The Lesson of the Storm
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He Brought Me Here
He Brought Me Here
22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
Did Jesus know that the storm was coming? Certainly! Did He deliberately direct them into the storm? Yes! They were safer in the storm in God’s will than on land with the crowds out of God’s will. We must never judge our security on the basis of circumstances alone.
As we read our Bibles, we discover that there are two kinds of storms: storms of correction, when God disciplines us; and storms of perfection, when God helps us to grow.
Jonah was in a storm because he disobeyed God and had to be corrected. The disciples were in a storm because they obeyed Christ and had to be perfected.
Many Christians have the mistaken idea that obedience to God’s will produces “smooth sailing.” But this is not true. “In the world you shall have tribulation,” Jesus promised (John 16:33).
When we find ourselves in the storm because we have obeyed the Lord, we must remember that He brought us here and He can care for us.
He is Praying For You!
He is Praying For You!
23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
This entire scene is a dramatic picture of the church and the Lord today.
God’s people are on the sea, in the midst of a storm.
Yet Jesus Christ is in heaven “making intercession for us” (Rom. 8:34).
He saw the disciples and knew their plight, just as He sees us and knows our needs.
He feels the burdens that we feel and knows what we are going through
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus was praying for His disciples, that their faith would not fail.
If you knew that Jesus Christ was in the next room, praying for you, would it not give you new courage to endure the storm and do His will? Of course it would. He is not in the next room, but He is in heaven interceding for you. He sees your need, He knows your fears, and He is in control of the situation.
He Will Come To You
He Will Come To You
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
Often we feel like Jesus has deserted us when we are going through the hard times of life.
In the Psalms, David complained that God seemed far away and unconcerned. Yet he knew that God would ultimately rescue him.
Even the great Apostle Paul got into a situation so difficult he felt “burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life”
Jesus always comes to us in the storms of life.
2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; Neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
He may not come at the time we think He should come, because He knows when we need Him the most.
He waited until the ship was as far from land as possible, so that all human hope was gone. He was testing the disciples’ faith, and this meant removing every human prop.
Why did Jesus walk on the water? To show His disciples that the very thing they feared (the sea) was only a staircase for Him to come to them.
Often we fear the difficult experiences of life (such as surgery or bereavement), only to discover that these experiences bring Jesus Christ closer to us.
Why did they not recognize Jesus?
Because they were not looking for Him. Had they been waiting by faith, they would have known Him immediately.
Instead, they jumped to the false conclusion that the appearance was that of a ghost.
Fear and faith cannot live in the same heart, for fear always blinds the eyes to the presence of the Lord.
He Will Help You Grow
He Will Help You Grow
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
This was the whole purpose of the storm, to help the disciples grow in their faith. After all, Jesus would one day leave them, and they would face many storms in their ministries.
They had to learn to trust Him even though He was not present with them, and even though it looked as though He did not care.
Now our center of interest shifts to Peter.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
Before we criticize Peter for sinking, let’s honor him for his magnificent demonstration of faith. He dared to be different.
Anybody can sit in the boat and watch. But it takes a person of real faith to leave the boat and walk on the water.
What caused Peter to sink?
His faith began to waver because he took his eyes off the Lord and began to look at the circumstances around him. “Why did you doubt?” Jesus asked him (Matt. 14:31).
This word translated doubt carries the meaning of “standing uncertainly at two ways.” Peter started out with great faith but ended up with little faith because he saw two ways instead of one.
We must give Peter credit for knowing that he was sinking and for crying out to the Lord for help.
He cried out when he was “beginning to sink” and not when he was drowning. Perhaps this incident came to Peter’s mind years later when he wrote in his first epistle:
12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
This experience was difficult for Peter, but it helped him to grow in his knowledge of himself and of the Lord.
The storms of life are not easy, but they are necessary.
They teach us to trust Jesus Christ alone and to obey His Word no matter what the circumstances may be.
It has well been said, “Faith is not believing in spite of evidence, but obeying in spite of consequence.”