“Where is your faith?”
“One day He got into a boat with His disciples and said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they set out. And as they were sailing along, Jesus fell asleep. And a fierce windstorm came down on the lake, and they were being swamped and were in danger. They went and woke Him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And He awoke and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ And they were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, ‘Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?’” (Luke 8:22–25)
(1) Today, based on the passage in Luke 8:22–25, I would like to meditate on several points from the story of Jesus calming the sea (the fierce storm) in connection with Matthew 8:23–27 and Mark 4:35–41, and receive the lessons that are given to us through this meditation:
(a) First, one evening Jesus got into a boat with His disciples and said, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake (the sea).” After saying this, they left the crowd behind and departed. While they were on their way (during the journey), Jesus fell asleep in the back of the boat, resting His head on a cushion (that is, He was sleeping). I meditate on this word (Lk. 8:22–23; Mt. 8:23–24; Mk. 4:35–36).
(i) As I meditate on this passage, the prophet Jonah came to mind. The reason is that, even though God sent a great wind upon the sea so that a mighty storm arose in the middle of the sea and the ship was about to break apart, Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship, lain down, and fallen into a deep sleep (Jonah 1:4–5).
· In today’s main text, Luke 8:23 says, “As they were sailing along, Jesus fell asleep. And a fierce windstorm came down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water and was in danger.” But Matthew 8:24 says, “And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep.” And Mark 4:37–38 says, “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion …”
- In other words, when Jesus fell asleep in the back of the boat with His head on a cushion, it was precisely at a time when a great windstorm was crashing down on the lake (the sea), the waves were pounding into the boat, the boat was filling with water, and the situation was perilous (the boat was about to sink) (Lk. 8:23; Mt. 8:24; Mk. 4:37).
(ii) For someone like me who does not sleep very soundly at night, I cannot help but wonder, “How could Jesus continue sleeping even in such a dangerous situation?” Haha.
· By God’s great grace, I have served as the senior pastor of the Lord’s body, Victory Presbyterian Church, for 21 years. If I were to say that, at the beginning, when I saw some church members sleeping during sermon time, I never thought in my heart, “How can they sleep during the sermon?”—that would probably be a lie. Haha. But later on, I came to think, “How tired and exhausted from immigrant life they must be to fall asleep during the sermon,” or, “Since they already suffer from insomnia and probably couldn’t sleep last night (Saturday night) either, I am thankful that they are at least able to sleep during the sermon like this.” ^^
- I asked artificial intelligence (AI), “What does the Bible say about ‘sleep’?” and I received the following answer: “In the Bible, ‘sleep’ is described as a gift of rest and peace that God gives to those He loves (Ps. 127:2). At the same time, it can symbolize a state of spiritual indifference or falling into sin (Rom. 13:11–14), and it can also mean peaceful rest as part of a wise life (Prov. 3:24). Thus, beyond mere physical sleep, it is an important concept that represents one’s spiritual condition and way of life as enjoyed within a relationship with God.
The positive meaning of sleep (in relationship with God)
God’s gift and rest: God gives peaceful sleep to those He loves (Ps. 127:2), which signifies peace and rest in the Lord.
Sweet rest: Proverbs 3:24 speaks of sweet sleep that one can enjoy without fear.
An exhortation of faith: Psalm 127:1–2 emphasizes the sleep God gives despite human toil, encouraging faith that entrusts everything to Him.
The negative meaning of sleep (spiritual condition)
Spiritual indifference / sin: Romans 13:11–14 speaks of ‘awakening from sleep,’ urging believers to cast off the deeds of darkness (debauchery, sexual immorality, strife) and to walk properly as in the daytime. This warns against a spiritually asleep state.
Teachings about sleep
Entrusting oneself to God: When one entrusts one’s life and labor to God, one can enjoy the peaceful sleep that God gives.
A watchful life: It emphasizes awakening from the state of sleep (indifference) and living a pure and orderly life in the Lord as children of light” (Internet).
