Is He Sleeping When You Are Sinking?

Jesus asleep in the boat while a storm rages around them. The wind howls, the waves crash, the disciples strain at the oars, and panic fills the air. Water pours into the boat; they are exhausted, terrified, and certain they are going to sink. And yet, in the midst of their chaos—Jesus sleeps.

But the Bible also declares, “He that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4).How is this possible? How can the One who never sleeps, sleep? How can divinity rest in the middle of a violent storm? Could it be that Jesus was not sleeping in the way we imagine—but that His disciples mistook His divine calm for indifference? Was He truly asleep, or was His stillness a revelation of perfect peace?

Your Perception Matters

When Jesus walked into the house of Jairus, the people were weeping and wailing because the little girl had died. Yet Jesus said, “She is not dead but sleeping.” The crowd could not comprehend what He meant; to their eyes, death was final. But their perception could not grasp the divine perspective.

The same is true in the storm. When we think Jesus is sleeping, perhaps He is not absent but simply operating from a higher reality. The Word of God tells us that the One who guards Israel never slumbers. So, what do we see when we say, “Jesus is asleep”? Are we perceiving His physical rest, or do we recognize the Messiah whose very presence carries authority over all creation?

After the storm, the disciples asked one another, “Who is this man, that even the wind and the waves obey Him?” Their perception was incomplete. They saw the human form of Jesus, but not yet the full revelation of His divinity.

Your Expectation Matters

The disciples cried out, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?” Their words reveal a heart full of expectation—not of faith, but of fear. They expected Jesus to respond the way a human would: to wake up, to panic, to act immediately according to their sense of urgency.

But God does not move according to our anxiety. Sometimes, it would be beneath His divine nature to perform simply because we are afraid. The Creator of heaven and earth is not obligated to meet our emotional expectations. He is not moved by panic; He is moved by purpose.

Often, we do not want God to be God—we want Him to behave like us. We want Him to act within our timelines, to fit our logic, to respond to our cries in ways that make sense to our fear. Yet His sovereignty is not dictated by our expectation. He will never come down from His divinity to comfort our unbelief.

Your Understanding Matters

The disciples were not strengthened in that moment; they were confused. They could explain the sea, the waves, and the storm—but they could not explain the One in their boat.

As Scripture says, “He appeared in human form.” But just because you recognize an appearance does not mean you comprehend the essence. They knew Jesus as a teacher, a healer, a miracle worker—but not yet as the eternal Word made flesh.

Many walk with Jesus yet fail to understand the mystery of His divinity. The appearance may seem ordinary, but the depth is divine. To the disciples, He was asleep. But to Heaven, He was in full control.

Your Gaze Matters

When the disciples fixed their eyes on the storm, they lost sight of the Savior. Their focus shifted from faith to fear. Their minds were filled with the details of the problem—the power of the wind, the force of the waves—but empty of the revelation of who was with them.

The more they gazed at the storm, the greater it seemed. The more they analyzed their problem, the less they remembered the power of their God.

How often do we do the same? We magnify the storm instead of magnifying the Lord. We can describe our problems in great detail, yet  we lose sight of the One who holds the universe in His Word.

If the disciples had turned their gaze toward Jesus, they would have realized that this storm was not meant to be fought in human strength but through divine authority. The result of their fear would have been faith.

Your Submission Matters

In the storm, the disciples gave themselves fully to controlling the boat. They fought the waves, strained at the oars, and exhausted their strength. But submission to the battle is not the same as submission to God.

The Bible says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Instead of submitting to Jesus, they submitted to the storm. Many believers today fall into the same trap—pouring all their energy, focus, and emotion into fighting the situation, while leaving the place of surrender at the feet of Christ.

When you give yourself entirely to the storm, it has already overpowered you. It drains your energy, consumes your focus, and steals your peace. Your first position in any storm is not to fight, but to sit at the feet of Jesus.

Victory begins in surrender.