“And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”” 

‭‭Mark‬ ‭4‬:‭37‬-‭38‬ ‭ESV‬‬ 

Have you ever felt like God was sleeping while you were in the middle of a storm? Have you ever been in a place where you were so discouraged that you wanted to ask God, “do You even care that I am dying over here?” 

You’re not alone. 

All of us will walk through seasons of doubt when the storms of life not only seem constant, but increasing in severity until you don’t think you can take anymore and just as you think it might be over another wave hits. The Bible gives plenty of examples of people who came to the very end of themselves; David being hunted by Saul and faking insanity so that he could hide amongst his enemies, Elisha fainting under the tree and wanting to die, Job losing his wealth, his family and even His health for seemingly no reason. The list goes on. 

God is so good and yet He allows us to sail right into the storms. And then, in the hour of our desperation, it seems like He is asleep at the wheel. 

I have seen many close friends have their faith shattered in storms like these. I’ve seen it happen so often that I’ve also had the opportunity to see how God isn’t asleep at all and, in fact, is present and working even through the storms. Not in a happy ending, “God makes it all work out in the end,” kind of way but in a grace that doesn’t look or feel at all like the grace we typically think of. 

When the disciples were being tossed back and forth by the waves, their beliefs were being tested more than the hull or the mast of the ship. What did they really think about this Jesus? At this point, they had seen Jesus heal lepers and cast out demons, so their question was not one of capability even though they didn’t expect Him to resolve the issue in the manner that He did. Rather than wondering if He could save them, instead they questioned if He even cared to. The test, to them, seemed cruel and bitter, like the sea around them. Their minds probably filled with the same types of questions ours populate with when we go through these seasons: “What kind of a God would allow this to happen to the people who follow Him?” 

Like I said, I’ve sadly seen many friends crushed in these waves, swallowed by the sea of their doubts. Something hard comes - a setback, a sickness, a death, a loss, a failure - that shines a harsh light on what they believed. Many times, it was revealed that they had placed their faith in men, in ministries, in promises that God never actually made. These are idols. It’s hard when they look so close to the real thing, but God can see the difference in our hearts and allows the storms to come so that our true beliefs can be brought to the surface. When we’ve seen Him move in the past, we usually won’t outright walk away at first. We start by questioning His character. It’s a well worn playbook going all the way back to the garden; “Did God really say…God knows that if you eat it you’ll be like Him. He’s holding out on you.” Satan doesn’t get points for creativity but he definitely abides by “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” We question His character, then we question is authority and finally we choose to no longer trust in Him. I’ve seen it happen. 

So, Jesus in His goodness allowed them to go into the storm and He even took a nap knowing what was ahead. They never had any real reason to fear; they had seen Him do miracles before. He let the storms come as a kindness because it pulled those doubts, those fears, those false beliefs to the surface. He knew there were much larger storms ahead and even bigger ones after that. They still resorted to fear, doubt and disbelief, but without this storm at this time, the storms that knocked them out of the boat later would have likely shipwrecked their faith entirely. 

Does God care about the storms that we face? Not only does He care, but He has a reason for them and He accomplishes His purpose through them.