When Following Jesus Leads You Into a Storm
You’ve probably noticed this by now: you can be doing the “right” things—praying, obeying, trying to follow Jesus—and still get hit with a week that feels like it’s trying to drown you. A diagnosis you didn’t expect. A relationship that unravels. A job loss that shakes your sense of security. If you’ve ever wondered, Why would God allow this when I’m trying to follow Him? Matthew 8 has something honest—and hopeful—to say.
In Matthew 8:18–27, Jesus tells His disciples to cross the lake. They obey. They’re literally in the boat because they’re following Him. And then, “without warning a furious storm came up” (v. 24). The waves crash over the boat, and Jesus is asleep. That detail is almost unsettling. The disciples are panicking, and the One they trust most looks completely unbothered.
Here’s the first truth you need to hear: following Jesus doesn’t guarantee smooth sailing. Sometimes obedience puts you right in the path of the storm. That doesn’t mean you’ve missed God’s will; it may mean you’re exactly where He intends you to be. The disciples’ crisis didn’t happen because they disobeyed—it happened because their faith needed strengthening. Weak faith doesn’t become strong faith in comfort. Like a muscle, it grows under pressure.
But the storm also exposes something: what we really believe about Jesus. The disciples wake Him with a desperate prayer: “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” (v. 25). That’s faith—real faith. If they had no faith, they would’ve only relied on their skills and strategies. Yet Jesus responds with a question that feels almost shocking: “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (v. 26). He’s not scolding their pain; He’s confronting their conclusion. Their fear is revealing that they still don’t grasp who is in the boat with them.
Then Jesus stands and rebukes the wind and waves, and “it was completely calm” (v. 26). Instantly. The disciples are stunned: “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (v. 27). They’re not just impressed—they’re realizing something terrifying and wonderful: only God rules the sea. Scripture says God stills the storm (Psalm 107:29) and rules the raging waters (Psalm 89:8–9). And Jesus just did that with a word.
So what is Jesus doing in your storms? Often, He’s doing what He did here: revealing Himself more clearly and growing your faith beyond what comfort ever could.
How to Practice Stronger Faith in Real Life
When the next wave hits, try this:
- Pray honestly, but don’t panic alone. The disciples did the right thing—they brought their fear to Jesus (Matthew 8:25). Start there.
- Ask, “What am I assuming about Jesus right now?” Fear often says, "He doesn’t care" or "He can’t handle this." The gospel says He’s Lord over wind and wave.
- Choose one steady act of trust. Open Scripture, ask for prayer, take the next obedient step—small faith, used, is never wasted.
If you’re in a storm today, you’re not abandoned. The point isn’t that Christians never feel afraid; it’s that we learn, over time, to trust the One who commands the chaos. Jesus may not prevent every storm—but He will meet you in it, and He will not let you go.
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