After expounding on the cost of discipleship, Rev. San Ho Bae turned his attention to the purpose of trials in our lives, based on the experience of the disciples amid a strong storm.

The event in Matthew 8, where Jesus calmed the storm, is not merely a record of the past but a living message given to the believers who live today. Although the works Jesus performed on this earth were beyond counting, the biblical writers selectively recorded only the things that were necessary from among all those events. The apostle John says,

There are also many other things which Jesus did… I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written (John 21:25).

Just as a historian selects and records only the events that have historical value, so the Holy Spirit moved the biblical writers to choose and record the events necessary to instruct God’s people, to build up faith, and to make clear the way of salvation. Therefore, every event recorded in Scripture contains God’s intention and purpose and carries a clear message given to us today.

The Sea of Galilee is usually calm, but when a sudden gust of wind descends from the mountains and disturbs the air pressure, the lake instantly turns into a violent storm. Even the disciples, who were former fishermen, were helpless before the storm of that day. The boat began to be swamped, and the fear of death overtook them. Yet even in that desperate moment, Jesus was sleeping in the stern. Only when all their efforts had failed did the disciples finally wake Him and cry out. “Lord, save us; we are perishing” (Matt. 8:25).

This scene goes beyond the disciples’ experience and symbolically shows the life of the believer living in this world. The world is like the Sea of Galilee, and storms strike our lives without warning. Everyone desires a smooth life, but in a world where thorns and thistles have sprung up because of sin, suffering is an unavoidable reality. Even a devout person of God is not exempt from suffering. God neither slumbers nor sleeps (Ps. 121:4), yet there are times when we cry out in suffering and He seems silent. But that does not mean that God is ignoring us or doing nothing. Rather, it is to make us look only to God when every path we relied on has been cut off. God waits until the believer seeks the Lord with a desperate heart. When the disciples were rowing and bailing water, pouring out all their strength, it was not yet the time for the Lord to act. When human methods are completely exhausted, when one acknowledges the helplessness of one’s own ability and seeks the Lord, then the Lord works. Affliction breaks human pride, makes us lay down every refuge we were holding onto, and ultimately leads us to seek God. Only when the storm raged and no method worked did the disciples finally seek the sleeping Jesus who had been with them all along but whom they had not seen.

The life of the believer is like Israel passing through the wilderness. There is no paradise in the wilderness. There are only oases like Elim, where God allows us to rest for a moment so that we do not grow weary. But an oasis is not a place to remain forever; it is only a resting place for a pilgrim who must move on again. God gives rest at times and sends us back on the road at other times so that we do not mistake this world for our final destination. True rest is given at the end of the wilderness journey, in the eternal rest of the kingdom of God. Therefore, the sufferings that come to us at times in this world are not a curse, but the instruments of grace by which God shapes His people into maturity, and they are a necessary part of the pilgrim’s journey toward heaven. Just as grain ripens through the alternation of night and day, so in the believer’s life, through the alternating process of peace and trial, faith deepens and the heart that trusts in God becomes more steadfast. As Jacob confessed before Pharaoh, “Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life” (Gen. 47:9), so every believer living in this world walks a life of ups and downs in which peace and trouble repeat. Just as Jacob’s faith was refined through those difficult years, so we also follow his path and pass through the same process of refinement. Suffering is not meant to destroy us but to make us know God more deeply and cling to Him alone; it is a channel of grace.

Another important lesson in this passage is the fact that when a believer cries out in a moment of crisis, the Lord never turns away. Jesus did not ignore the disciples’ cry. “Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm” (Matt. 8:26). The storms of life come to everyone, but the one who cries out to the Lord is never abandoned. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1). Therefore, the believer must go to the Lord first in times of suffering. It is more important to bow before God than to seek help from people. We must go to the Lord like the disciples who sought Him on the day of trouble. The Lord always has the answer, and He never rejects the one who comes to Him.

Personal Response and Reflection of Rev. Angelito Carillo

The calming of the storm in Matthew 8 reminds us that the struggles of life are not accidents but moments allowed by God to shape our faith. The disciples were experienced fishermen, yet the storm overwhelmed them. Only when their strength failed did they cry out, “Lord, save us!” That cry was not eloquent—it was desperate. And that was enough. Often, we rely on our skills, resources, and connections before turning to God. But storms have a way of stripping these away. When all human solutions are exhausted, God invites us to look to Him alone. The silence of God in suffering does not mean His absence. Jesus was in the boat all along, even when He seemed asleep. This passage teaches us that suffering is not meant to destroy us but to lead us into deeper trust. The Christian life is a journey through the wilderness—with moments of rest, but not permanent comfort. Through trials and peace alike, God refines our faith and teaches us where true security is found. Most importantly, when the believer cries out, the Lord responds. Jesus did not reject the disciples’ plea; He calmed the storm. The same is true today. God remains our refuge and strength, a present help in trouble. Therefore, in every storm of life, our first response must be to cry out to the Lord—because He hears, He cares, and He has the power to bring peace.

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