The disciples were being blown off the lake–actually, they were afraid they wouldn’t be blown to shore but that they would die when their boat capsized. The storm must have been the worst they’d ever experienced because these experienced and hardened fishermen were terrified.

And Jesus was sleeping in the boat without a care in the world! How dare He! Didn’t He know their lives were in danger? What kind of Messiah would let them drown?

So they wake him up (Mark 4:35-41) and cry out, “Don’t you care if we drown?”

“Don’t you care?!” That is the cry of our souls that is at the foundation of our lack of trust. We reason, “God really doesn’t care so I have to take care of myself. He’s really not trustworthy; I must protect myself.”

We know the end of the story about the storm but we don’t know for our own lives–the end of the story of whatever it is we’re facing. We’re still being blown side to side by the storms of life and Jesus seems asleep; unaware; not caring–otherwise, wouldn’t He rouse Himself and take care of us? He should solve all our problems instantly!

But Jesus is always working even when it seems He’s asleep. Peter, who was on that boat, later wrote, “Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you.” (2 Peter 5:7). He learned that truth practically when Jesus calmed the storm.

And though we wish Jesus would immediately calm every one of our storms as soon as He “awakens,” He doesn’t. And as we continue to cry out to Him, we depend upon Him and our faith grows. We see His strength being worked out in us and we see His solutions which are different than our own–and better! We resist the lies that sinisterly whisper in our minds, “He doesn’t care–take care of yourself!”

“NO! Jesus does care and He is with me. He is trustworthy! I’ll cast my cares upon Him.”