Next Steps

Faith vs. Fear

Our son graduated from High School this week, after a most peculiar, fear-filled year. The so-called ceremony was equally strange. We waited in line for at least half an hour, outside, in the hot sun, and then went into one of four different ceremony areas. By “we” I mean our family along with our son, with a limit of ten. We went to several stations, two of which were for taking pictures, the first one for checking in devices and other items of school property. The final station included canned music, more pictures, and the giving of a folder representing the diploma, which will be given later. As with a typical graduation, his name was announced, his interests read, and where he is going to school next shared. But there was no crowd, just us and a few teachers, all of whom already knew all this. But our son was still all smiles, as one chapter ends, and a new one begins.

He of course is only one graduate this spring among many, all of whom went through a senior year that those of us who didn’t experience can’t possibly imagine. But even though many things have been put on hold or cancelled because of the pandemic, life goes on. Our son and his colleagues take the next step, wherever that may lead. Many, like our son, have a very vague idea of the path ahead.

I can picture King David as a young man, or boy, really, not so different from many of our graduates, bravely going forth to slay dragons and giants. While seasoned soldiers sit by, terrified of Goliath, zeal for the Lord consumes David, and he goes out to fight. David didn’t decide in High School that he was going to be king one day, he didn’t apply to the best schools to learn how to be king, he didn’t even join the local branch of Jr. ROTC. What distinguished him was his heart, his faith, his devotion to God. His faith conquered his fear.

David said, "The LORD, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine." (1 Samuel 17:37)

If one of our kids did such a thing, we would probably try to stop them, attributing their bravado to the recklessness of youth. But David would always be like this, plunging ahead without seeking wise council first. Do you, too, wonder why Saul let him go? Does he too have faith in God, or does he just not know what else to do?

David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand." (1Samuel 17:45-47)

Is this faith or recklessness? How many of us are willing to act so boldly? We want assurances of success, insurance if we fail, a certain sign from God that this indeed is His will. We go up and get our diploma, get a new job, or start a new venture or adventure, not knowing if we will find success. Perhaps not even knowing if God is with us, if we are doing what He wants us to do. How many of us know what that is like? How many of us have tried, only to fail? But in the end, God even uses our mistakes to get us to where He wants us to go.

David has always been one of my favorite Biblical characters, and what I love about him is that he isn’t perfect. His is definitely a rags to riches kind of story, but it is not a fairy tale. He commits the worst of crimes, but still comes back to the heart of God. He is betrayed again and again, but still seeks to be a fair and just leader.

The Bible teaches us to view David as a precursor to Jesus, the one after God’s own heart. David is remembered for His faithfulness to God, even during trials and after stumbling. He is also a forefather of Jesus, the promised descendant of David who would be Messiah. When we say that Jesus is the King of Kings, we recognize his royalty as being passed down from David. We could say the same thing about many people in the Bible, but none looms as large as King David.

David may have been Israel’s gold standard for kings, all things considered, but we now serve an even better King. Let us never forget that the Lord we serve is the King of all things, through whom all was created, and in whom we have been given eternal life, through whom all things will be made new. Mark writes:

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mark 4:35-41)

When the disciples are ready to give up and go to a watery grave, Jesus remains calm and in control. As we go through our trials, sometimes in agony, sometimes ready to give up, we call on Jesus to calm the storms, lead us beside the still waters, comfort our souls. These are all things that only the power of God can do, creating order out of chaos, saving the lost, conquering certain death, creating new beginnings. We may still have some distance to go, but He walks with us, His Spirit comforts us. We may not have a faith like Jesus’ to keep us calm in the midst of the storm, but we can rely on our faith in Jesus to get us through it. So, how do you answer the question: “Who then is this?”

Note that this was not just a display of power, nor is it a miracle story, it is a display of Jesus’ Kingship. The disciples don’t seem to be thankful, do they; perhaps they just transfer their fear of the storm to fear for the one who calms it. Most translations say that the disciples were “filled with a great awe” but what the text literally says is “filled with a mega-fear.” But Jesus’ desire and end result is peace. When our lives are in turmoil, we turn to Jesus for peace. When we are afraid to take the next step, take it anyway, stepping out in faith, knowing that He will be there to catch you if you fall, and give you the support you need to keep going.

By reading just this small passage from the Gospel of Mark, we may lose the bigger picture. This trip across the Sea of Galilee is not just a change of venue for Jesus and His disciples, it is their first journey out of the familiar culture of Jewish territory into unfamiliar, Gentile lands. They certainly had more to be afraid of than a storm along the way, as we do, too. We fear for our churches, our families, and our country, in an uncertain and rapidly changing time. Sometimes we too want to shout at God: “can’t you see that we are perishing?”

When David stood up against Goliath, he may have stood alone, a small youth before a huge opponent, but David not only had a big heart; the Spirit of the Lord was with him. That power that gave victory to David is the same one calming the storm and bringing peace. When we feel that we are perishing, we turn to Jesus to save us, calming the storm, and bringing a great calm. Of course, if we are more like David than the disciples, and have that great faith, we are less likely to get to that point where we feel that all is lost. We will be prepared for the storm, as the disciples should have been, being fishermen. As Emily Bronte once said:“No coward soul is mine, no trembler in the world’s storm-troubled sphere. I see Heaven’s glories shine, and faith shines equal, arming me from fear.” (Emily Brontë, “No Coward Soul Is Mine,” January 2, 1846).

Jesus was not just a wise man, a great teacher and leader, He was the Son of God, carrying the power of God in human form. David may have been king for a time, but Jesus is our eternal King, the Ruler of all created things, able to give commands to the wind and sea. Jesus doesn’t tell us in this passage not to fear, or that there is nothing to be afraid of; He tells us to have faith in the face of fear. There certainly are many things to be afraid of in this world, but we should not be paralyzed by that fear. Faith in Jesus will overcome all fear, even the fear of death. When you cannot find the courage for the next step, remember Whom you serve, the One who goes with you, the One who will calm the storm, and bring you home.