Fear Gets In The Way Of Faith

“And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him and say unto him, Master carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?”

Mark 4: 38-40

Yesterday I spoke about the important of childlike faith. We must shed all our preconceived notions to really believe. When we cling to the familiar, we lose part of our faith. The impossible is always possible with Jesus.

Fear gets in the way of faith. When you are afraid, you are actually minimizing His worth in your life. We know with Him all things are possible but do we really believe when the going gets tough?

Picture yourself out on the sea in a wind storm. The boat is rocking back and forth in the rough winds. You start to feel nauseous and wonder if the boat will capsize. Let's face it, we'd all have a moment of fear. Will the boat go under? Will we drown or get eaten by sea creatures? Can we make it to the shore alive?

But do we ever think to pray for peace? Do we ask Him to stop the winds, just as Jesus did or do we jump to the conclusion a disaster is eminent?

This reminds me of one the first dates I had with my hubby. He is an avid fisherman and I was no slouch either. With our demanding work schedules, we finally set a date to rent a little boat and go fishing in the bay.

The day arrived and the clouds were stacking up thick. We decided to take the ride anyway since we both really wanted to go fishing and waited about two or three weeks to get there. The forecast indicated a wind and rain storm were possible later in the evening.

It was still morning so we figured we had at least a few good hours of fishing. We rented the craft and headed out into the bay to catch a few flounder, one of my favorites.

Hubby caught the first first and was very puffed up about it. Suddenly the winds started to pick up and within ten minutes, our boat was being tossed around like a tiny mouse by a very large cat. Hubby turned pale and said he would try to get us to shore.

I remained calm and continued to fish. We prayed together that we would return to shore safely and catch enough fish for dinner. As hubby navigated the waters, I caught two more fish. While he put them in the bucket, I helped navigate the boat toward the shore as lightening flashed in the sky and thunder rumbled. We took turns and landed safely back at the dock with thick sheets of rain falling, minimizing our visibility.

Today hubby says this trip is what let him know I was a “keeper”. Though we didn't stop the storm with our prayers, we returned to shore safely in a highly unlikely situation. In fact, several boating accidents and incidents were reported that day by people in much larger, stronger boats than ours. We even managed to catch three fat flounder and eat them for dinner!

This is the power of prayer. Instead of feeling fear, let prayer take over during those moments when you think something terrible is about to happen. He is right there, ready to listen to you and help you when you need Him most. Fear gets in the way of faith because our minds are filled with negative thoughts and “what ifs?”

Can you remember a time when you were afraid and gave it to Him? Do you think fear stands in the way of faith and personal progress? Feel free to comment.

Have a beautiful, blessed day!