Why Are You So Afraid?

‘When my heart is faint and overwhelmed, lead me to the mighty, towering Rock of safety.’—Psalm 61:2, Living Bible

It had been a full day of ministry—people, people, non-stop people with their non-stop needs. Jesus was exhausted. As the sun set, he murmured to his disciples, ‘Let’s get away to a quiet place where we can rest.’ They all piled into the boat and headed across the lake. Almost immediately he was asleep, head on a pillow. 

The disciples were seasoned fishermen but when a sudden squall hit, pouring water into the boat and threatening to sink it, they shook Jesus awake. ‘Teacher,’ they yelled, ‘do something. We’re going to drown!’ He stood and commanded the sea to calm down and suddenly it did. As he looked into their panicked faces he asked, ‘Why are you so afraid?’ 

They had no answer but later, quietly among themselves, they went over what had happened and marvelled at what he had done. ‘How did he do that? Who is he anyway?’ (see Mark 4:35–41, paraphrased). 

There are times when we too stand before an impossible situation and feel overwhelmed. What lies within us is nothing compared to what lies before and beyond us. An illness within the family, some tragic news, a tumultuous situation that threatens to swamp us. What to do? Where to turn? Can God help us in this matter? 

How do we step into the peace that is ours through Jesus? How can hope be revealed in us when we face a difficult situation? 

The challenge of this season of Self-Denial is to see the needs and hardships of others as a call on our attention and our giving. When we hear the stories of Ukrainian refugees separated from all that they know, parents struggling to provide essentials for their families in India and children begging on the streets of Georgia, we may feel confronted and overwhelmed. What to do? Where to turn? Can our giving to these or other needs make any difference at all? The truth is, it does make a difference. We see the hope in our Self-Denial videos and we have an opportunity to further that impact in other places. 

The psalmist cried, ‘When my heart is faint and overwhelmed, lead me to the mighty, towering Rock of safety’ (Psalm 61:2, Living Bible). God, the One who challenges us at this time also calls forth a trust that he alone can give us. When our prayers, our giving and our faith seem like nothing more than a drop in a vast ocean of need, remember that God notices the least, the lowest, the smallest gesture of kindness or sacrifice. 

God doesn’t run out of joy or hope—he has enough to pour out over us so we can be full of joy and overflowing with hope. So why are we so afraid of trusting in God to provide for our needs? Why are we so afraid that our little will not do a lot? All he asks us to do is trust him. 

It’s the open hands
the letting go
holding loose
plunging in
surrendering my all
to his majesty
and to the mystery
of his provision
and care
Can I trust him
with my offering
that seems so small
can it make any difference
for someone far away?
Maybe it will make
the greatest difference
not to the faceless
‘they’ or ‘them over there’
but to me myself
right here right now
So what am I afraid of?
Please help me God 
Barbara Samspon

Paul wrote to the believers at Rome, ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit’ (Romans 15:13). This verse is a promise for our Self-Denial offering and a reminder of the hope to which we have been called.

Our giving plus God’s ‘so much more’ will do far greater things than we could ever imagine.