If you grew up in church, you probably sang these words over and over again: “Little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is strong.” (To this day, I feel a compulsion to put my arms up in the muscle pose on that last phrase.) This children’s song acknowledges that we are weak and need the strength of our mighty God.
We saw last week in Mark 4 that Jesus led His disciples into a storm on the Sea of Galilee. As the waves threatened and Jesus performed a miracle, the disciples learned more about their weakness and His strength.
“And [Jesus] awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” (Mark 4:39-41)
The disciples’ faith was weak. They knew where to turn in their troubles—they ran to Jesus. But their fear of the storm’s power outweighed their confidence in Jesus’s presence. Can you imagine that moment when Jesus calmed the sea and then called them out for their fear and doubt?
The disciples’ weak faith put Jesus’s strength on display. When He spoke to the wind and the waves, the sea was completely and immediately calm. The disciples had seen Him heal diseases and cast out demons, and yet they were amazed and asked themselves: “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” I would imagine that their fear turned to faith and their confidence in Christ grew.
Maybe today you’re in the middle of the storm of suffering, and God hasn’t stilled the wind and the waves yet. I don’t know why you’re suffering, but I do know this: God will use your suffering to show you more of your weakness and send you running to Him for strength. In His perfect timing, He will speak peace to the waves that threaten to drown you, and you will arrive on the shore with greater confidence in His power.
No matter what you face this week, when your faith is weak, His power is strong.
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