Okay, today we’ll end our game of Questions Only but first, let’s look at our key passage one more time.

In yesterday’s devotion, we discussed the two questions of Jesus: “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” Tough questions, no doubt. And as I mentioned, the disciples had no answer. They couldn’t understand their lack of faith. They couldn’t explain their fear. But neither could they understand or explain what just took place in their fishing boat, which prompted the next question: “What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

What gets me is, at this moment, these men were more scared of Jesus than they had been of the storm. We thought they were afraid before, but the Bible clearly states that after Jesus calmed the sea, the disciples “feared exceedingly.” In a way, I guess I can’t blame them. Jesus had just proven Himself more powerful than the storm. He had just shown that He controlled the wind and waves. Three small words were all it took to calm the seas, but it would take much more—it would seem—to ease the disciples’ hearts.

I want to berate the disciples. Not so much for their fear of the storm but for their fear of the One who stopped the storm. I mean, seriously, can’t they see Jesus is on their side? But, as much as I want to give them grief, I can’t because I’m guilty of doing the same. How many times has Jesus delivered me from a storm, and instead of offering gratitude or praise, I respond with more fear? Afraid of the new situation in which He’s placed me. Afraid He might not come through for me again. Afraid of failure. Afraid of being afraid.

I have to give the disciples credit—they asked a great question. Who is this man? He was obviously not like anyone else they had ever come in contact with. What kind of man could control the wind and waves? The book of Matthew tells us they marveled at him. I like that better than fearing Him though, in a sense, it still involves fear. Just a different kind.  

The fear of the Lord is a good thing. The Bible tells us it’s the beginning of wisdom, and let me tell you, the disciples would be wise by the time Jesus ascends to Heaven. When we talk about fearing the Lord, it’s not about being afraid of Him in the sense of fearing monsters under the bed. It’s about marveling at who He is and what He can do. It’s a matter of respect, of awe. And our Lord certainly deserves that.

Not once in the Scriptures do we see Jesus berating someone for having the fear of the Lord, but many times we see Him correcting those who were just plain afraid. I have to wonder if it’s even possible to possess a fear of the Lord and a fear of other things at the same time. After all, if we’re fearing the Lord, that means we recognize His all-knowing, all-powerful nature. Can we honestly do that and still be afraid of the “what ifs” in life? According to these verses, I’d have to say “no.”

Yes, it seems the fear of the Lord and the lack of fear, in general, go hand in hand. So when we choose fear (fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of dying, fear of foreclosure, etc.), we deny the fear of the Lord. We’re choosing the wrong master, serving the wrong thing. We’re putting more trust in our own fear than we are in the all-powerful, all-knowing God. And here I wanted to give the disciples a hard time!

The good news is, the disciples finally got it. It took a while, and they messed up a lot, but they finally understood, and when they did, it changed them forever. You know what that tells me? There’s hope for us too. If we keep our eyes on Jesus instead of the storms in our lives, soon we’ll learn to live in the fear of the Lord. And once we do, we can face any storm, any giant, any situation and boldly proclaim, “I’m not afraid of you!” Or, if you’re from the South, “Ain’t skeerd!”