Why Are You So Afraid?

Sleep evaded me last night. When I got out of bed this morning, I felt like I hadn’t slept at all, but I was experiencing more than sleep deprivation. My overall wellbeing felt drastically hindered. In my quiet time this morning, I read Mark 1-4 in preparation of a discipleship meeting I have tonight with a woman recommitting her life to Jesus. It was the second to last verse in the last chapter I read that grabbed my whole being and forced me to bow to Jesus.

To say I felt Jesus’ presence right then, right there, is an understatement. He asked me the same question He asked his original 12 disciples: “Why are you so afraid?”

I didn’t realize it was fear that had gripped me until He asked me. I regurgitated what I had shared with Him during the wee hours of my sleepless night. My youngest daughter, her husband, and their three children, left last night to drive across the country, from Minnesota to Florida for a family vacation. It’s the middle of winter, cold, and dark. I was concerned for travel safety.

And, after they left, I made the mistake of consuming social media before going to bed, reading about and listening to the political polarization and unrest in Minnesota, where I live. Lawlessness, chaos, whistles, disagreements, raging opinions. Hardly a bedtime lullaby. And finally, I recanted that my boss is retiring, and I have concerns like any employee when there is a supervisory change. All the unknowns, angst, and fear crept in like daggers to my soul.

Jesus already knew that stuff was unhinging me, but as a beloved child of God, I had misplaced my knowledge of Who really is in charge and in control of my life and those around me. His second question from Mark 4:40 was the wakeup call for my wellbeing to get centered on Him again: “Do you still have no faith?”

In Mark 4:35-41, we learn that Jesus was soundly sleeping on a boat with his disciples when they encountered a terrible storm. They woke Him because they were afraid. Jesus with his words alone calmed storm.

Jesus’ original 12 disciples didn’t know as much about Him at this point in their lives as I know about Him at this point in mine. He reminded me this morning that He is the God who speaks to the wind and the waters to calm the storm, and they obey Him. It’s this same power that can handle all the crises in my life too. I do not need to be afraid. I can trust Him. I can rest safely because He loves me. Afterall, He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Have you ever felt peace rush in a like river and flood your soul? It’s better than a heated blanket covering you on a cold winter’s night. God’s love pushes out fear like heat pushes out cold. That’s exactly what Jesus did for me this morning. I pray that we can remember that nothing is impossible for Jesus. We can trust Him even when we have no control of circumstances and the storm rages on all around us. May peace be within us.