Recently, a long time friend confided in my brother and me. He was deeply saddened and suffering both physically and emotionally. He considered himself to be a good Christian. He attended church every Sunday, he read from the scriptures occasionally and prayed most days.
Over the years he had experienced numerous difficulties with his health, some of which left him with chronic disabilities. As a result he had been underemployed or unemployed for the better part of the last 10 years. To make matters even worse, his wife no longer loved him and had filed for divorce.
He’d prayed for blessings. He’d prayed for relief. But none had come. Now, sitting in a small classroom down the hall from the bishops office, with tears in his eyes he candidly confessed that he couldn’t shake the feeling that,
“God was ignorant of his trials, that God didn’t love him and that God just didn’t care.”
The question posed by the Savior’s disciples entered my mind, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” What had caused these loyal, faithful followers of Christ to waiver in their faith? What had caused our friend to doubt?
In the fourth chapter of Mark, Jesus boarded a ship that was anchored close to the shore. A multitude of people stood on the land and listened. Jesus taught them by parables so that each could be edified according to their spiritual preparation and understanding. It was late in the afternoon when he said, “Let us pass over to the other side.”
The people standing on the shore dispersed and his disciples sailed out into the Sea of Galilee. The persons in the boat with Jesus that afternoon were those humble men whom he had chosen and who, each in turn, had left what they were doing, their lives and livelihoods, behind and had chosen to follow him. At least three of these disciples: Peter, James and John, were fishermen by vocation. They were skilled sailors and familiar with the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was exhausted and undoubtedly had confidence in their ability to take him safely to the opposite shore, so he laid down to rest and fell asleep near the back of the boat.
“And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.”
Can you imagine the disciples in their boat being tossed about by the waves? The wind and the rain pelting them. The sea had become so rough that waves were cresting over the sides of their boat. In my mind I can see these skilled, capable men frantically bailing water with their hands. Doing everything in their power to stay afloat. But the elements were too fierce. Their boat was taking on water and was full. In this moment of tribulation, fear breached the vessel of their faith, doubt crept into their hearts. They were going to sink and drown. In desperation they awoke Jesus and cried out,
“Master, carest thou not that we perish?”
As with the disciples of old, and other faithful followers of Jesus, there will be times when everything, even the elements, may appear to be conspiring against you. In that moment of despair, as you cling to what seems like the last delicate thread of your faith, you may also find yourself calling out, ‘Jesus carest not that I perish?’
Perhaps it will be in a prayer kneeling by your bedside at the end of a long day. Maybe it will be a silent prayer offered in your heart as you sit alone in a dimly lit restaurant after you’ve just lost your job. Or a softly spoken plea when you are alone in your car commuting to work worrying about your teenage child.
The specific details of the challenges confronting us are not what's most important. Whether they are one of these or any other of the countless trials faced by humanity is not so important as is coming to the reality that some day you and I, each of us, will have the desire, a profound need to reach out to the only being who can truly save us.
“What is critical, is that we allow our trials to direct us into the loving arms of our Heavenly Father; the only Being who can support us through anything we face. ”
On the Sea of Galilee, it was already night, but the darkness deepened as clouds occluded the light from the stars. Fierce winds whipped across the sea. The Lord’s chosen disciples were not out doing things they shouldn’t have been. They weren’t out goofing off or being careless. In fact it was quite the opposite. They were dutifully doing exactly what the Lord had asked them to do. Nonetheless, the storm had come. Suddenly their very lives were in peril, there was nothing they could do to keep from drowning. Whether it was from fear of the unknown, or the stark realization of their helplessness, for a brief moment their faith wavered.
“And he (Jesus) arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”
“And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?”
By accepted invitation each of us is on board the Lord’s ship. We are sailing through the seas of life on a course, towards a destination that He, the Great Master of us all, has charted.
In Hawaii there is a wise saying, ‘never turn your back on the sea.’ The sea is often calm, warm and beautiful. It can also be unpredictable, difficult and dangerous. Life is the same.
We may be anxiously engaged in the Lord's work, doing all that we can. Perhaps we are even on the Lord’s errand and traveling in his company. But remember, life still happens. From time to time there will be rough seas and stormy nights. One of the great purposes of this life is to be tried and tested, to prove that we will be faithful and obedient no matter what may come.
It seems to be a natural response for some to become insensitive or thoughtless when gripped by fear. Perhaps that is at least a partial explanation for the unkind tone conveyed by the question, “Master carest not that we perish?”
“All of us have seen some sudden storms in our lives. A few of them, though temporary like these on the Sea of Galilee, can be violent and frightening and potentially destructive. As individuals, as families, as communities, as nations, even as a church, we have had sudden squalls arise which have made us ask one way or another, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” And one way or another we always hear in the stillness after the storm, “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?””
In the small classroom on that Sunday afternoon there was a brief moment of quiet reflection and then I shared what I know to be true. “Of course He cares. That is why He came down to earth surrounded by the most humble of circumstances. That is why He called his disciples, organized His church, suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, and allowed Himself to be crucified. That is why in these latter-days He restored his gospel to the earth, restored the keys of the priesthood, and commanded that temples be constructed throughout the world. That’s why we have the scriptures, and prayer and the gift of the Holy Ghost.
He cares so very much that He has provided a way for you and me, for each of us, if we choose to follow Him, and keep His commandments, to manage life’s tempest tossed seas, to weather life’s storms, to stay on course until we can bring our ships and our families into the safe harbors afforded by keeping gospel covenants."
There will be trials of employment, health, raising children, getting an education and countless others. In those moments of your greatest struggles. When you feel your soul is being stretched to the breaking point. When you too desire to call out,‘Master carest not that I perish?’ Remember the Savior's words, "Peace be still."
One of the wisest of the ancient Romans once spoke a great gospel truth and probably never realized he had done so. Speaking of Roman naval power and the absolute imperative to control the oceans, Cicero said to a military aide,
““He who commands the sea has command of everything.””
It was the Son of God who organized the earth. He created the lights in the firmament. He separated the land from the seas. He caused the Red Sea to part so the Israelites could cross over on dry ground. Why should it surprise any that He could speak and the wind and the waves would obey His words. Jesus loves us so much that He willingly suffered for our sins. Then offered up His life as a sacrifice to meet the demands of justice to redeem you and me.