Look For The Hand Of God In Your Storms

Matthew 14:22-33 “22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 …”

Prayer

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Nearly all of us in the house this evening is familiar with storms. We’ve been through some severe natural storms and spiritual storms.

Thanks to the early warning systems, we usually get a warning to take shelter. I have an app on my phone that tells me the time it’s going to start raining in the area I’m in, and when it’s going to stop. And it’s pretty accurate.

But sometimes, those spiritual storms show up out of nowhere. Everything is going one minute and the next the wind is blowing and the waves are about to sink our boat and wash us away.

Sometimes these storms can drain us, and cause us to doubt. These storms have caused a lot of people to give up and turn away from the faith. Turning from their faith to other ways to find peace and during their storms.

We have gone through a COVID storm. It caused wave after wave of sickness and death. It caused an economical storm. And that economical storm caused many other storms.

Because of these storms, we need to be revived. We need to be reminded. We need to be restored.

I want to encourage you through God’s written word tonight and the next two nights. Lord revive us again!

I want to tell you about three waves in a storm…the first wave may catch us off guard, the second wave comes to steal our focus on God, and third wave comes in to drown us.

How many of you know when the enemy comes in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him?

There are three persons we must remember when we’re going through a storm - “THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY GHOST”.

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The disciples had just witnessed Jesus’ compassion when He fed 5,00 people. After Jesus saw that the crowd had become anxious to make Him king, He sent them away and told His disciples to get into a boat and go to the other side.

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The disciples had been rowing for quite some time when a storm came and the waves began to toss the boat they were in, and the waves were about to consume the ship.

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As I read the text, I could see how the wind was tossing and rocking this boat. Wave after wave hitting the boat. When we’re in a spiritual storm, we can be bombarded with one wave after another.

The first wave catches us off-guard. The storm showed up unexpectedly. We didn’t have an early warning.

The second wave comes to steal our focus off of the Lord and what He is able to do for us.

Fear tries to set in but we have to remember what’s written in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

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Like Peter we want to trust the Lord and step out on faith. Like Peter and the rest of the disciples who were obeying the Lord when He told them to get in the boat and leave, we are in the process of obeying the Lord too.

Jesus never promised us we wouldn’t have some storms in our lives. Look at what He said in John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.””

We can be in total submission to God and He will allow us to go through some storms so we can be better equipped to complete our assignment.

It is written in James 1:2-3 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” So you see why there may be storms in our life.

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The disciples were afraid and thought they were seeing a ghost when Jesus walked to them on the water. Jesus told them; “Be of good cheer, It is I; do not be afraid.”

When we’re going through storms, remember what Jesus said to the disciples, “be of good cheer, it is I, don’t be afraid.”

How can we not be afraid and be of good cheer? From the unspeakable joy He gives and the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Peter heard Jesus’ voice and and asked permission to go to Jesus. He wasn’t doing it to test Jesus, maybe he was doing it to test his own faith by doing what He saw His teacher do.

Do we have that kind of faith? Do we have that “Greater works than these ye shall do faith?

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Jesus told Peter to come and Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on water too. But Peter began to pay more attention to the storm than He did to Jesus, and he sank.

This is when the third wave hit! Just as we begin to trust Jesus and do the things He would have us do, the third wave comes and tries to take us under.

I remember watching The Bible series in one of the streaming services on television. They had a scene where Peter stepped out of the boat. Just as he was about to go under, the camera was on the actor who portrayed Jesus hand showed Jesus hand going into the water, caught Peter’s hand and pulled him to safety.

The third wave is when see the hand of the Lord reaching for us, but we won’t see it unless we’re looking for it. We have to be adamant seekers of God when we’re in a storm.

Our faith in Jesus will cause us look for his hand to guide us through the storm.

CONCLUSION

Jesus’ hand will take hold of us and bring us out of the storms of life.

He has guided me through storms. He has guided you through storms.

I have seen Him guide others through their storms.

What storm are you going through right now.

Is it an illness?

Is it a seemingly impossible situation?

Is the wave of a diagnosis trying to take you under?

Is the wave of your past trying to take you under?

Is it a wave of addiction trying to take you under?

Is sin trying to take you under?

Look for the Lord’s hand in your storm…It’s near! He’s here!

Hold to God’s unchanging hand. It’s right here for you? Hold on and get a good grip.

Get a good grip. Hold on to your faith.

Hold on to being obedient to the word of God.

Hold on to His promises - they are yes and amen!

---Song - Hold To God’s Unchanging Hand

Time is filled with swift transition, mm, mm None, none on earth unmoved can stand Build your hopes on things eternal And then hold, hold onto God's unchanging hand

Trust in Him, who will not leave you What, whatsoever the years may bring When your earthly friends forsake you Still, still more closely to Him cling

Everybody oughta hold (on to his hand) Hold to God (God's unchanging hand) Everybody outghta hold (on to his hand) Hold on to God (God's unchanging hand) His unchanging hand Build your hope on things eternal And just hold, hold on to to God's unchanging hand

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