their boat was tossed away by the waves, Jesus was there with them, but He was sleeping. They felt that their life was at stake... they were scared. So they woke Him up.
Lack of faith was the cause of their fear. Jesus was there with them. Even if He was sleeping, He was there with them. It should be enough to keep them free from fear and anxiety.
We have much to learn from this story. Our life may have been smooth for many years. We were sailing in calm waters. And then a storm springs up... it seems that everything is going to collapse around us. We do not know where we stand and we are afraid that we cannot solve the problem and will fail... We feel like the disciples on the lake, tossed back and forth.
What should we do when we get into trouble? Do we look only at the danger, or do we also turn to God? Do we dare to pray with urging words, so that God feels personally addressed?
This does not mean that we have to remain idle. It means that we both appeal to God and do our best to overcome the trouble. We pray and act... We do both.
Jesus is in my boat. Sometimes I feel like He is sleeping. But, for sure, He is here in my boat, with me.