The "Little Faiths"

I've been reading in the Gospel of Mark these days and in Mark 4 there is a story that has puzzled me many times. It is the story of Jesus and the disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee in a boat when a horrific storm comes up and Jesus is asleep in the stern. In alarm, the disciples finally wake Jesus. It isn't clear to me what they thought Jesus could or would do but waking Him appears to be the only thing they could think of to do.

Jesus rebukes the wind and the waves and then chides the disciples for their lack of faith. The question that always troubles me is this: How SHOULD they have responded in that situation? I mean in a practical sense. Undeniably, they were in serious trouble. But Jesus obviously expected a different response from them. And when the storms hit in my own life, what should my faith look like, in an equally practical sense?

While mulling this question, I did a little study looking up all the passages where Jesus rebuked the disciples for their little faith. "Why are you afraid?" "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" "Where is your faith?" "You of little faith!" "Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?" "You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves...?" Most of these rebukes are in the form of a question. Jesus asks in wonderment, "How is it possible that you can have fear?" In every case there is a juxtaposition of their natural response of fear and His assertion that their natural response should have been faith. I can see that faith would definitely have been preferable but I am still left wondering, what would that have looked like in the midst of that storm?

Three days after I started mulling these "little faith" questions, the Lord directed my attention to Acts 27. Here a few excerpts describing the magnitude of this, another storm story: "There rushed down from the land a violent wind...scarcely able to get the boat under control...let themselves be driven along... violently storm-tossed...neither sun nor stars for many days...no small storm assailing us...all hope of being saved gradually abandoned...long time without food." Truly another situation of genuine peril and this one lasting for many days. But then we see the response of faith as exhibited by the Apostle Paul: "Yet I urge you to keep up your courage...an angel appeared to me...do not be afraid...Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe that it will turn out exactly as I have been told." Paul, instead of panic, was calmly encouraging the others and strengthening them to believe. Fear is contagious, but so also is faith. Even though the circumstances were dire, Paul was fully convinced that all would be well. In spite of eventual shipwreck against a rocky shore not a single life was lost.

I came across some writings from Julian of Norwich recently (more about that in another post) and was struck again by these famous lines that God revealed to her in a vision: All shall be well and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. There is a profound answer in that to my question of what one should say in those storm-tossed seasons of life. No need for "little faith" for "All shall be well."