(iii) The lesson we learn here is that, whether the crisis like a great windstorm (a great storm) of life comes upon each of us individually, upon our family life, upon the life of the church, or upon the life of a nation, we may, in intimate fellowship with God, enjoy the peace and rest that God gives, and thus be able to offer praise to God in faith, saying: “When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul” (Hymn “It Is Well with My Soul,”, verse 1 and the refrain).
· I faintly remembered what the late Pastor Han-eum Oak once said when he compared the Korean church to a ship sinking in the middle of the sea. Even if the Korean church is now facing a crisis and seems to be sinking like the boat on which Jesus was riding (Lk. 8:23; Mt. 8:24; Mk. 4:37), I pray that we may still offer praise to God in faith, saying: “When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul” (Hymn “It Is Well with My Soul,”, verse 1 and the refrain).
- Furthermore, even if our family is now facing a crisis like a great storm, as though our ship were sinking, I pray that we may offer praise to God in faith, saying: “Though tempests may threaten the craft and the crew, And wide gape the jaws of the deep for me, too, With Christ at the oar I am safe in His will, And Jesus my Savior is my Pilot still. I nothing can fear! I nothing can dread! For Jesus keeps watch here, and by Him I'm led. My seas may be rough, but when voy'ges are past, My haven of hope will be heaven at last” (Hym “With Christ as My Pilot,” verse 2 and the refrain).
(b) Secondly, we meditate on the word that at that moment a great windstorm (a great storm) suddenly came down upon the lake (the sea), the waves crashed into the boat, the boat was filled with water, and the situation became perilous (the boat was about to sink) (Lk. 8:23; Mt. 8:24; Mk. 4:37).
(i) As I meditate on this passage, I am reminded once again of the two kinds of storms described in Scripture, which I once reflected upon. These two kinds of storms are the “Storm of Discipline” and the “Storm of Perfection.”
· When I think of the “Storm of Discipline,” the prophet Jonah comes to mind. The reason is that the Creator God sent a storm of discipline upon the prophet Jonah, who disobeyed God’s command, so that the ship on which he was riding was about to break apart (Jonah 1:1–5).
- God sent this storm of discipline upon Jonah because He desired Jonah to confess his sin, repent, and go to Nineveh—the great city God had commanded him to go to—and proclaim His message there.
n When we disobey God’s command and run away like Jonah, God allows storms of discipline in our lives. These storms not only cause the ship of our life to nearly break apart, but also stir up storms within our hearts. And as long as we do not show confession of sin with our lips together with actions of repentance, the storm in our hearts will grow increasingly violent, and we will never be able to enjoy peace. The raging sea will never cease. Until we demonstrate repentance through action, the storms that come upon us—both externally and internally—will grow ever more violent.
n Our God is the God who accomplishes what He has determined. The God who loved and chose you and me before the foundation of the world is the God who raises us up and desires to use us, and therefore gives us a mission. But if we, like Jonah, disobey God’s command, evade the mission given to us, and run away, then we must immediately confess our sin, repent, turn back, and obey the Lord’s command. We must devote ourselves to completing the mission the Lord has given us. If we do not do so and instead run away from the presence of God like Jonah, God will cast storms of discipline into our lives. At such a time, we must not, like Jonah, go down into the lower part of the ship and fall into a deep sleep in a declining spiritual life. We must not be deeply asleep, unaware even of the storm of discipline that God sends. We must set our hearts upon, and lend our ears to, God’s work of making His command resound once again in our hearts—even through unbelievers. And like the words of the Gentile ship’s captain who spoke to Jonah, we must arise from our sleep and cry out to God. We must pray to the God of salvation, and to the God who delights in forgiving our sins. So then, how should we pray? We must confess our sins and repent. We must not merely confess sin with our lips. Like Jonah, we too must make a decisive commitment. God demands actions of repentance from us. When we confess our sins to God and repent, God will immediately calm both the raging sea of our lives and the raging sea within our hearts. And we will come to enjoy the peace of heart that the world can never give.
