Why Are You Afraid? | When Jesus Asks the Question, Part 3
Key Truth | The storms we face often reveal where we've placed our security, inviting us to move beyond fear and discover a deeper trust in Jesus.
Key Scripture | “But He said to them, ‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?’” — Matthew 8:26 NKJV
Some questions feel harder because the answer seems obvious.
The disciples were in a boat being overwhelmed by a storm. Waves were crashing over them, and they believed they were going to die. Then Jesus asked, “Why are you afraid?”
I think my first response would have been, Have You seen the storm?
Their fear wasn’t imaginary. The waves were real, the boat was filling with water, and several of these men were experienced fishermen who knew enough to understand the danger.
Yet Jesus still asked the question.
Maybe because He wasn’t really asking about the storm. He was asking what the storm had revealed inside of them.
I’ve noticed that pressure has a way of doing that. It exposes things that are much easier to hide when life is calm. Fear, insecurity, the need for control and even where we’ve placed our trust can remain beneath the surface until something happens that we can’t manage.
The disciples woke Jesus and said, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” What is interesting is that Jesus addressed them before He addressed the storm. He asked about their fear, and then He stood and rebuked the wind and waves.
Jesus knew something they had forgotten: the presence of a storm did not mean the absence of God.
I need to remember that.
There are moments when I want Jesus to change what’s happening around me, while He is more interested in revealing what’s happening within me. My prayer is usually, Jesus, calm this. His question might be, Aaron, why does this have so much power over you?
That’s a harder question.
What am I afraid of losing? What outcome am I trying to control? What am I believing would happen if things don’t turn out the way I want?
Fear often tells us where we’ve placed our security.
Jesus eventually calmed the storm, but the greater revelation may have been what happened afterward. The disciples looked at Him and asked, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
The storm that frightened them ultimately revealed Jesus to them.
Maybe some storms aren’t just something to get through. Maybe they become places where we discover something about ourselves and something greater about Him.
So instead of only asking God to remove what frightens me, I’m learning to become curious about the question Jesus asked:
Why am I afraid?
The answer may reveal where He’s asking me to trust Him again.
Reflection
Prayer | Jesus, when fear rises in me, help me not to simply react to what is happening around me. Show me what my fear is revealing and where I need to trust You more deeply. Remind me that the presence of a storm never means the absence of Your presence. Amen.
Go Deeper
Matthew 8:23–27
Mark 4:35–41
Psalm 46:1–3
Isaiah 43:1–2
2 Timothy 1:7
The Echo | Jesus doesn’t ask questions because He needs answers. He asks questions because we do.
Key Scripture | “But He said to them, ‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?’” — Matthew 8:26 NKJV
Some questions feel harder because the answer seems obvious.
The disciples were in a boat being overwhelmed by a storm. Waves were crashing over them, and they believed they were going to die. Then Jesus asked, “Why are you afraid?”
I think my first response would have been, Have You seen the storm?
Their fear wasn’t imaginary. The waves were real, the boat was filling with water, and several of these men were experienced fishermen who knew enough to understand the danger.
Yet Jesus still asked the question.
Maybe because He wasn’t really asking about the storm. He was asking what the storm had revealed inside of them.
I’ve noticed that pressure has a way of doing that. It exposes things that are much easier to hide when life is calm. Fear, insecurity, the need for control and even where we’ve placed our trust can remain beneath the surface until something happens that we can’t manage.
The disciples woke Jesus and said, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” What is interesting is that Jesus addressed them before He addressed the storm. He asked about their fear, and then He stood and rebuked the wind and waves.
Jesus knew something they had forgotten: the presence of a storm did not mean the absence of God.
I need to remember that.
There are moments when I want Jesus to change what’s happening around me, while He is more interested in revealing what’s happening within me. My prayer is usually, Jesus, calm this. His question might be, Aaron, why does this have so much power over you?
That’s a harder question.
What am I afraid of losing? What outcome am I trying to control? What am I believing would happen if things don’t turn out the way I want?
Fear often tells us where we’ve placed our security.
Jesus eventually calmed the storm, but the greater revelation may have been what happened afterward. The disciples looked at Him and asked, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
The storm that frightened them ultimately revealed Jesus to them.
Maybe some storms aren’t just something to get through. Maybe they become places where we discover something about ourselves and something greater about Him.
So instead of only asking God to remove what frightens me, I’m learning to become curious about the question Jesus asked:
Why am I afraid?
The answer may reveal where He’s asking me to trust Him again.
Reflection
- What fear has been surfacing in me lately, and what might it be revealing about where I’ve placed my security?
- Am I asking Jesus only to calm the storm, or am I allowing Him to change something in me through it?
Prayer | Jesus, when fear rises in me, help me not to simply react to what is happening around me. Show me what my fear is revealing and where I need to trust You more deeply. Remind me that the presence of a storm never means the absence of Your presence. Amen.
Go Deeper
Matthew 8:23–27
Mark 4:35–41
Psalm 46:1–3
Isaiah 43:1–2
2 Timothy 1:7
The Echo | Jesus doesn’t ask questions because He needs answers. He asks questions because we do.
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