“On that day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’”
Mark 4:35-41

“Lord! Do You not care?”

This passage struck me so deeply the other day. Without saying it aloud, I have whimpered: “Lord, do You not care? Do You not see this – do You not see me?”

We need this reminder – Jesus looked at His disciples, who were full of fear and forgetfulness, and He reminded them Who He is.

“Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” He asked them.

We often look for Him to change our circumstances, and it would be tempting to read this passage as proof that He will change things if only we have faith enough. Yet as He rebukes the wind and waves, He takes the emphasis off of the circumstance and turns their attention to Himself.

“Who then is this, that even the wind and sea obey Him?” they marvel.

Can you hear their reverent awe? Who is this God, who commands obedience from even nature? How mighty, how powerful, how above-all must He be? Who is this God, who can sleep through storms with complete peace? Who is He, that He knows the future and spends His days without worry – for Himself or for us?

Like the disciples, we forget that He is all we need. He alone is wholly sufficient.

“Then Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘“The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’” and they ask me, ‘“What is His name?’“ what shall I say to them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ And He said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: ‘“I am has sent me to you.’”’ God also said to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: ‘“The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’” This is My name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.’”
Exodus 3:13-15

He is I AM. He is too lofty for us to understand, too wonderful to comprehend. He is great. He knows the beginning and the end of every circumstance and He is present as we walk through them all. There is no day that He has not already seen, nothing He does not already know. Do the winds and the waves still seem so troublesome?

Take heart, dear Christian.

“Do You not care?” – Oh, but He does! Let your cares be cast upon Him, “because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

The mighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God who is the same yesterday, today and forever; He is sufficient. These storms that try us - they come by His allowance and do not leave us stripped bare. We may have only Him left – but friend! We have Him!

“I have heard of some good old woman in a cottage, who had nothing but a piece of bread and a little water, and lifting up her hands, she said, as a blessing, What! all this, and Christ too?”
C.H. Spurgeon

Let us remember who He is! We have Him, and He is all we need.

“The Name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”
Proverbs 18:10