· When I think of the “Storm of Perfection,” Job 23:10 comes to my mind: “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” I believe that the difficult, painful, and fearful environments or circumstances in our lives are like a refining furnace, tools intended to discipline and perfect us. As we pass through and come out of that furnace, one of the qualities that is formed in us is “endurance.” A man named Michael Molinos said the following: “The purification of the soul through suffering produces endurance. In the very midst of suffering, we can train the highest virtues, such as love and mercy. Suffering annihilates and purifies the self. It takes what is earthly and transforms it into what is heavenly. There is no time when God draws us closer to Himself more than when He leaves us in suffering” (Internet).
- The “great storm” that appears in today’s passage—Luke 8:22–25, Matthew 8:23–27, and Mark 4:35–41—is precisely a “Storm of Perfection.”
n The Creator God gave the disciples of Jesus a storm of perfection in order to cause them to grow. Even though the disciples of Jesus were obeying the Lord’s word, God still gave them a storm of perfection for the sake of their spiritual growth.
# The purpose of suffering is that God desires to cleanse us and make us vessels fit for the Lord’s use—that is, holy “vessels for honorable use” (2 Tim. 2:21). Just as a silversmith puts silver into a furnace and applies intense heat in order to remove the dross (Prov. 25:4), God places us into the “furnace of affliction” (Isa. 48:10) in order to refine our hearts (Prov. 17:3) and test us (Job 23:10). The purpose is to make us vessels that God can use (Prov. 25:4). For example, in the case of Job, the purpose for which God allowed suffering in his life was to refine him so that he might come forth as pure gold (Job 23:10).
(c) Third, we meditate on the word that the disciples woke Jesus and cried out, saying, “Lord (Teacher), Lord, save us! Do You not care that we are perishing?” (Lk. 8:24; Mt. 8:25; Mk. 4:38).
(i) When I meditate on this passage, Matthew 7:21 comes to my mind: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.”
· Jesus teaches that the place entered by those who do the will of God the Father in heaven is the kingdom of heaven. In other words, “the one who does the will of God the Father in heaven” is the one who does the work of God (Jn. 6:29), for Jesus said in John 6:29, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” In short, those who believe in Jesus will enter the kingdom of heaven.
- Our salvation is a gift of God, given to us by grace through Jesus Christ alone. Therefore, we must stand firmly upon the words of Jesus, who is our Rock. We must stand firmly upon the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we must obey the gospel of Jesus Christ and live lives worthy of the gospel. We must all become wise people who hear the words of Jesus and put them into practice. When we do so, no matter what tribulation or adversity crashes into our lives, the house built upon the Rock will never fall.
(ii) As I meditate on the words, “Lord, Lord, save us!” (Lk. 8:24; Mt. 8:25; Mk. 4:38), Matthew 14:30 from the Modern Korean Bible comes to my mind: “But when he saw the waves, he was afraid and began to sink, and he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’”
· Looking at the context of this passage, around four o’clock in the morning Jesus came to His disciples walking on the sea (v. 25). At that time, what situation were the disciples in as they were in the boat? The boat had already gone a considerable distance from land, and they were being battered by the waves because the wind was against them (v. 24). When they saw Jesus walking on the sea, they were terrified and cried out, saying it was a ghost (verse 26). Immediately, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” (v. 27). Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water” (v. 28). Jesus said to him, “Come.” (v. 29). Peter got down out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus (v. 29). But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink. So, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” (v. 30).
- At that moment, Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of Peter, saying, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (v. 31). When Jesus and Peter got into the boat, the wind ceased (v. 32). Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” (v. 33).
(iii) As I meditate on the words that the disciples cried out, “Do You not care that we are perishing?” (Lk. 8:24; Mt. 8:25; Mk. 4:38), I was led once again to read a short devotional reflection written by Brother Youn-gsang under the title “The Hand of God’s Power and Love (Song of Songs 8:3).”
· “With His hands of power and love, God surrounds, cares for, and comforts the saints on every side. This is why, though we are pressed on every side, we are not crushed (2 Cor. 4:8).
With His left hand, as though supporting my head, God firmly upholds me in peace; and with His right hand, as though embracing me, He grants great comfort and love within perfect protection. All we do is entrust ourselves into His bosom and offer Him complete dependence.
