How to Find Peace in the Midst of Your Storm

Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive Outline

Outline

Introduction

I. I Am Governed by His Providence

II. I Am Growing by His Plan

III. I Am Graced by His Prayers

IV. I Am Gladdened by His Presence

V. I Am Guarded by His Power

VI. I Am Guided by His Purpose

Conclusion

Introduction

Be finding John chapter 6, please—the Word of God. If you did not bring a Bible with you, there is most likely one there in the pew before you. Find John chapter 6. When you’ve found it, look up here and let me tell you what I want to do this morning. I want to introduce you to an old friend that you’ve known for a long time, but you didn’t know he was a friend.

Now, what is a friend? Well, a friend is somebody that makes you a better person. Isn’t that what a friend is? The Bible says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” (Proverbs 27:17) What that means is this: that a true friend will put an edge on your life. A true friend will make you a sharper person. Now my friends do that for me—my best friends do. Sometimes a friend will love you so much that he will even hurt you in order to help you. The Bible says in the book of Proverbs, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” (Proverbs 27:6)

How would you like to have a friend—a friend that would help you to live a clean life? How would you like to have a friend that would draw you closer to Jesus? How would you like to have a friend that would give you more strength? How would you like to have a friend that would help you to win your loved ones to Jesus Christ? How would you like to have a friend that would make you a mature believer in the Lord Jesus? Well, you already have that friend—and his name is trouble. Trouble: that’s the name of this strange friend. That’s what we’re going to be talking about today.

Look, if you will, in John chapter 6—this is a time when the disciples got in trouble—and verse 15: “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea, and entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.” (John 6:15–21)

Many times it’s been my privilege to visit the land of Israel—and what a glorious place that is—but I suppose my favorite place in the land of Israel is by the shore of Galilee. And my favorite time in Israel is the evening time by the shore of Galilee. There’s a little hotel that I enjoy, sitting out back on the little wharf that goes out into the Sea of Galilee, and watching the sun as it reflects there while it is setting on the Golan Heights. To see the birds fly over that sea, to feel the gentle breeze—it’s so tranquil! It is so wonderful! It is so beautiful! It’s almost intoxicating to sit there and see that Sea of Galilee. The old rabbis used to say that God made all of the other bodies of water, all of the other seas, and then He made Galilee just for Himself, to be a thing of beauty, and a thing of enjoyment.

Now I thought of that when I read this scripture, because the Bible says it was evening time at Galilee when this took place that I am about to tell you. It was the eventide; it was the twilight, and that most beautiful, tranquil time. Jesus had just fed the five thousand. The crowds were clamoring after Him because of the miracles that He had done. They wanted to make Him a king. But He had no interest in being that kind of a king, so Jesus withdrew Himself up to a mountain to pray, to get away from the clamoring miracle-mongers, and He sent the disciples down to the sea to go across the Sea of Galilee.

And I can just see that scene. I envision the moon there in the beautiful sky like a gardenia pinned on the lapel of the night. I can feel the gentle breeze as it kissed their cheeks like the kiss of a baby. And these are seasoned sailors, and there they set sail because our Lord has told them—as a matter of fact, He has constrained them—to do what they’re about to do. Little aware that any trouble is coming, but they are sailing into the teeth of a storm. And the Bible says suddenly the wind arose.

Have you ever been there? Everything seems to be wonderful; everything seems to be beautiful. You’re sailing along. You’re like the disciples were that night. They were so full of joy and peace. They’d seen their Master feed five thousand. They were filled with the sense of exhilaration and power. After all, they were following Him, and He was a miracle worker. Besides that, they’d eaten, and they were filled with bread and fish. And then, it happened: the winds become boisterous, and greedy waves reached up to pull them down to devour them, and water now is filling the boat. Now the wind is contrary. The moon is hidden. It is dark. As a matter of fact, the Bible teaches that it’s the darkest hour of the night. And they’re rowing, and their backs are aching. Their hands are paralyzed with fear, but they can’t stop rowing. They’re right out in the middle of the sea. They rowed for two or three miles against that gale. They can’t go back, and it’s difficult to go forward. It’s too far to swim to the shore. And the shoreline is lost in the inky blackness, and they’re filled with despair. They’re going to find out that Jesus is God’s answer to man’s despair.

Maybe you’ve been there. Maybe you’re not there. Maybe everything is fine for you. Maybe it is smooth sailing for you right now. If so, just wait—just wait. I mean, you, sooner or later, you’re going to find the winds are going to begin to blow, and things are going to seem to reverse on you. If you’re having smooth sailing now, I’m grateful. I want you to enjoy it. But I want to give you six anchors that will help you to ride out the storm. When the storm comes, there are six things I want you to be able to say to find out that Jesus is God’s answer to man’s despair. These are six anchors of the soul—wonderful, wonderful lessons that we get from this passage of Scripture!

