Our Care Groups this year are in the midst of an in-depth study of the life and ministry of Jesus using a modified harmony of the Gospels approach. It is a chronological study of the Jesus’ life and has been both challenging and refreshing, especially realizing how often Jesus does not match our conceptions. Last week, Kristi and I were in one of the groups discussing Jesus’ calming of the storm found in Matthew 8:23-27:

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?

The question was asked about how we know when we’re expressing faith and trust in Christ. The answer we were discussing was that where we turn in times of trouble reveals a lot about where our faith is placed. While this is true, it set me to thinking because the disciples did go to Jesus and He still rebuked them. Why? What did they do wrong? What should they have done differently, should they have just kept on sailing through the storm but do so calmly?

At that point, several Scriptures poked their way through my wonderings. The first part of Psalm 46:10 was the first to peek through: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 127:2 was next: “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” You can tell where my mind was going. What should the disciples have done in the midst of the storm? After all, they did go to Jesus for help. They should have crawled up right beside Him and gone to sleep in the midst of the storm. That would have been the surest demonstration of their faith in Him. If we are called to follow in His footsteps, it seems then that they should have done what He did.

This does not mean that those of you who have trouble sleeping are necessarily in sin. Nor does it mean that you should just lie down and take a nap in the midst of whatever struggle you might be enduring. But it does remind us just how radical the call to follow Jesus really is. Was He exaggerating when He said told us not to be anxious (Matthew 6:25-34) or did He really mean it? Especially for those of us who claim to believe in the absolute goodness and absolute sovereignty of God; our lives rarely display this kind of confidence.

If we truly trust the Lord, sometimes we just need to go to sleep (both literally and figuratively). Let’s be honest, chances are that He’s going to accomplish more when we’re asleep than awake anyways!

• Read Jesus and the Gospels by Craig Blomberg
• Read Jesus the Messiah by Robert Stein
• Read Synopsis of the Four Gospels (English Only) by Kurt Aland

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