After the 'classroom' teaching (Mark 4:33-34), Jesus taught His disciples a practical lesson in faith.  At the end of a busy day, the crowd had been dismissed, and Jesus ordered the disciples to set sail for the other side of the lake. They were tired and even Jesus fell asleep - no cruise ship, just an open fishing boat.  Despite their skilled seamanship, and Christ's company, the disciples felt all alone as the squall hit the little flotilla.  As the waves repeatedly doused their boat, threatening to sink it, the disciples showed that they had learned nothing in the school of faith.

They had seen that Jesus had power over sickness and demons (Mark 1:21-34); but that was not personal to them.  When it came to circumstances that threatened their survival, they did not believe they would be safe if Jesus was there. They understood the concept of Jesus' power well enough, but learning was only complete after they believed it and put it into practice.  While the disciples panicked, the Maker of wind and water was asleep in the midst of His creation.  It's extreme turbulence did not disturb His peace.  

Their accusation that 'Jesus did not care' reflected both fear and unbelief.  In fact, those two internal time-bombs, fear and unbelief, always go off together.  If they had believed, they would not have been afraid - so fear is a marker of unbelief, and faith with love expels fear (Mark 5:36;  1 John 4:18).  Jesus was asleep, but He knew what the weather would be like when He instructed them to sail away from land.  Yet He was personally secure to sleep through the violent boat movements and cascades of cold water.  He set up the test and waited to see how the disciples would react.  He certainly did care that they grew in faith, and this exam tested their progress.  They failed the test.  However, without that obvious faith-failure and stern rebuke (in the next Word@Work) they might have been proudly arrogant to think that they could handle anything.  But, armed with that lesson, they would confidently and humbly face many difficult circumstances in the early days of the church including arrest, imprisonment and their own martyrdom.  They trusted that Jesus knew what He was doing and that they were always safe in Him (Isaiah 25:4).

However much we may understand of the Word, the key question is, "Do I believe that Jesus is in command?"  Without a realistic estimate of our spiritual progress we will be shallow disciples, at risk of arrogance, self-deception and incompetence.  None of these would be good in a lawyer, brain surgeon or pilot - so ought the church to breed them?  Even our failures are used by the Lord to humble us and help us to trust Him.  The tests set for us by the Lord are usually more severe than we would like, at the wrong time for us, and painfully humbling (Deuteronomy 8:2).  But they are vital in the Christian's life, if we are to trust Jesus whatever the circumstances and so be of use in His service.