I. I Am Governed by His Providence

The first thing you need to say when you find yourself in a storm is this: I am governed by His providence. Write it down: I am governed by His providence. This storm did not take the wave walker, the Lord Jesus, by surprise. Are you telling me the One who had the power to still the waves and walk on water was surprised that this storm came up? As a matter of fact, the Bible says He’s the One that “commandeth and raiseth stormy seas.” (Psalm 107:25) He’s the One who created Galilee so long ago. And the Bible tells us over in Matthew chapter 14, verse 22, He “constrained His disciples.” (Matthew 14:22) He constrained them to go and get in the ship. They were not there because they were out of the will of God. They were there because they were in the will of God.

And perhaps you’re right now in the eye of the storm—that’s right now. It looks like your little boat is sinking. Right now, the icy water is reaching up for you. Right now, it’s so dark you cannot see your hand before your face. Right now, every wind seems to be contrary to you. I want to tell you something, friend. There is nothing that comes to you that He does not cause or allow. One way or the other, His providence is there. Not a drop of water in the Sea of Galilee was there without His permission.

II. I Am Growing by His Plan

So, put it down. First of all, I am governed by His providence. Whether I can see it, whether I can understand it or not, it is a fact that God has not relinquished His rule upon His universe. Second anchor of the soul: I am growing by His plan. I am governed by His providence. I am growing by His plan. What is God’s plan for you? God wants to enlarge you, not indulge you. God is not nearly so interested in making you happy, and healthy, as He is holy. And so God will put you into trouble. The Lord Jesus engineered these problems for His disciples, because He wants to develop us. In Psalms chapter 4, verse 1, the psalmist has said this: “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” (Psalm 4:1)

Now, you think about that: “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” Think about the times when you have grown the most. When have been those times when you have developed and been enlarged spiritually? It’s when your friend trouble came along—your old pal named trouble. And that’s when you’ve been stretched; and that’s when you’ve been enlarged. We all enjoy not having trouble; but, folks, I want to tell you—and I can give this testimony—that I have grown the most in my own life in times of deepest despair.

I know that when Joyce and I had a little baby boy to step over into heaven, we grew a quantum leap in that period of time. I know when I had a daughter to go through deep, deep heartache and distress, God stretched my heart, my life. I would never want it to happen again; but it did happen. And I’m here to tell you that I’m a better person because of it.

And many of us can think of the storms we have gone through.

I walked a mile with Pleasure;

She chatted all the way;

But left me none the wiser

For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow,

And ne’er a word said she;

But, oh! The things I learned from her,

When sorrow walked with me.

—ROBERT BROWNING HAMILTON

Isn’t that true? “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” Fate, like film, is developed best in the dark. I don’t know why it is, but that is true. These are the things that will enlarge us. Remember when Joshua and Caleb were sent out to spy out the land of Israel, and there were twelve spies that were sent out, and ten came back and gave a bad report? They said, “Well, it’s a land filled with milk and honey, corn and oil, and wine and pomegranate and grapes. It’s wonderful! Hills and valleys! And you can dig iron out of those hills. Rivers, mountains, beautiful fertile plains! But there are giants in the land. The sons of Anak—they’re called Anakim—these Anakim, these are terrible giants. We can’t go into that land, because if we do, we’ll go into war; and, well, they’re so big we felt like grasshoppers. And Caleb said—and I love what Caleb said—Caleb said in Numbers 14, verse 9, “Rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us”—bread, not bred. (Numbers 14:9) Not that they were created for us, but bread. They’re food for us. They’re bread for us.

Now, what did he mean by that? What happens when you eat bread? You strengthen yourself; you grow. Now, what Caleb said is, “These difficulties are there to make us grow. They are bread for us. We can do it.” You will never grow until you eat the bread that God sets before you—and often it is trouble. Anakim are the breakfast of champions. To grow, you have to have difficulty.

III. I Am Graced by His Prayers

So, first thing: I’m governed by His providence. Number two: I am growing by His plan. Number three: I am graced by His prayers. What was the Lord Jesus doing up on that mountaintop? When the Lord Jesus sent them down to the sea, and He went up to the mountain, do you know what He had right there? He had a vantage. He saw the whole thing. He saw them rowing. He saw the clouds as they begin to rage and boil. He saw the sea as the waves begin to rise. He saw it all. And what was He doing up there? He was praying. He was praying. They may not have known that He had His eye upon them; but He did. Put in your margin Mark chapter 6, verse 47: “And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he”—Jesus—“alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing”—“he saw them toiling in rowing.” (Mark 6:47–48) They didn’t see Him; He saw them. And He never took His eye off of them.

