Read Luke 8:22-56 and pay careful attention in this relatively short passage to the staccato beat of these stories: Jesus calming the storm, healing the demoniac, healing the bleeding woman, raising the dead daughter. You'll notice there are people on both sides of every story, either being afraid OR believing - fearing OR trusting.
"We're going to drown!" Honestly, how many times have we screamed this, when Jesus was right there in the same boat with us. (And notice, please, that is was at Jesus' direction that they set off across the lake when they did. He knew what lay ahead - and He took a nap!) Why do we do that? Why do we profess to believe that God is in control and then lose control of ourselves when the sea gets choppy? My bank account is empty - we're going to drown! Cancer - we're going to drown! Difficult relationships - we're going to drown!
Jesus gets up, calms the storm and asks simply, "where is your faith?" It's like, "c'mon fellas, I'm right here." Put all of Jesus' comments from this passage together and what do you get: Where is your faith . . . go in peace . . . don't be afraid, just believe . . . stop wailing.
When it was all said and done in each of these vignettes in Luke 8, the storm is past, the demons have fled, the bleeding has stopped, and the dead girl has stood to her feet. WHERE IS YOUR FAITH, Jesus asks. Fear or trust. Be afraid or believe. Which side of the "or" are you on?
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