Today's devotion is adapted from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones sermon "Where is Your Faith?” at mljtrust.org

Where Is Your Faith?

"One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, 'Let us go across to the other side of the lake.' So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, 'Master, Master, we are perishing!' And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, 'Where is your faith?' And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, 'Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?'" (Luke 8:22-25)

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones noted that many Christians live in a state of spiritual terror even though they should be the most confident people on earth. Like the disciples in the storm, we panic despite having Jesus in our "boat."

Notice the situation: Jesus himself had said, "Let us go across to the other side." He had a destination in mind and a plan to reach it. The disciples weren't on this journey alone or without divine purpose. Yet when circumstances turned threatening, they questioned whether Jesus cared about their survival.

How often we do the same! God calls us to a purpose, but when difficulties arise, we question His goodness or commitment to us. Our spiritual depression stems not from our circumstances but from our response to them. The storm wasn't the problem; the disciples' lack of faith was.

Jesus' question—"Where is your faith?"—suggests that faith is not an automatic response but something we must actively exercise. Faith isn't the absence of storms but the confidence that Jesus is Lord over them. The disciples marveled at Christ's authority over creation, yet they had failed to trust that same authority while the storm raged.

Lloyd-Jones emphasized that Christians should never live in a state of terror. Our faith isn't based on changing circumstances but on the unchanging character of Christ. He who commands wind and waves commands all elements of our lives as well.

Today, if you're spiritually depressed by life's storms, ask yourself: "Where is my faith?" Has it retreated into fear, or is it fixed on the Christ who never slumbers? Remember that the same Jesus who calmed the sea is with you in your circumstances.