A Different Reality from Expectation

The disciples were surely joyful to enter the boat with their Teacher. A pleasant journey is not only about the place or destination, but about who you travel with. Even a trip of thousands of kilometers can feel short when you share it with friends or companions who bring joy. Conversely, a journey of just a few kilometers can feel interminable if you take it with someone you dislike. Likewise, the disciples probably did not expect that a trip with their Teacher would encounter problems or obstacles. Yet reality often differs from expectation.

Matthew 8:24 records, “Suddenly there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the waves were swamping the boat; but He was asleep.” Humans cannot control when a problem escalates or arrives. Trouble can come upon us suddenly, relentlessly, and with maximum pressure. The disciples faced a reality different from their initial hopes. Waves swamped their boat, and a raging windstorm battered it. This is not merely a picture of bad weather but a deadly situation. One thing not to overlook is that some of the disciples were fishermen. They knew the weather and how to deal with it. Yet this time they seemed overwhelmed. Amid exhaustion and despair, they woke Jesus, saying, “Lord, save us, we are perishing.” In Mark 4:38, it says, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” That statement shows their strength was nearly gone, and all efforts seemed futile.

From this event, we see that humans cannot rely solely on their own strength to face painful and frightening life events. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Far from relying entirely on other people, Scripture even advises us not to rely on our own understanding. Experience, skill, and knowledge remain useful—just as the disciples’ experience as fishermen—but all have limits. Sometimes people must recognize their limitations and surrender wholly to God’s help.

Jesus’ calmness in the storm, even to the point of sleeping in the boat, does not indicate indifference to the disciples’ fate or condition. Jesus did not wake because of the raging storm, the driving wind, or the waves that swamped the boat; He woke when the disciples came to rouse Him and asked for help. Again, this is not to say Jesus did not care. The event actually demonstrates His sovereignty over circumstances that seemed beyond human control. What terrified the disciples remained under His power.

In the life of a believer, storms can appear in many forms: a shaken household harmony, ongoing domestic violence, a partner’s unfaithfulness, financial problems that shake the family’s foundation, chronic illness that refuses to heal, or a business that becomes increasingly difficult amid an economic crisis. Prayers are offered repeatedly, and hopes are lifted, yet help seems slow to come. In such times, a voice may arise within, asking, “Lord, do You not care about my condition?” The church does not always have answers for every question or struggle its members face. Pastors, too, do not always have solutions for every problem. But God always has an answer for whatever we experience. It is impossible that God would close His eyes and ears to what we face. He is not a dead god but the living God — from everlasting to everlasting.

God’s help comes in His way and in His time. This calls for patience and trust as we wait for His help. The delay in waiting does not mean God is letting us sink further. Rather, waiting tests and proves our trust in God. Reality may indeed differ from expectation, but that difference does not mean God has lost control. When circumstances have not yet changed as we hope, keep trusting Him. God knows our situation and will act in His way and at His timing.