Why Are You So Afraid? Finding Faith In 2025

Jesus asked of His disciples, “Why are you so afraid?” They were in the middle of a storm; how else should they feel? The truth is that there will be storms no matter what you do or how you live. Jesus promised his closest friends they would have trouble in this life. But He also promised they would not face those troubles alone. What you believe is the foundation on which you build your thoughts. Faith is the foundation of what you believe. In the first part of this series, I meditated on the type of faith that says “Even if”, which is a faith that prevails despite the circumstances. Faith helps you live a God-honoring life. We need faith to hope, dream, and take our next breath some days. How do we keep our faith when we face storms and dark nights in 2025?

Jesus, Don’t You Care

The story of Jesus and the storm is in the Book of Mark. Mark likes things short and sweet. Compared to the other Gospel writers, he often gives you the action movie, a short version of the story. By chapter four of Mark, Jesus had demonstrated His power. He has healed the sick with a word. After a long day of teaching, Jesus decided they should get on a boat and go to the other side of the sea. He then promptly falls asleep. And a storm comes, and it feels like a rough one. The disciples start feeling like they might die. So someone remembers they have Jesus and then realizes He is still asleep. In a panic, they woke him up and asked,” Don’t you care if we drown?”

If you read the first part of this series, if you haven’t, I highly recommend you do; you remember that the three men had a much different approach to the threat of losing their lives. They stated God will save us, and even if that doesn’t happen, we won’t change how we live. The disciples would have heard that story. Many would have memorized it as part of their education before picking up a trade. Even more so, every year, they would have participated in a meal that reminded them how God saved His people in Egypt. They reminded each other each year that God is a God who saves. Yet, here they are in the midst of a storm, and their reaction is to panic and proclaim themselves likely dead.

Storms

In 2024, storms rocked my boat. My wife’s cancer diagnosis was definitely at the top. But ever since 2020, I have been relearning how to find my footing in faith. One of the top enemies of faith today is the illusion of being in control. In the United States, you can be whatever you want. You can do whatever you set your mind to. There are no limits as long as you chase after whatever you think will make you happy. But the fact is that having that illusion of control doesn’t bring happiness or peace. Just look around at the stats. We are more anxious, stressed, depressed, and hopeless than any other generation of people. Being told we have the world at our fingertips has made us less capable of coping. The foundation for that belief is sinking sand, and our houses are washed away when the storms come.

Control

Wanting to be in control or have control is not a new problem. Think back to what the serpent asked of Adam and Eve in the garden: “Don’t you want to be like God?” And so the root of our struggle has always been who will be in control. If God is in control, we have to trust God. Our faith relies on something other than ourselves. But we want our lives free of pain, struggle, and difficulty. We would avoid storms. We would only sail the calm, peaceful water. If nothing else, the pandemic reminded the world that we were not in control. Rich or poor, powerful or unimportant, your life got turned upside down by a virus you could neither control nor eradicate. We thought we were in control of our world. But the bank, the government, the experts, and all the geniuses were caught in the same storm and could do nothing to stop it. Instead, incredibly, the world stopped.

Faith

We think we want control because then we will have peace. But the reality is that peace is not found by having more or even all of the control. Peace is found by having faith in a God who knows everything and loves us deeply. Submitting to God allows us to have the type of faith the heroes of the Bible, even if or when it doesn’t work out the way we want. Or the way we think it should. Having faith allows us to let go of the unsettling need for control. And when we let go of that need, we suddenly have the capability to do more. With our energy no longer focused on controlling (which we never could anyway), we have opportunities to live as God wants us to.

Cancer

My wife and I went in for the first appointment with the breast surgeon with a plan. We thought the best approach to get rid of the cancer and end any threat of it coming back would be a double mastectomy. How very controlling of us. Get rid of the problem area, and we don’t have to worry about it. We were about to experience a real-life lesson on how little control we had. Thankfully, the mass was caught super early. So, our surgeon suggested a different approach that would help detect the cancer again if it were to come back. Scientists have learned and made many advances but still can’t predict or control cancer. Doing a double mastectomy wouldn’t keep the cancer from coming back, and when or if it did, it would likely come back in the lymph nodes, and we wouldn’t know until it was far advanced. So, in this case, while it felt like we were taking control by getting rid of the “problem,” we weren’t.