And what was He doing there on that mountain? He was praying for them. He was interceding for them. Are you in the midst of a storm? You can say, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” He’s watching over you, and He is praying for you. The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 7 and verse 25, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)

Sometimes people will say to me casually and almost carelessly, almost sometimes flippantly, “Put me on your prayer list.” And I don’t say it out loud, but sometimes I think, “Fat chance!” You say, “You’re so hard-hearted.” No, I’m not. You can’t pray for everybody. You can’t pray for everything. If you try to pray for everybody and everything, your prayer list will become a stagnant swamp rather than a controlled river. God will lay prayer burdens upon you heart, and God will tell you who to pray for. Oh, I pray generally for a person; but, friend, when somebody tells me that they pray for me every day, tears generally pop to my eyes. I think there are almost six billion people on the face of this earth; if somebody is praying for you, you’re blessed. You’re blessed if somebody is praying for you. And I am blessed that people pray for me. And don’t think I don’t pray for others. I pray for a lot of people, as I have already this morning. You don’t understand what I’m saying. I’m just simply saying this: that if you’re on somebody’s prayer list, you’re blessed.

But now, you listen to me. You are on Jesus’ prayer list. You! He knows you! “The very hairs of your head are … numbered.” (Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7) You’re not an incident; you’re not an accident. He doesn’t love us all; He loves us each. He was watching them right in the eye of the storm. He was there. They couldn’t see Him, but He could see them.

IV. I Am Gladdened by His Presence

I am governed by His providence. I am growing by His plan. I am graced by His prayers. I’ll tell you another thing: When I’m in the storm, I am gladdened by His presence. Write it down: I am gladdened by His presence.

Look, if you will, in verse 17. The Bible says, “And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.” (John 6:17) But then, down to verse 20: “But he saith unto them, It is I;”—“here I am”—“be not afraid.” (John 6:20) Now it’s the fourth hour when Jesus does this. The fourth hour is the hour between three and six a.m. It’s the darkest hour of the night. And in the darkest hour, Jesus came. Question: Why did He not come sooner? Was He cruel? Was He just wanting them to suffer? I can imagine them there with their backs aching, looking into the mouth of a watery grave there, asking, “Where’s Jesus? Where is Jesus? If He could feed five thousand, where is Jesus?” He had His eye on them all the time. He was praying for them all of the time. He had not forgotten them.

You know, the problem was not that He had forgotten them; they had forgotten Him, in the real sense of the word. By the way, just put in your margin here again Mark chapter 6, verses 51 and 52. Here’s something almost humorous. The Bible says—it gives the same story: “And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.” And now, listen to verse 52: “For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.” (Mark 6:51–52) Remember when He fed the five thousand? What was the miracle of the loaves? He fed five thousand. Now, here they are—they’ve seen Him feed the five thousand—and how many baskets full were left over? How many? Twelve. So here’s every disciple with a basket of bread right at his feet—I mean, there right between his feet. Here is a basket of bread, one basket for every disciple. And the Bible says they forgot all about it. They forgot the miracle of the loaves.

That’s the reason, friend, you need more than miracles to live on. You need Jesus—you need Jesus. How easily we forget miracles! And here they are saying again, “Give us another miracle”—“Give us another miracle.” But what they needed was not a miracle; they needed the miracle worker, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Now He waited for a while before He came to them. He waited, because He came to them strategically at exactly the right time. The Bible says in Isaiah chapter 30 and verse 18, “Therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you.” (Isaiah 30:18) I could not help but think of the song that you sang, Brother Marty, just before I preached, about waiting on the Lord, and crying to God out of the depths. That’s what we need to learn to do.

Many times the Lord will deliberately delay, that He may be gracious to us. When Lazarus died, they sent for Jesus, and the Bible tells us, rather than Jesus coming immediately at their request and behest, that Jesus demurred. He waited. He held back until Lazarus was dead. And if you read John 11—we’ll get to it in a little while when we’re preaching on these miracles—He said this: “Lazarus is dead. And I’m glad.” (John 11:14–15) What? That’s what He said: “Lazarus is dead, and I’m glad”—because He had something greater.

Suppose the Lord had come when Mary had pouted and Martha had rebuked Him: “Why did you wait?” Suppose He’d come sooner, and laid His hand upon the fevered brow of Lazarus, and healed Lazarus. Well, just one more person that Jesus healed. Some people would have said, “You know, he might have gotten better anyway. I mean, after all, even, you know, people get better sometime. How do we know it was a miracle?” I’ll tell you one thing. When He raises the dead, they don’t say, “It might happen anyway,” isn’t that right?

