Day 12 Stop freaking out.

Mark 4:39-40 – “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?’”

Devotional
Jesus never panicked.

Think about that. He never freaked out, never ran around in a frenzy, never let anxiety dictate His decisions. He moved with peace, even in the middle of chaos. And yet, if we’re honest, panic is our default response.
• A crisis hits, and we scramble for control.
• A plan fails, and we spiral into worst-case scenarios.
• A storm comes, and we assume the worst about God.

In Mark 4, the disciples found themselves in a storm so fierce they were convinced they were going to die. These weren’t amateur sailors—they had spent their lives on the water. If they were scared, you know the storm was real. And where was Jesus? Asleep in the boat.

Asleep. (#takenapslikeJesus)

That must have been frustrating? The disciples were drenched, terrified, and doing everything they could to keep the boat afloat. And Jesus? He wasn’t scrambling. He wasn’t freaking out. He wasn’t stressed.

He was resting.

They woke Him up, essentially accusing Him of not caring:
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38)

That’s how panic works—it distorts reality. It tells us God is distant, uninterested, even careless. But Jesus stood up, rebuked the storm, and then rebuked them for their fear. The storm wasn’t the real problem—their lack of trust was.

Storytime: Peter in the Waves

Jesus calmed more than one storm.

In Matthew 14, Peter actually walked on water. For a moment, he did the impossible. He moved in the supernatural. But then he did what we all do—he shifted his focus from Jesus to the wind and waves.

And the moment he focused on the storm, he sank. (It happens to all of us.)

Peter didn’t sink because the storm suddenly became more powerful; the wind and waves had been there the entire time. The moment his faith wavered, his ability to walk on water disappeared.

Jesus never moved. He remained right where He had been, standing on the water. The only thing that changed was Peter’s focus.

His circumstances had not shifted, but his perspective had. Instead of looking at the One who called him, he became consumed by what surrounded him. And when that happened, sinking was inevitable.

But here’s the best part: Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him.

That’s the Gospel. Even when we panic, even when our fear drowns our faith, Jesus still grabs hold of us. Even when we fail, Jesus grabs us. Even when we sin, Jesus grabs us. Even when we think we’ve gone too far, been too bad, broken too many rules, He grabs us! That’s the gospel.

What’s Your Storm?
• What’s the crisis that has you in panic mode right now?
• Are you acting as if God is unaware of your struggle?
• What would change if you actually believed He was in control?
• Where are you allowing fear to control your decisions?
• How have you misinterpreted God’s silence as His absence?

Jesus isn’t worried. So why are we?

What This Means for Us
• Jesus never panicked, and neither should we. If He’s not afraid, why should we be? (Mark 4:40)
• Storms reveal our real fears. What we worry about most is where we trust God least. (Matthew 14:31)
• Peace isn’t found in circumstances—it’s found in Christ. (John 14:27)

Do Something:
This week, when anxiety hits, pause and ask yourself one question:
“Is Jesus panicking about this?”
Then respond accordingly. If He’s not worried, you don’t have to be either.
The storm isn’t stronger than the Savior. He’s in the boat. That’s enough.