Why are you so afraid?

What happens when we find ourselves in the middle of life's storms, gripping the sides of the boat while Jesus sleeps peacefully nearby? This exploration of Matthew 8 takes us into that terrifying moment when the disciples faced a furious storm and asked the question we've all asked: 'Lord, save us! We're going to drown!' But Jesus responds with a question that cuts to the heart of our spiritual journey: 'Why are you so afraid?' This message reveals that fear entered human experience at the fall in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve hid from God, declaring they were afraid because they were naked. Before sin, there was no fear. This tells us something profound: when we are in Christ, fear is actually a distortion of reality. The sermon walks us through the four most common fears—loss, failure, rejection, and the unknown—and offers a three-step pathway to freedom: identify your fear by naming it out loud, surrender it completely to God's authority, and refocus by seeking His face and claiming His promises. The contrast between the centurion's great faith and the disciples' little faith reminds us that spiritual maturity often comes through crisis moments when Jesus shows up. When we allow fear to define our reality, faith seems distant. But when we allow faith to put fear to the test, everything changes. The radiance of those who look to the Lord becomes visible to everyone around them.