Per the surgeon’s recommendation, my wife had a lumpectomy and radiation. She is currently on the best post-cancer treatment in hopes of reducing the likelihood that it does come back. But even the best treatment only provides a 30% reduction in the chances of cancer returning. No illusion of control here. We walk in faith and trust that we will get through whatever life might bring with God.

Why are you so afraid?

About a year ago, one of my coworkers asked me a question about this story. And this story keeps coming up again and again, like a sore thumb. Heck, this morning, I showed up to help at a preteen class, and guess what story the lesson was on? You got it, the one with the boat, storm, and Jesus. But back to the question I was asked by my coworker, which was: “How should the disciples respond to the storm?” Remember, Jesus was asleep. After quieting the storm, He asks the disciples a tough question: “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” From context clues, we can gather that Jesus was unsatisfied with the disciple’s response to the storm. Also, no one, not even the Son of God, likes to be disturbed while napping. So, what would have been the proper response to the storm?

Trust

God had asked the disciples to get in the boat. If God asks you to get in the boat to get to the other side, you should trust that He will get you there. The disciples have a trust problem. They knew the stories. People were saved from slavery, fiery furnaces, lion’s dens, and armies bent on destruction. They knew the stories, but when their storm hit, those stories seemed to be for others and not them. They should have done their best to take the boat to the other side of the sea. When they had done all they could, they could trust that God would do what was best if God were with them. But this is where it gets a little bit uncomfortable. Because that kind of trust implies an “even if” kind of faith. Even if God doesn’t get us to the other side, I will still trust and follow Him.

Trust helps us realize that we aren’t in control. We like to think and live like we are, but we aren’t. When storms come, we face the same choice the disciples had. Faith is the foundation for believing God is at work and in control. And even when the storms are raging around us, faith reminds us that we are called to trust and hope in God. Think back on all the storms you have made it through. When you do that, your perspective changes. The disciples hadn’t quite understood how to look at the storm. They had heard the stories and even seen Jesus do the miraculous. But they didn’t fully trust yet. They couldn’t see beyond the storm and were overcome by fear.

Bring Your Fish

So, is the answer to give up and accept your fate? No. The answer is that the disciples should have done what they knew how to do. They knew how to sail and guide the boat during a storm. They should give their best effort to do what needs to be done. Sometimes, we don’t feel like we can do much. When facing the world’s complex problems, we can feel pretty small. The storm looks so big, and our boat is so small. It makes me think of another story. Jesus is speaking publicly, but out in the middle of nowhere. As He finishes his sermon, it’s time to eat. But there were no places to eat, and no one had packed a picnic for thousands. But one kid, his mom, had known he would need lunch. So the disciples, out of frustration likely, brought this one lunch box to Jesus to prove there was nothing to eat. Just a little bread and a measly fish or two. Jesus took that fish and multiplied it beyond their wildest imagination.

Just Keep Swimming

In life, storm or not, you should do all you can. We aren’t called to be successful; we are called to be faithful. Some days, for me, that is just showing up. I volunteer with my church youth group, and I know that I usually only offer my presence. No easy answers for their struggles and storms, but I can be there and help them see God. They are worth my time and attention and a sacrifice of being elsewhere. My fish and bread are the fact that those around them love them, and, most importantly, God loves them. I show up so that God can multiply my offering beyond my wildest imagination. Even if I don’t get to see it with my eyes, I have faith and know that He is working.

Find Rest

There is a second option in this story. Once you have done all you can, sometimes the best you can do is rest. Curl up next to Jesus and take a nap. The disciples could see the reality of the storm, but they never accepted the reality of Jesus being asleep. For me, the point of faith is to be able to live a life like Jesus. The whole point of life is to be like Jesus. In 2025, I want to live a life closer to the life that God is calling me to. And so, my challenge (and yours) will be to find a trust that finds peace and rest, even when the storms rage around you. And part of that is finding the right perspective and attitude. After all, attitude is one of the few things you can control in life.

The right perspective helps you see storms for what they are—and not all storms are equal. I pray that God will grant us the wisdom to understand the storms in our lives. Some storms are best left unbothered, even slept through. Some will require us to bring our best and let God do the rest. But in all this, our faith will be in the one who calls us to: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.