You see, He had a plan. And that plan was the greater glory. God waited four thousand years before He sent the Lord Jesus Christ into this world after He made that promise—four thousand years, forty centuries—but the Bible says He came in the fullness of time: (Galatians 4:4) never late, never ahead of time, never in a hurry.

Put this verse down—Habakkuk 2 and verse 3—and it’s a great verse for you if you’re in trouble: “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it”—“wait for it.” (Habakkuk 2:3) And so I’m gladdened by His presence. He will come to me, and His eye’s upon me as He prays for me.

V. I Am Guarded by His Power

Here’s the fifth anchor of the soul that I want you to write it down: When I’m in trouble, I am guarded by His power. Look, if you will, in verse 20: “But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.” (John 6:20) I don’t know who first said this, but I one hundred percent agree with it. The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you. The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you. That’s everlastingly true. Now Jesus had said to these disciples, “Go over to the other side.” He said, “Go over.” (Matthew 14:22) He did not say, “Go under.” He had a plan for them. And so they see Him. When all of these waves are there, here He comes walking on the water. You know, I if I could have been there in the days of His flesh, many times I would have liked to have seen Him; but if I just had my choice, I would choose this one. I can just see that kingly form, with the wind in His hair, putting His footsteps on the sea, His garments billowing back, smiling at the storm. Wouldn’t you love to see Jesus walking on the water?

And so, here He comes. At first they say, “What is that? Who is that?” They begin to draw back in terror. They think it’s a phantom, a ghost. They don’t know what it is. But soon the terror is turned to joy, because they hear Him say, “It is I; be not afraid.” (John 6:20) But now, let me tell you something. What He literally said is, “Don’t be afraid; I am.” That’s exactly what He said. “I am”—not, “I am afraid”—“I am”—“I am.” What He used was the name for Jehovah, the most sacred name to the Jews. When Moses said, “Who shall I say sent me when I tell Pharaoh to let my people go?” Jehovah said, “You tell them I AM sent you.” (Exodus 3:13–14)

Yesterday, He wasn’t “I was”; He was “I AM.” Today, He is I AM, and tomorrow He is not “I will be tomorrow”; He is I AM. He is I AM. I AM. I AM. “There never was a time when I was not. I am the great eternal God, and I was when this pond wasn’t even a vapor. Don’t be afraid. I am. I am guarded by His power.” What is I AM? It is a declaration, a proclamation of presence, a promise of abundance. He is the I AM in the midst of your storm.

Now, why did He walk on the water? Was this theatrics? Oh, no, no! Was He just saying, “Look at me: I can walk on water”? No, there’s a message in the miracle, a significance in the sign, something that goes beyond the miracle, something for your heart today when you’re in trouble. And what is it? Listen. When they saw Him walking on the water, what was their biggest problem? That water. What He was saying to them was this: “What looks like is going to be over your head is already under my feet.” Did you get it? “What you think is going to be over your head is already under my feet.” Don’t forget that. Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation. Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) We’re overcomers in the Lord Jesus Christ. You’ve got problems; you’ve got heartaches; you’ve got fears and tears. You are guarded by His power. You are. He is to you the great I AM.

I wish I had more time to finish that, but I AM is an unfinished sentence. I am what? You fill in the blank. “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35) “I am the water of life.” (Revelation 21:6) “I am the door.” (John 10:7, 9) “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) “I am the great I AM in the midst of your storm.”

VI. I Am Guided by His Purpose

And here’s the last and final anchor of the soul I want to give you this morning: Not only am I guarded by His power; but I am guided by His purpose—I’m guided by his purpose. Look up here, and let me tell you something. God has not promised you smooth sailing. He has promised you a safe landing. He said, “Go over to the other side.” (Matthew 14:22) Now, look, if you will, in verse 21: “Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.” (John 6:21) There were two miracles—actually three. He suspends the law of gravity, but also overrules the laws of time and space. Just like that, they’re there. I mean, here they are rowing, their backs aching, their brows mingled with perspiration and seawater. When Jesus comes aboard, immediately, there they are at the shore.

What does that mean? It means He has a purpose. You can bank on it—no pun intended—He’ll see you to the shore. Well, maybe there was a pun intended—I have to apologize. Now Andrew Murray said this: “God is willing to assume the full responsibility for the life totally yielded to Him”—“God is willing to assume the full responsibility for the life totally surrendered to Him.” And He brought them to the destination.

