It is easy to claim to have faith, until it is put to the test. The storm on the lake certainly provided a decisive challenge. It all started in a very ordinary way for them. Boats were a frequent means of transport; and at least four of the disciples had been professional fishermen. They were used to squalls and storms on Lake Galilee. They knew how to 'read' the weather and would not have put themselves into serious danger. But all the signs were good. There was no hint of a storm coming; and so they had no problem in believing that Jesus knew what he was doing.

The storm seemed to come out of nowhere. Quickly, the water was churned up and a succession of powerful waves swept into the boat, and threatened to sink it. As the seasoned sailors panicked, Jesus was asleep ... it had been a long period of uninterrupted ministry and He was tired. That seemed to irritate the disciples who woke Him up: Mark 4:38 records them saying, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" They clearly had no confidence in Him, yet He was the only person that might have an answer.

Jesus confronted their lack of faith - their panic and fear had just demonstrated what they really believed ... that Jesus had been caught unawares and had allowed the situation to get out of control: He did not care about their safety. They had not woken Him in faith, but in fear. So Jesus first rebuked the Twelve and then rebuked the storm. Astonishingly, the wind stopped blowing and the waves became still at that instant. They were amazed and asked each other, "What kind of a man could do that?" If they had asked, "Is this man also God?" - they would have understood who He is.

Fear quickly reveals your 'faith level' as being very low. We have an advantage over the disciples even though we have never met Jesus, because we know that He is God the Son and that all authority has been given to Him (Matthew 28:18). So why do we fear? It is because our Bible knowledge is not matched by our personal confidence that Jesus is fully in command of everything - He allows difficult circumstances so that we may express our faith in peace and confident prayer. So do not be fazed by what may happen: believe that the Lord knows, cares and will take action - for your good and for the blessing of others. Trust Him today!