Called to Be Trusting

Caught in a Storm

Is anyone here afraid of flying?

I have to say, I enjoy it, most of the time.

I guess the only time that fear starts to take over, is when there is a lot of turbulence.

I think probably the scariest experience I had of that was when Coventry City Band were on tour in the United States.

We had got up at around 3:30am on our final day, which was Easter Sunday.

We had travelled into Dallas for the sunrise service at the Temple Corps.

After that service, and breakfast, the Corps then held its usual Holiness Meeting.

By this stage, many of us were tired, and just like those many years on the staff of Summer School, it was time to pray with your eyes open!

It was during this prayer time that there was an almighty thunderclap, that was so loud, it sounded like a car bomb going off outside!

When we got to the airport later in the day to fly back to England, we got onto a rather rickety plane, bearing in mind we're making an internal flight from Dallas to Houston International Airport, and sat on the runway for around 45 minutes.

The pilot explained there was a thunderstorm nearby (no kidding!) and that we were waiting for it to clear before we took off.

Eventually, the plane did take off and the pilot announced they would skirt around the thunderstorm as best as possible.

In my view, they didn’t do a particularly good job!

About half an hour into the flight, the plane was literally shaking from the turbulence.

Bags and instrument cases were bouncing out of the overhead lockers and some of the bandsmen and the people who travelled with us were starting to look rather pale!

What did I do in this situation?

Well, I have to admit, I was probably quietly panicking inside, but I put in place a policy, which I’ve followed ever since, which was to look at the faces of the stewards and stewardesses.

I felt sure that as long as they remained calm and confident, I had nothing to fear.

So now, whenever I experience turbulence on a plane,

I look for the faces of the stewards and stewardesses.

I trust them to keep me safe, no matter what happens.

Peter learnt this lesson too.

Not in a plane, but in a fishing boat.

Not in the skies above Houston, Texas but on the Galilean sea.

Matthew 14:22-34

Matthew 14:22–34 NLT

22 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. 24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” 27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” 28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” 32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed. 34 After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret.

MESSAGE NOTES

The disciples trusted Jesus in a tricky situation

Galilee is a small yet moody lake.

It is vulnerable to the winds that howl out of the Golan Heights.

They can turn the lake into a dangerous blender, blowing first from one direction and then another.

In winter, there are storms every two weeks or so, which churn the waters for two to three days at a time.

Matthew 14:24 NLT

Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.

Peter and the disciples would have known they were in trouble.

Their journeys, from Bethsaida to Gennesaret, should have taken no more than sixty minutes.

The fourth watch of the night would have been around 4 o’clock in the morning, indicating they had been battling with the storm all night long.

Imagine the scene: The boat being pulled left and right.

The utter darkness on the sea.

The rain falling from the night sky in buckets.

Lightning slicing through the blackness.

Winds whipping the sails, leaving the disciples “in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves”, as the New King James Version puts it.

Jesus comes to them in the middle of their storm

In the midst of the storm, Jesus comes to the disciples on the water.

Not surprisingly, I suppose, the disciples were perhaps even more frightened by this, than they were of the storm.

I guess they didn’t expect Jesus to come to them this way.

Neither do we.

We expect to feel his presence when we meet here in worship.

We expect to find him in the form of a quiet song or on a special occasion like Christmas or Easter or on a quiet retreat.

We expect to find Jesus when we wake in the morning and open our Bible and pray to him.

We expect to find him when we meet for fellowship or when we meditate on God’s Word.

But we never expect to see him in a hospital.

We never expect to see him in our workplace.

We never expect to see him in the middle of a family argument.

We never expect to see him in the divorce court.

We never expect to see him in the redundancy interview.

We never expect to see him in a meeting with our bank manager.

We never expect to see him in a terrorist outrage.

We never expect to see him in a war.

For whatever reason, we never expect to see him in a storm.

But as John Ortberg says:

It is in storms that he does his finest work, for it is in storms that he has our keenest attention.

What is Jesus’ response to his disciples’ fear?

Well, it is something worth sticking on your fridge or in your Bible; somewhere you can see it often:

Matthew 14:27 NLT

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”

“I am here”! Three small words but infused with so much power.

Jesus is saying, because I am here, because it is me, trust me.

Imagine coming round in hospital after an operation to hear your husband or wife or close friend say, “I am here”.

Those three words mean so much to a child playing sport or dancing or performing music or some other similar activity and knowing his or her parents are there to watch them.

The words “I am here” change everything.

Perhaps that’s why God repeats them so often in the Bible:

Philippians 4:5 NLT

Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

The Lord is coming soon. Trust him.

John 14:20 NLT

When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

You are in me and I am in you. Trust me.

Matthew 28:20 NLT

Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

I am with you always. Trust me.

John 10:28 NLT

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me,

I give you eternal life, no one can snatch you away from me. Trust me.

Romans 8:38 NLT

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

Trust me.

Peter takes Jesus at his word

And Peter takes Jesus at his word.

