Asleep in the Boat
By Susan Klein
“Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.”
Mark 5:38 (NIV)
No doubt, you’re
familiar with this story. Jesus, after a long day of teaching throngs of people,
says to His disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” It was
evening. They were likely tired and in search of a quiet place for rest. The
disciples followed Jesus into the boat. Mark’s Gospel account states other
boats accompanied them. All these men were surely skilled at sailing, so it
must have been quite dark for them to not notice the “furious squall” forming
above.
This was no spring
shower. The violent waves began to crash over the sides of the boat, nearly
swamping it with water. How, one might ask, does a person sleep through that
kind of commotion and danger?
Can’t you just
picture the disciples, frantically trying to maneuver the boat while
incredulously glimpsing the Lord asleep through it all? What thoughts entered
their minds before they got up the courage to wake Him? “Is He deaf?” “Is He
really asleep, or possibly dead?” “Why isn’t He rising to help us?” Eventually,
they roused Him and, perhaps angrily, asked, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?!”
Truth be told, I
think we’ve all entertained such thoughts at one time or another. How often
have we labored through formidable circumstances wondering where Jesus was in the
midst of it all? “Is He asleep?” “Does He hear my pleas?” “Why doesn’t He do
something to help me?” “Doesn’t He care about what I’m going through?” Doubt
creeps in when faith is weakened, or misplaced. I know I’ve uttered, more than
once, “Lord, where are you in all of this?!!”
Where He is…is in
the boat. Facing our same storm. He was right next to the disciples the whole
time, calmly asleep. They’d witnessed His miracles. They knew what He was
capable of. So do we. They had no reason to fear that His sleeping would stop
Him from doing what need be done. At a moment’s notice He could (and did) calm
the waves with a word. All they need do is ask. Confidently. Not fearfully or
in doubt.
After Jesus calmed
the waves, He inquired of the disciples, “Where is your faith?” In other words,
“Are you placing your trust in the tangible or in me, ‘God with you’?”
How about you? Will
you fully trust in the One who holds the power to calm every storm, even if He
appears to be asleep in the boat?
GOING DEEPER:
1. What life concerns might you be
facing despairingly?
2. Will you keep trusting Jesus,
even if He seems to be asleep in the boat?
FURTHER
READING:
Susan is married to Mark, and co-leads an in-home small group.
She serves as a mentor to young women, and is a member of Oakwood’s Peace Team,
helping people work through conflict.
