Matthew 8:23-27
And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
Homily:
What is interesting to me about this passage is that the disciples were surprised the winds and sea obeyed him, even after being the ones that ran to him in fear asking for help.
I have seen this conflict in my life. I go to God asking for something, He gives it to me, and I am shocked at how easy it came.
We come to God with more doubt than faith, overestimating the problem before us and underestimating His Spirit within us. It is almost as if we expect to be shipwrecked by the storms in our lives, and we go to God, not out of faith, but as a last resort. Just ticking the box after we have tried everything else. Luckily, God is not limited by faith, He is unlimited with love. With or without your asking, as a Father, He shows up.
A lack of surprise in God’s work in our lives is not a lack of gratitude. You can be sure that your dad will come through for you in difficult times and still be grateful.
I am putting in conscious effort to grow my faith daily, just like a muscle. Not a transactional faith – “I believe in you, so do this for me”, but a relationship faith – “I love you and I surrender to your will”.