Although the popular saying “This too shall pass” isn’t actually from the Bible, several Bible passages, such as 2 Corinthians 4:17–18, show that our afflictions are temporary. Most people have come to accept that storms eventually pass.
Jesus Is In Control of the Storms
In the account of Jesus and the disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee in Mark 4:35–41, however, the storm didn’t just pass. It immediately stopped. It didn’t end gradually with a slow gentle fading of the wind. At Jesus’ command, there was instantly a great calm. But as was often the case with the disciples, while the storm was still raging, they were walking by sight rather than by faith. They assumed Jesus either didn’t know about the storm or He was unconcerned about their safety. “Don’t you even care if we drown?,” they asked, revealing their lack of trust.
In Matthew 14, Peter took his eyes off Jesus and started to sink. Even though Jesus had previously provided the disciples with multiple powerful demonstrations of His love and provision, proving the validity of their faith, they didn’t walk by that faith during the storm. They took their eyes off Jesus and panicked. Jesus didn’t take a long time to make the storm pass. He didn’t let Peter thrash in the water for a while before He reached out to pull him back to the surface. He didn’t let the boat sink or any of the men go overboard. Instead, He silenced the storm immediately with a word.
Are We Really Trusting God?
In any given day I could look around my life and see abundance. The proof of how big my God has been in my life is all around me — not in materialism but in redemption. I could look around and see how my kids are thriving, see the comfort I live in, see a marriage that is on fire for Him. Yet, like the disciples, I still sometimes walk by sight rather than by faith. I can sense my Savior looking at me and asking, “Do you still have no faith?”
When we worry about things, haven’t we really just forgotten God’s sovereignty over our perceived storms? Sometimes He chooses to forgo the earthquakes and fires and instead speaks in a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12). And sometimes He calms the waves, the wind, and the rain and looks right at us and asks, “Do you still have no faith” (Mark 4:40)?
While God’s methods vary, His sovereignty never changes. The waves I see, the storms on the horizon, even the ones way above my head, are never out of God’s control. He knows exactly what He’s going to do with them. He’s just waiting to see if I trust Him.
