DON’T LOSE SLEEP OVER BAD NEWS

4/14/2025

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:2).

In Luke 8:22-25, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and started out. As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. The disciples went and woke Him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” When Jesus woke up, He rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm. Then He asked them, “Where is your faith?” In other words, they didn’t have to lose their sleep over the fact that the boat was filling with water.

Hold on a moment! What else should they have done? They were in the middle of the sea and the boat was about to capsize and the scripture says in Psalm 50:15, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” So why then did Jesus reprimand the disciples for causing Him to lose His sleep? When Jesus asked, “Where is your faith?” I believe He did so with a surprised look on His face. I am reminded of Philip’s encounter with Jesus in John 14:9-10, “Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” And Jesus’ response in verse 10 said it all. He said, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” Saints, Jesus has brought to us a new way of living. Was Jesus suggesting that we shouldn’t pray when faced with adverse circumstances? Emphatically NO! Jesus was getting the disciples to see that there was something deeper than prayer. Because if you study carefully, the way the disciples acted when they were confronted by that situation tells us a lot about where their faith was. Obviously, they were more afraid of the situation than they were of the Almighty God that was with them. It is clear from their response that they believed that it was possible for the ship to capsize with Jesus in it.

How many times have we seen good Christians get crushed by situations that ought to have been bread for them? At the very moment that they are confronted with the challenge, they lose their faith in the God that has brought them to that point victoriously. And this is what the disciples did in this case. They allowed the shenanigans of the waves short-change them of the power of God that was present with them. Not only was Jesus disappointed that they didn’t recognize the power of His physical presence in that boat, but He was also disappointed that they did not exercise their authority to rebuke the wind and calm the storm. In other words, they could have taken care of the situation without having to wake the Master up from His sleep. The bible says “The disciples were frightened and amazed.” However, I love their response. In unison, they asked one another, "Who is this man? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!” What they didn’t realize at that time was that they were on their way to becoming that kind of a man. Sadly, many still stumble on this simple truth: that today, we are a new kind of people with divinity at work in us like it was with Jesus.

So if Jesus didn’t want to lose His sleep over bad news, then we ought not to lose our sleep over any situation. Because as He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). Is there a storm before you today? Talk to it and go to sleep. 1 Peter 5:7 says “Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you." Don’t allow anxiety to dictate your life. Whatever you are faced with right now only came because you have the solution. So cheer up and refuse to lose sleep over any bad news. Instead, count it all joy (James 1:2) and keep praising your God because you already have the victory.

God Bless You!

Faith Filled Confession:

All things are working together for my good. I refuse to lose sleep or have anxiety over any situation. My faith is working. I count it all joy knowing that my victory is eternal and binding. Hallelujah!