He decides that because of all he has seen so far in Jesus’ ministry - including the day before when he’d seen him miraculously feed five thousand men and their women and children from five loaves of bread and two fish - that he can trust this Jesus walking on the water in the middle of the storm.

Matthew 14:28 NLT

Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

We learn so much about Peter’s character from this story!

Always up front? Yes.

Impetuous? Definitely.

Arrogant? It certainly seems that way.

But be in no doubt, Peter is bold.

His faith is bold.

His trust in Jesus is bold.

He calls Jesus, “Lord”, indicating that he has come to the conclusion that this man before him is indeed God.

That he has control over the wind and the waves.

And that he has the power both to order him to come to him on the sea, and the power to enable him to do so.

Peter trusted Jesus.

He knew already that by his power he could do anything he asked of him.

And how does Jesus respond to Peter’s boldness?

He doesn’t say, “don’t be silly, you can’t do that”!

Or, “You don’t have the faith to do that”.

Matthew 14:29 NLT

“Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.

Faith is confidence in Christ.

Faith is trust in him.

Faith is also boldness through Christ.

The safest place to be is to step out in trust

Jesus’ presence encourages Peter to step out of the storm tossed boat and onto the water.

Could it be that Peter saw that the safest place to be at that moment was not in the boat but in the arms of Jesus?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer says:

The disciple may think he is being dragged out of his secure life into a life of absolute insecurity, but in truth he is stepping into the absolute security and safety of Jesus’ fellowship.

Peter got a glimpse of what it is like to trust in Jesus.

We cannot choose whether storms will come in our life or not.

But we can choose whom we are going to trust.

Following Jesus often requires us to step into apparent insecurities in order to find true security.

Jon Walker writes:

In the alleged insecurity of discipleship, we experience the gift of Christ and are enveloped in the grace of God.

It's the paradox of faith: our first step of faith places us in a position where faith becomes possible.

It is by our obedience that we learn to be faithful.

If we refuse to trust and to follow then we never learn how to believe.

Discipleship is Jesus constantly pushing us into new situations where it is possible for us to trust him even more.

Craig Keener writes:

Faith cannot be worked up by formulas or emotion, but it grows through various tests as we continue to trust our Lord and he continues to teach us. Faith grows out of a relationship with the Person of Jesus, and in no other way.

Where is Jesus calling you to act boldly and step out in trust today?

The storm is howling.

The waves are crashing.

You only have to look at the world, and how life seems sometimes to know this is true.

And Jesus is standing on the water, looking straight at you.

The question isn't whether he is there.

He is.

We see that all the way through this passage.

He came to the disciples in the middle of their storm.

He came to Peter when no one else would have dared.

And he comes to us - in our storms, in our struggles, in our uncertainty.

The question is this: what are you going to do about it?

Peter did something extraordinary.

He didn't just believe that Jesus could walk on water.

He didn't just admire the miracle from the safety of the boat.

He called out.

He said, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water."

Do you have that boldness?

Could you call out to Jesus and say, "Tell me to come"?

That is not a small thing.

That is an act of extraordinary trust.

Because what Peter was really saying was this: I believe you enough to risk everything. I trust you enough to leave the only safety I have. I am willing to step out.

Most of us find it much easier to stay in the boat.

And honestly, the boat isn't a bad place.

It's familiar.

It's known.

It feels safer - even when it's being tossed around in a storm.

But Peter knew something that we need to grasp too.

The safest place wasn't in the boat.

The safest place was with Jesus.

Even on the water.

Even in the wind.

Even when it made no sense at all.

So let me ask you the second question: do you have the trust to step out onto the stormy sea?

Because Jesus isn't calling you to have all the answers.

He isn't calling you to have it all worked out.

He simply says, "Yes, come."

And that is enough.

That has always been enough.

Now, I want to be honest with you about something.

Peter stepped out.

He walked on the water.

And then he sank.

He saw the wind.

He felt the waves.

He took his eyes off Jesus, and he began to go under.

Some of us are terrified of that moment.

We are afraid that if we step out and then falter, that will be the end of it.

That our doubt will disqualify us.

That our failure will mean God gives up on us.

But look at what happened.

"Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him."

Immediately.

Not eventually.

Not after Peter had sorted himself out.

Not once he had apologised and promised to do better.

Immediately.

That is the God we trust.

The one who reaches out before we've had a chance to get our words together.

The one who grabs hold of us in our sinking.

The one who uses our very doubt to pull us back to himself.

For me, my stepping out of the boat and onto the water came in finally accepting God’s call to full time ministry in The Salvation Army.

I didn’t have all the answers.

I didn’t fully know what it would like.

I had no idea how Gail would fit into it all.

But I had to trust that God did.

And since then, I’ve made many mistakes.

I’ve had my fair share of failures.

There are things I look back on that I would do differently.

I have no doubt that when I leave Maidenhead and look back, there are things I would have done differently here too.

But praise Jesus, every time I’ve made a mistake, every time I’ve failed him, every time I’ve taken my eye off him, he has reached out and grabbed me.

He’s saved me and pulled me back to himself.

So here is the third question: do you trust that God will use your doubt to pull you up?

