And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” Mark 4:37-40
Sometimes in life, we come up against struggles or trials that are so difficult we feel we might not survive them, or death seems preferable to living through them. Perhaps we get the news that due to a lost job or a failed investment, we are in financial ruin. Or an incurable disease strikes us or someone that we love. Maybe a friend or family member dies through a sudden accident or by violence. Or most commonly, a loved one or we are caught in a sin trap (drunkenness, sexual impurity, gluttony, etc.) from which there seems to be no escape.
Uncertainty and doubts naturally surface and trouble us in difficult times. Some will doubt that God even exists, while others will get stuck on doubting God’s goodness or love.
Looking to Jesus and His wounds dispel these fears, showing us that the worst thing that could ever happen to a human being, death on a cross, was followed by a powerful resurrection from the dead. The cross of Christ and the empty tomb bring comfort to us who need reassurance that God is real, loving, and kind. God came in the Person of Jesus and lived with and for us, died sacrificially, and rose victorious. He is even now preparing a place for us. When we doubt God, we can look to the cross of Christ for the restoration of our faith and joy.
But there is another more insidious doubt that threatens the faith of believers when the struggles of life are weighty, and that is that Christ, His death and resurrection, are insufficient (even irrelevant) to the current difficulty.
The tempting thought is that we need Jesus plus something. The “something” we think we need could be anything - a bank account with money, a cure for our illness, justice for the wrongs against us, an apology, a supportive spouse, loving children, the removal of our difficulty, etc. And while asking God for these things is appropriate and right, we must guard our hearts against the lie of Satan that we cannot experience freedom in Christ or live in righteousness if God answers us with a “no” or “not now.”
About his own discouraging and frustrating struggle, the Apostle Paul prayed, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:8-10
Many Christians have wrongly relegated the sufficiency of the cross of Christ to their eternal salvation, and so they continue to struggle, stumble, and fall in their daily walk. They run here and there, seeking a new solution. But God promises that His grace poured out to us from the cross of Christ is sufficient not only for our salvation but also for our sanctification. We are to look to the cross every day of our lives until the end. For when we do, we find that the blood of Jesus not only saves us from the penalty of sin but also sets us free from the power of sin (1 Peter 1:14-19, Romans 6:18)!
Looking to Jesus, considering all that He endured on the cross, is the way to relieve your doubts about the sufficiency of Christ for the troublesome struggles of your life (Mark 4:35-41, John 8:36). As you look past your storm to see your Savior, you will experience His peace, and your doubts will dissipate. In your sin trap, look up to Jesus and see His nail-pierced hands reaching down to pull you up and out, and you will experience the grace of God, which will teach you to say no to your flesh and yes to walking by the Spirit. Oh, friend, whatever your difficulty, Jesus is enough!