Under such all-encompassing protection of God, Satan will not be able to take the life of a saint either to the left or to the right, nor will he be able to invade the joy of a believer by anything whatsoever.
God’s care for the saints in every respect also tells us that we are under His protection not only physically, but spiritually as well.
He has not only delivered my weary soul from death, but in the grace of perseverance by which He holds me fast to the end, He supports the new spirit He has given me firmly with His left arm, and embraces me with His right arm, allowing me to experience intimate fellowship in a union of love, so that I may never again fall into death.
In this way, the God who cares for us in every respect protects us both day and night. Even in moments of darkness when we are unaware, His unseen hand will be supporting and sustaining us. In the past and in the future alike, and throughout eternity, He protects us in the same way. Therefore, within His firm covenant and providence, I gain comfort and assurance.
We find rest only in the bosom of God. He does not choose to protect and care for us with sword and shield, but by surrounding us with love. Therefore, God’s protection and His sovereign care cannot be separated from fellowship with Him. All our security comes only from the love of God. The more we draw near to God, as though being held in the Lord’s two arms, the firmer our security becomes, and the deeper God’s comfort grows.
In this way, within God’s love we learn His protection; within His protection we learn His love; and as we come to know God more deeply, we are progressively sanctified.”
(d) Fourth, when Jesus awoke and rebuked the wind, the waves, and the sea (saying to the sea, “Be still! Be quiet!”), the wind and the storm ceased, and the water became completely calm (Lk. 8:24; Mt. 8:26; Mk. 4:39).
(i) As I meditated on this passage, I once again found and reread a short devotional reflection I wrote on October 28, 2021, under the title “The Lord Who Calms”: “Even though a great storm suddenly swept down and the boat they were in was about to sink, Jesus was asleep. When the disciples woke Him, He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and the storm ceased and the waters became calm. Even if great, storm-like adversities rage through our lives and we face a major crisis, we quietly trust in the Lord, gain strength, and pray, expect, and wait to see how the Lord will calm those great storm-like adversities and deliver us from the great crisis (Isa. 30:15; Lk. 8:23–24).”
· In addition, I once again found and reread a meditation I wrote on January 5, 2020, under the title “Lord, I Want to Walk on the Water,” based on Matthew 14:28–29). I will share only the conclusion: “The theme song of Victory Presbyterian Church for the New Year is the American gospel song ‘You Call Me Out Upon the Waters.’ One part of the lyrics says: ‘Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, Let me walk upon the waters Wherever You would call me.’ I tried translating these English lyrics into Korean as follows: ‘Holy Spirit, lead me into a trust that has no borders. Wherever You call, Lord, let me walk upon the waters.’ Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us make this part of the lyrics our prayer topic. When the Lord says to us, ‘Come,’ may the Holy Spirit lead you and me so that we trust only the Lord completely and obey His word, ‘Come.’ Even if the wind blows upon the sea, rather than being afraid like the apostle Peter when he saw the wind, may we fix our eyes only on the Lord who rebukes even the raging sea and wind and makes them perfectly calm (Mt. 8:24, 26). Let us all look only to the Lord, the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2). And in obedience to the Lord’s word, ‘Come,’ let us step down from the ‘boat’ we are riding and walk on the water. This is because being ‘on the water’ where the Lord stands is safer and better than being ‘in the boat’ where the Lord is not. Even if our faith is weak and we doubt the Lord, and like Peter we become afraid at the wind and begin to sink, let us cry out to the Lord, ‘Lord, save me!’ Then the Lord of our salvation will hear our plea and rescue us. And the Lord will walk with us on the water and bring us safely back into the boat. Therefore, like the disciples of Jesus, we too will confess, ‘Truly You are the Son of God.’”