Because he will.

He does.

He always has.

Now, that trust - that stepping out - it's going to look different for each of us.

For some of you, this is about going deeper in faith.

You've been sitting in the boat for a while.

Perhaps its the boat of being a part of the congregation, but no more.

Perhaps it’s the boat of being an adherent member.

Perhaps it’s the boat of being a soldier.

Perhaps it’s the boat of being a local officer.

But whatever boat it is, you've been watching others grow.

You've been meaning to speak to someone about being an adherent, or a soldier.

You’ve been meaning to join that Growth group, or to volunteer somewhere in our weekly programme, or to take that next step in your walk with God.

But something has held you back.

Perhaps fear of what people might think.

Perhaps uncertainty about whether you're ready.

Perhaps just the ordinary busyness of life.

Jesus is saying to you today: "Yes, come."

Take the step.

Go deeper.

Trust him with your discipleship - in your home, in your workplace, in your neighbourhood.

Whole-life faith isn't just for Sundays.

It's for every moment.

And he is with you in every one of them.

For others, this is about trusting God in the middle of something really hard.

A health scare.

A broken relationship.

A job that's turned toxic.

A grief that won't lift.

The storm isn't just a metaphor for you - it's your reality right now.

And Jesus is walking across the water toward you.

Not to explain it all.

Not to make it instantly better.

But to say, "Don't be afraid. Take courage. I am here. Trust me”.

You can trust him in this.

Not because the storm will necessarily stop - though it might.

But because he is with you in it.

And for some of you, this is about something even more specific.

You may have felt a pull - a nudge, a quiet sense that won't go away - towards ministry in the Salvation Army.

Perhaps as an officer.

Perhaps as a territorial envoy.

Perhaps in a role of service and leadership that you haven't yet had the courage to name out loud.

Let me be honest with you: the path to ministry isn't always smooth.

It rarely is.

There are questions and doubts and sacrifices involved.

There are moments when you will feel the wind and you will want to climb back into the boat.

But the call of God doesn't depend on your comfort.

It depends on his faithfulness.

And he has never failed yet.

If that call is stirring in you today, don't push it down.

Don't talk yourself out of it.

Talk to me about it.

Pray about it.

Step out, even just a little, and see what Jesus does.

Here is the challenge I want to leave with you.

You are called to be trusting.

Jesus doesn't ask for your perfection.

He doesn't require you to have it all together.

He simply asks for your trust - full, honest, sometimes faltering trust.

The kind of trust that says, "I don't know how this works, but I know who you are, and I'm coming."

So the question isn't whether Jesus is calling you.

He is.

The question is simply this: are you willing to step out of the boat?

Next Steps

On the rather battered plane above Texas, I watched the faces of the stewards and stewardesses.

Trusting that as long as they were calm, I was safe.

That was my strategy for the storm.

But Peter had a better one.

He didn't look at the faces of the people around him.

He looked at the face of Jesus.

And what he saw there gave him the courage to do something none of the others dared to do.

He stepped out.

He faltered. He sank. And Jesus grabbed him.

And that is the whole story of trusting God, right there in one moment on the Galilean sea.

We step.

We falter.

He grabs us.

We walk on together.

That's not failure.

That's faith.

So this morning I want to give you the opportunity to respond to what God has been saying to you.

Maybe you've been in the boat a long time, and today you sense Jesus calling you to step out - into a deeper faith, a new commitment, a place of service.

Maybe you're in the middle of a real storm right now, and you need to know that Jesus is walking toward you. That he is here. That you don't have to face it alone.

Maybe something has stirred in you about ministry - something you've been sitting on for too long - and today is the day to bring it to God honestly and say, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come."

Or maybe you've never really trusted Jesus at all. Maybe today is the day you take that very first step - out of the boat, onto the water, toward him.

Whatever it is, I want to invite you to bring it to the mercy seat.

This isn't a place of performance.

You don't have to have the right words.

You don't have to have it all sorted.

You just have to come.

Just like Peter.

"Yes, come," Jesus said.

He's still saying it.

The mercy seat is open.

Come and kneel.

Come and stand.

Come and sit - I don’t mind!

But come and pray.

Come and trust him - perhaps for the first time, perhaps again, perhaps in a new and deeper way.

Let's sing together now, and if God is calling you, don't wait. Step out of the boat.

"Yes, come," Jesus said.

SB892 - Simply trusting every day

1 Simply trusting every day, Trusting through a stormy way; Even when my faith is small, Trusting Jesus, that is all. Trusting as the moments fly, Trusting as the days go by, Trusting him whate'er befall, Trusting Jesus, that is all. 2 Brightly doth his Spirit shine Into this poor heart of mine: While he leads I cannot fall, Trusting Jesus, that is all. Chorus 3 Singing, if my way be clear; Praying, if the path be drear; If in danger, for him call; Trusting Jesus, that is all. Chorus 4 Trusting him while life shall last, Trusting him till earth be past, Till within the jasper wall; Trusting Jesus, that is all. Chorus Edgar Page Stites (1837-1921)