Why Fear Miracles?

“And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.” (Lu 8:24-25 AV)

 

This passage struck me as rather odd this morning.  The gospel of Mark tells us the disciples awoke Jesus with an accusation that He didn’t take care of the perilous situation in which they found themselves.  The wind was blowing rather hard.  The boat they were in was filling with water faster than they could bail.  The LORD was asleep on some sacks of product or supplies and was not stirring a bit.  They woke him, according to Mark, expecting him to do something.  What strikes me as odd is the response they had when Jesus did do something.  I don’t find it odd in that it would be contrary to human behavior.  I think I would do the same thing.  I think it is odd in that they asked the LORD to solve their problem then stood in wonder when He did as though they truly didn’t expect what they experienced.  When God works, it should be our natural reaction to expect what God does.

According to John’s gospel, the purpose of the miracles of Jesus was to prove His divinity.  They were intended to produce a sense of awe, wonder, and fear.  If one thinks about it, other than His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, all other miracles were temporary.  In other words, once the recipient of a miracle died, he would have gained in eternity what he didn’t have in this life.  The lame would walk, the blind would see, and the hungry would never hunger again.  Regardless of what miracle Jesus did or chose not to, in eternity it would have all resolved anyway.  So, the miracles were not for eternal results outside of proving who He was and is.  The miracles of God are intended for just that purpose.  We see the benefits of God’s miracles and work pragmatically.  We see Him giving relief from physical illness in the context of a better life.  We are filled with joy when the LORD alleviates our fears over some problems of life.  We are so thrilled the LORD blesses us with employment when we lost all hope of meeting the needs of our family.  These are all good reasons to feel blessed at God’s hand.  But the bottom line is, God does these things to prove Himself first.

The Bible says, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him...” (2Ch 16:9 AV)  God is looking for an opportunity to prove who and what He is to those who desire a relationship with Him.  This means He will do things that bring fear and we will wonder at the God to whom we pray.  This means He will do above and beyond what we ask or think, not because it might make our lives a whole lot better (although that is one reason), rather, because He desires to show Himself in all His glory that we might truly walk with Him in knowledge and truth.  So, the LORD did calm the storm for the reason for which we see occurring on that boat.  He calmed the sea for the express purpose of causing fear and wonder in the hearts of His disciples.  He wanted them to realize just who He was and the worship which they must offer Him.  I wonder if we have missed that in our churches today.  We worship what we do not know.  We have condescended God to our level rather than stand in awesome wonder of the God who creates all.  We diminish the value of fear while elevating the comfort of love.  God is more than we can comprehend.  When we begin to realize this, then we truly begin unhindered worship.