- As I meditated on this passage, I also found and reread a reflection written on March 24, 2018, under the title “The Lord Who Knows My Fear and Gives Me Courage,” centered on Judges 7:10–11a). I will share only one portion of it: “This is a world filled with fearful things. It is a world full of storms. In this world, which is like a dark sea where great waves are stirred while riding a boat, we Christians are those who are rowing toward the heavenly home together with the Lord, the captain of the boat. Yet we encounter great storms that we never expected. What we prayed for and expected was surely calm waters. At that moment, we become afraid because of the unexpected great storm. We see the great storm and are filled with fear. And in our fear, we try to fight and overcome the storm by rowing harder (Jonah 1:13). But the more we do so, the more we see the sea grow increasingly violent toward us (v. 13). Only then do we thoroughly realize our own inability and helplessness, and in fear we cry out to the Lord (v. 14). As we cry out, we no longer seek our own will but plead that the Lord would act according to His will (v. 14). Then the Lord hears our plea and calms the great storm of our lives (v. 15), and ultimately causes us not to fear the great storm any longer, but rather to fear greatly the Lord who calmed the storm and saved us (v. 16).”
(e) Finally, fifth, when Jesus said to the disciples, “Why are you so afraid? You of little faith, where is your faith? How is it that you have no faith?” they were filled with great fear and amazement and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind, the sea, and the water obey Him?” (Lk. 8:25; Mt. 8:26–27; Mk. 4:40–41).
(i) When we look at Scripture, we see that Jesus spoke of the disciples’ faith in the following ways: “You of little faith” (Mt. 6:30; 8:26; 16:8; Lk. 12:28), “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Mt. 14:31), “Because of your little faith” (Mt. 17:20), “Where is your faith?” (Lk. 8:25), “How is it that you have no faith?” (Mk. 4:40), “He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart” (Mk. 16:14), “Do not be unbelieving, but believing” (Jn. 20:27). Jesus never once praised the faith of His disciples. Rather, He rebuked their faith.
· Is that not surprising? Is it not astonishing that even the disciples of Jesus, who witnessed His miracles, lived as those with little faith or as if they had no faith at all, and were therefore rebuked by Jesus? Then have you ever thought about this: “Perhaps Jesus is rebuking my weak faith—or even my lack of faith?”
- I also found and reread a meditation I wrote on October 29, 2017, under the title “Lord, I Know I Should Not Worry, But I Can’t Control My Heart,” centered on Luke 12:26). I will share one portion of that meditation: “God the Father knows everything we need, so we should not worry. Yet we worry again and again. The reason is that we are ‘people of little faith’ (v. 28). Because we are people of little faith, today and tomorrow we worry about what we will eat to sustain our lives and what we will wear for our bodies (v. 22).”
(ii) When I meditate on Jesus’ words to the disciples, “Why are you so afraid?” (Mt. 8:26; Mk. 4:40), I am reminded of a short meditation I wrote on January 10, 2025, under the title “Whether by a Great Wildfire That Is Fearsome and Difficult, Still My Soul Is at Peace—My Soul, My Soul Is at Peace~.” I will share just one portion:
· Jesus, who made the great storm and waves completely calm, said to the disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still not trust Me?” (Mk. 4:40). Ultimately, it seems that Jesus was saying that the disciples’ unbelief made their souls anxious and left them trapped in the fear of death. In reality, when we do not fully trust the Lord and remain in doubt and suspicion, our souls do not quietly fix their gaze on the Lord. As a result, we have no choice but to allow great difficulties—like storms and waves—to overwhelm our hearts. We must pay close attention to Isaiah 30:15: “This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repentance and quietness is your salvation, in trust and calmness is your strength,’ but you would not.”
- The disciples were terrified because they were utterly astonished at who Jesus was—how even the wind and the sea obeyed Him (Mk. 4:41). That shows how little they truly knew who Jesus, their Teacher, really was. And because they did not know Him, they could not trust Him. Therefore, even though Jesus was in the boat with them, they could not rest peacefully like Jesus with Emmanuel faith, but instead were seized by the fear of death. I hope and pray that we may not be seized by this fear of death. In any situation, we must be able to offer praise to God in faith, saying: “When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul” (Hymn “It Is Well with My Soul,”, verse 1 and the refrain).