“On that day, when evening had come, Jesus said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, the disciples took Jesus with them in the boat, just as he was. A great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, “Teacher do you not care if we perish?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea “Peace! Be still!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” Mark 4:35-41

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own wisdom. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“Once there was a young warrior. Her teacher told her that she had to do battle with fear. She didn’t want to do that. It seemed too aggressive; it was scary; it seemed unfriendly. But the teacher said she had to do it and gave her the instructions for the battle. The day arrived. The student warrior stood on one side, and fear stood on the other. The warrior was feeling very small, and fear was looking big and wrathful. They both had their weapons. The young warrior roused herself and went toward fear, prostrated three times, and asked, “May I have permission to go into battle with you?” Fear said, “Thank you for showing me so much respect that you ask permission.” Then the young warrior said, “How can I defeat you?” Fear replied, “My weapons are that I talk fast, and I get very close to your face. Then you get completely unnerved, and you do whatever I say. If you don’t do what I tell you, I have no power. You can listen to me, and you can have respect for me. You can even be convinced by me. But if you don’t do what I say, I have no power.” In that way, the student warrior learned how to defeat fear.” (Pema Chodron. When Things Fall Apart” p. 47. Shambhala. Kindle Edition.)

Can we even conceive in our minds that Jesus put the disciples into a situation of potential disaster — and left them to see how they might handle their own fear? Jesus did not steer them away from the storm but allowed them to row right into it — and after seeing their fear, Jesus stilled the storm. What can we learn?

One of the lessons we can take from this text is the fact that we will never learn how to navigate through our own fear, or our own storms unless we find ourselves facing down fear. The story told by Pema has the character of Fear telling the student “You can even be convinced by me (fear). But if you don’t do what I say, I have no power.”

There is no possible way to live life without encountering fear, or trials or tribulations. The people who are never forced to fight through fear miss the opportunity to learn about their perseverance, their faith, and their readiness for survival. As such, they never learn how to face down their own fears. Facing our fears takes real perseverance, but we do not have to do it alone.

Remember, there are some situations where Jesus will guide and direct us even before we realize that there was anything to fear. But there will be some storms in life that the only way out will be through the rough waters. But every storm we weather with Jesus means a stronger back, a greater will, and a more durable trust and faith.

Pastor Dave