Fear, trust and the storms we cannot control

The storm was not imagined.

The water was real.
The boat was filling.
The wind did not care
that we had followed You.

And You were sleeping.

Perhaps that frightened us
more than the waves.

We could understand
a storm.

We could not understand
Your silence inside it.

So we woke You
with the question
fear always asks:

Do You not care?

You stood.

Spoke.

And the thing
we could not control
became still.

But then You turned
towards us,

and suddenly
the storm outside the boat
was not the only one
that mattered.

Why were we afraid?

Perhaps because
we had believed Your presence
should prevent the storm.

We had not yet learned

that sometimes faith
is crossing troubled water
with Christ in the boat,

even before
the sea becomes calm.

Inspired Version Scripture

Mark 4:30–32

And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat over into the ship; and he was in the hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow; and they awoke him, and said unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

And he arose and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace; be still; and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?

Behind the Poem

The disciples were not afraid of an imaginary danger. The storm was genuine, the waves were entering the boat, and Jesus appeared to be doing nothing. Their fear therefore speaks to those moments when God’s presence does not seem to prevent circumstances from becoming frightening.

Christ’s presence did not mean there would be no storm. It meant that the storm would never have the final authority.

Explore More

If you have found this helpful, there is more to explore across Saints of the Restoration. You can continue with our Daily Bread devotionals, go deeper through The Deeper Walk, consider some of Life’s Questions, reflect through Bible Poetry, or browse our growing library of free Christian books and study resources.

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