Where Is Your Faith? A Hard Question From Jesus for a New Year

Text: Luke 8:25 | Reading: Luke 8:22 to 34

At the start of a new year, we often reach for comforting verses—Jeremiah 29:11, perhaps, or Revelation 21:5. But Jesus offers us something different: a probing question. "Where is your faith?" (Luke 8:25). It's not the soft encouragement we might expect, but it's exactly what we need.

See The Context of the Crisis: Faith Tested in the Storm (Luke 8:22-24)

The disciples were doing everything right. Jesus said, "Let's go across the lake," and they obeyed. Yet obedience didn't shield them from the storm. A violent windstorm swept down, the boat began filling with water, and they were in real danger.

And where was Jesus? Asleep. It looked like He didn't care.

In panic, they woke Him. He rebukes the storm, and the chaos stopped instantly. Then came the question:

"Where is your faith?"

The disciples' faith wasn't wrong—it was just in the wrong place. They were anchoring their hope in their own seamanship rather than in the One who commands wind and waves. Storms have a way of revealing what we're really trusting in. And storms don't mean God has abandoned us—He was in the boat the whole time.

Understand The Nature of Faith: What it is/is not

Faith is not the absence of fear. David wrote, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you" (Psalm 56:3)—when, not if. Fear in the face of real danger is human. The question is what we do with that fear.

Faith is also not perfect understanding. It has two parts: remembering who God is, what He's done (Romans 8:32) , and entrusting ourselves to His care (Galations 2:20).

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? – Romans 8:32

The Greek word pistis (πίστις) primarily means faith, but it encompasses a deeper sense of active, loyal trust, belief, faithfulness, and reliability, involving the whole being (mind, heart, actions) rather than just intellectual assent, and can also refer to the object of faith. In short it’s a whole hearted choosing to let someone else carry your hope.

This kind of faith does not have to be huge—it can be as tiny as a mustard seed. Even a small faith in a big God is more powerful than huge confidence in something fragile. Even mustard-seed faith, placed in a big God, moves mountains (Matthew 13:31-32). What matters is not the size of your faith, but its location.

Jesus’ question forces a recalibration: Transfer your faith from what is temporally fearful, to the One who can ultimately save you. Later, Jesus would tell his followers, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

Acknowledge The Destination of Faith: Into Deeper Waters

The Deeper Challenge of Faith

The story doesn't end with Jesus' question. They keep moving (Luke 8:26). After the storm, the disciples didn't check into a resort to recuperate. They sailed on and immediately faced a new challenge: a demon-possessed man on the other side. The storm at sea was practice for a storm on land. Nature's chaos was prepping them for human chaos. The faith learned in the boat is the faith needed to face bigger challenges.

From Personal Peace to Apostolic Power

The disciples wanted peace and quiet. But Jesus was preparing them for bigger challenges. Later, He would give them authority and send them out to proclaim the kingdom and to heal (Luke 9:1–2). "Where is your faith?" was training for a bigger purpose. They wanted a lifeguard, but Jesus was teaching them to become life-savers.

Faith for the Journey, Not Just the Rescue.

The faith that gets us through our storms is the same faith that pushes the church into tough places, through tough times, bringing God's good news to the people and places that need it most. Sometimes Jesus leads us through a rough situation to help someone else on the other side.

The storms of our lives are not random. They are lessons. So we must ask:

Is our faith just for personal comfort, or is it for joining His mission?

Anchoring Our Faith This Year

So, here we are, stepping into a new year, hearing Jesus’ tough question: “Where is your faith?” Let’s answer honestly. Today’s call—Jesus’ tough question and our response—is to move our faith. To make the shift. Let it be:

• In the One who gives the orders for the journey.
• In the One who is right there with you.
• In the One who calms the storm.
• In the One who brings peace even on the other side.

After the hard question comes the great promise:

"I am with you always, to the end of the age" – Matthew 28:20

Step into this new year. The Master of wind and waves has spoken. He’s in the boat with you. Amen.

Speaker: Bro. Phillip Fong