Are You Worried About The Coronavirus?

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. Matthew 8:23-24 NIV

As we navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic it’s important to stay focused on the truth of God’s word. In this account the disciples were in a scary situation and as the waves swept over the boat they began to panic!

The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Matthew 8:25 NIV

You may be experiencing anxiety as this virus invades your world, and just like the disciples, you may feel like this could be the end. But notice what Jesus was doing. Jesus was sleeping! How could he be at such peace in the midst of the storm?

He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. Matthew 8:26 NIV

Both the disciples and Jesus were in the same boat, in the same storm, but their emotional responses were very different! While the disciples were in full panic mode, Jesus was unaffected by the storm raging around Him. He wasn’t worried, nor was His attention focused on it, in fact, it appears He didn’t even notice it until the disciples brought it to His attention.

If you are anxious, you are focusing too much on the storm. Don’t spend endless hours watching the news, reading about the virus on the internet and imagining the worse. Unless your job demands it, you don’t need to be a coronavirus expert. It’s not going to help you to digest every detail and every statistic surrounding this pandemic! If you over consume information your mind will not be at rest. Jesus was sleeping. Take a minute to let that sink in.

How could Jesus and the disciples react so differently? Jesus gives us a clue when He asks, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Faith and fear cannot coexist. The more faith we have, the less fear we experience and when our faith dwindles, our fear rises. Has the overload of information you’ve been hearing about the coronavirus caused your faith to increase or have you been gripped by fear?

If you have been wrestling with fear and anxiety, remember this, Jesus is right there in the boat with you. He promised to never leave you or forsake you so you can be sure that He is in control, not COVID-19. I can promise you that God is not in panic mode because there’s a pandemic on the earth. He knows how to take care of His own and anything He allows to touch your life will work together for good.

Notice Jesus never rebuked the disciples for waking Him, instead He rebuked the very things that were causing them to fear. It may appear that Jesus took control of the situation and brought calm, but in reality, He had control of the situation from the moment they set sail. His very presence, had they exercised faith, would have been all they needed to remain calm.

So the lessons in this passage are simple ones, but life changing when applied.

• When the storm arises, remain calm, keep your eyes on Jesus and remember He is in complete control.
• Don’t let fear grip your heart, exercise faith instead.
• If fear is winning the battle and panic sets in, simply cry out to Jesus. He has the power to calm the storm in you!