“ Master, carest thou not that we perish?“- Mark 4:38
Of all the silly questions that we could ask this must be one of the most foolish. But, let’s be honest, there are times when we all feel that way- if but for a moment. Some of the greatest men in the OT felt that God had set Himself against them as their enemy — and they said so. You better be careful about that.
The men in our text were in a ship on a storm tossed sea, and they were fearful, thinking they might not survive. Your situation is different, but perhaps just as frightening. For you it might be pain, poverty, or problems of various sorts. And you wonder if God cares. Your fleshly mind reasons that if He really cared He would run to your rescue. The storm rages around you and there is no relief in sight. You’ve done all you can and others have tried to assist, but nothing helps and God won’t – not yet anyway. So you wonder if He really cares. Like the disciples, you are in the will of God (vs. 35) and the storm at the same time. And you are confused. Had you been fleeing from the Lord like Jonah you would understand, but you are following the Lord, and wondering “Why?”
You know God has His way in the whirlwind and that by Him all things consist, but you can’t understand His ways in regards to your situation. The good news is that He does care. However it is not until the right time and place that He acts. Not until then does He take action, proving He is the Master of the sea and your help in time of need. Indeed He does care, but He also acts with wisdom and therefore waits until just the right time to intervene. Were it not for the storm they would have never known anything about the greatness of His power, nor the smallness of their faith. Their deliverance from difficulty was a day of discovery for them. Even so it is with us, in every trial we learn something that makes Christ more precious to us.
Rather than cursing our trials and criticizing the Lord, questioning His concern, we should take comfort in the fact that He does all things well. He is never unfair, unkind, or uncaring. Knowing He has a reason should be reason enough for us to rest in His promises with the full assurance that out of the bad He will create something good. As the great old hymn says, “I know He cares”– HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
