When It Feels Like He's Asleep

The disciples were not new to boats. Several of them were professional fishermen who had grown up on that lake. So when they started to panic, it was not because of a little rain. The waves were breaking over the sides, water was filling the boat, and they genuinely thought they were going to die. And Jesus was in the back, asleep on a cushion.

Their question is one of the rawest lines in the Gospels: Teacher, do you not care? It is the question many of us ask when life gets rough and God seems quiet. You are praying, things are getting worse, and heaven feels silent. It can start to feel like God is asleep in the back of the boat while you bail water as fast as you can.

But notice what the story actually shows. Jesus was in the boat. He had not left them. His sleep was not a sign that He did not care. It was a sign that He was not afraid. When He woke up, He spoke to the wind and the sea, and everything went still. Then He turned to His friends and asked, why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? He was not mocking them. He was inviting them to see that His presence was enough, even before He did anything.

If your semester feels like that boat right now, it is okay to cry out. The disciples did, and Jesus answered them. But you can also remember that a quiet God is not an absent God. He is in the boat with you. The storm is real, and so is the One who has authority over it.