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So far in Matthew, the author has detailed a lot of interaction between Jesus and the people, as well as Jesus confronting the religious crowd. These verses are really the first glimpse that we see where Jesus interacts with His disciples. One would assume that the initial story of Jesus with His disciples would be a story of faith and commitment to the One whom they had seen heal the sick, confront hypocrisy, and speak with authority; however, this is not the picture we get. Instead we stumble upon a seen of Jesus and His closest followers pushing out into the Sea of Galilee. Suddenly and without warning, a huge storm rises up in the sea and Scripture indicates that the waves were so big that they were overwhelming the boat. I'm not sure about you, but this would freak me out...mostly because I would feel totally out of control. There is something about us that hates to be out of control of a situation. If that is you, you'll be able to relate with the response of the disciples to the storm. Jesus is asleep in the boat and His followers wake Him up saying that they are going to die (8:25). Any normal person would have jumped out of bed and would have also been alarmed at the current danger. But, Jesus responds to their fear by saying why are you scared. The disciples must have looked at Him like "we're about to die and You are yelling at us." Jesus wasn't trying to make them feel guilty, He wanted them to understand that they didn't have to be fearful because He had control over everything. The disciples had witnessed Jesus healing the sick and diseased, but when it came to them, they had a lack of faith that Jesus could intervene in this situation. He didn't just want them to experience His power by observing what He did for others, but also by personal experience. They needed to believe Jesus was God and could step in at any moment. Jesus calms the storm (8:26) and the disciples marveled that He was able to do this. Jesus was God and just like He calmed the storm in the sea, He can also calm the storm in your life. I'm not saying that He will always take it away, but He'll give you the strength to maintain focus during the trial. The same Jesus Who calmed the storm is the same Jesus Who died on the cross for our sin and desires a personal relationship with you.