little faith

“Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"  (Mark 4:38-40 NIV)

An excerpt from Stan Jordan’s “Prevailing Winds”:

 

“The entire point of Jesus’ rebuke was that the disciples did not think that He cared about them.  They did not believe that He would keep them from harm.  This is probably the hardest thing in the world for us to come to grips with: the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of the Almighty God of the universe, loves us deeply and is daily concerned about us, our affairs and our well-being.  How can we become convinced of this, convinced enough so that it will make a difference in our daily walk?  For some it comes in an instant when they become born again, while for others it only comes after years of experiences in Christianity.  This knowing may never come to some because they fail to develop an intimate relationship with God.  Somehow, though, we must become convinced of the fact of Christ’s intimate love for us—despite and regardless of the situations we may have to face down.” (pgs 105-6)

 

I wanted to take a look at this statement because it has so much to say about what I’ve been learning and talking about in previous posts.  I’ve looked at those scriptures where Jesus rebuked the disciples for a lack of faith and felt he was talking about their lack of faith in regard to doing the miraculous, like he did.  But here Stan points out something that is so important to us:  He wants us to have faith in his love for us!

 

This is the cornerstone of our walk with him, yet it is the hardest for us to believe.  And why?  Because those who have represented him in our lives, either purposefully or coincidentally fail to love unconditionally.

 

Before we get indignant, though, we must remember that it’s not necessarily their fault.  Even though some have made purposeful actions that would us and scar the feet of our trust, it is more likely that they, just like us, are human and fail to love perfectly.  What we must recognize is that it is the enemy of our souls that takes the wounds and makes them personal attacks.  It is the enemy who says that God is holding out on us, that he doesn’t love us enough to do for us or be for us who we desire. 

 

The Bible calls the devil “the accuser of the brethren.”  But even more than just our brothers, he accuses God to us.  We must learn to recognize that voice when it comes to accuse God in our ears.  For his words are not truth, but fabrications made that when we fail to see Him move in our lives, we are quick to listen to him rather than have faith that God is on our side, through thick and thin.  As Paul said, we must not be “ignorant of his devices.”