Do You Have No Faith?

June 11

We’ve all seen the depictions of our brave heroes of faith—those wonderful artists’ renderings in children’s Bible story books of Moses parting the waters of the Red Sea while the Israelite children crossed to safety on dry ground as pharaoh’s army was swallowed by the returning water.

We’ve seen Daniel sitting in the lions’ den with ravening beasts circling around him with a snarl on their lips but without menacing him further. We know that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged from a fiery furnace that was heated to such an extreme temperature that the soldiers who threw them into the flames were consumed—but they came forth without the scent of smoke upon them.

Can we ever forget the sight of the boasting Goliath mocking the shepherd boy David or the victory David won over the blasphemous, fully armed giant when he hurled one well-aimed stone at his mighty adversary? These indelible memories etched upon our minds in childhood bring us to the Lord’s question to His followers in Mark 4:40.

Here we find His disciples in a panic because the sea has become tumultuous and they fear it will swallow them and their small craft. Jesus says to them, however, “Why are you fearful? Do you have no faith?” He asks us the same question in the midst of our storms. He asks us to reflect upon the deliverances of the past and to trust Him to do a mighty work again—in our behalf!