Conclusion

You may have trouble, you may have tears and heartaches; but I’m going to promise you something on the authority of the Word of God. You are predestined to be like Jesus, and “all things will work together for good to those who love Him, who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) One of these days—one of these days—your destiny will be fulfilled. For the Bible says in Philippians 1:6, “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it.” And let me tell you something, folks. If you’re in trouble right now, His eye is on you. He’s praying for you. He will come to you. And I can promise you this: He is going to see you through. Did you hear me? You say, “Adrian, who are you to promise?” I’m not promising. I’m repeating a promise. He said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5) He will see you through.

And one of these days, soon and very soon, He is going to step down from the mountain of His glory. And then, walking on water will be like child’s play, because He’ll be stepping on the clouds. And He’s coming to us. As the barometer is falling, and the winds are whipping, and the storms are coming, and we say, “What is the world coming to?” it’s coming to Jesus, because Jesus is coming to this world. And He’s going to step out of the glory, with the rainbow wrapped around His shoulders, and with victory on His face as the great I AM. And the trumpet will sound. And our little ship will leave the sea of time. And immediately we’ll be on the shores of eternity. When He comes! When He comes! He is the great I AM. What a Savior!

Outline

Introduction

Introduction

I. I Am Governed by His Providence

I. I Am Governed by His Providence

II. I Am Growing by His Plan

II. I Am Growing by His Plan

III. I Am Graced by His Prayers

III. I Am Graced by His Prayers

IV. I Am Gladdened by His Presence

IV. I Am Gladdened by His Presence

V. I Am Guarded by His Power

V. I Am Guarded by His Power

A. A Proclamation of Presence

VI. I Am Guided by His Purpose

B. An Announcement of Abundance

Conclusion

VI. I Am Guided by His Purpose

Introduction

Conclusion

Be finding John chapter 6, please—the Word of God. If you did not bring a Bible with you, there is most likely one there in the pew before you. Find John chapter 6. When you’ve found it, look up here and let me tell you what I want to do this morning. I want to introduce you to an old friend that you’ve known for a long time, but you didn’t know he was a friend.

Introduction

Now, what is a friend? Well, a friend is somebody that makes you a better person. Isn’t that what a friend is? The Bible says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” () What that means is this: that a true friend will put an edge on your life. A true friend will make you a sharper person. Now my friends do that for me—my best friends do. Sometimes a friend will love you so much that he will even hurt you in order to help you. The Bible says in the book of Proverbs, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” ()

Will you take God’s Word and be finding John chapter 6. In a few moments, we’re going to begin reading in verse 16. But we’re going to be talking a little bit about troubles, heartaches, tears, disappointments: what we would call “the storms of life.” We go to the doctor and we get a bad report, or we don’t know what the next telephone call is going to bring.

How would you like to have a friend—a friend that would help you to live a clean life? How would you like to have a friend that would draw you closer to Jesus? How would you like to have a friend that would give you more strength? How would you like to have a friend that would help you to win your loved ones to Jesus Christ? How would you like to have a friend that would make you a mature believer in the Lord Jesus? Well, you already have that friend—and his name is trouble. Trouble: that’s the name of this strange friend. That’s what we’re going to be talking about today.

Look, if you will, in John chapter 6—this is a time when the disciples got in trouble—and verse 15: “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea, and entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.” ()

In the Book of Proverbs: () “27 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring”. None of us know what the next phone call will bring; for good or bad, we just don’t know. There are storms that come to us.

27 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

for you do not know what a day may bring.

” . None of us know what the next phone call will bring; for good or bad, we just don’t know. There are storms that come to us.

Now the Lord here, in His ministry in Galilee, was with His disciples, and they were in a storm. And we’re going to read about that, and then, we’re going to learn some wonderful lessons about how to find peace—how you can find peace in the midst of your storm, because we all have storms.

Many times it’s been my privilege to visit the land of Israel—and what a glorious place that is—but I suppose my favorite place in the land of Israel is by the shore of Galilee. And my favorite time in Israel is the evening time by the shore of Galilee. There’s a little hotel that I enjoy, sitting out back on the little wharf that goes out into the Sea of Galilee, and watching the sun as it reflects there while it is setting on the Golan Heights. To see the birds fly over that sea, to feel the gentle breeze—it’s so tranquil! It is so wonderful! It is so beautiful! It’s almost intoxicating to sit there and see that Sea of Galilee. The old rabbis used to say that God made all of the other bodies of water, all of the other seas, and then He made Galilee just for Himself, to be a thing of beauty, and a thing of enjoyment.

Begin in verse 16: “When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”—now, just underscore the last part of that phrase, there—“don’t be afraid” ().

Now I thought of that when I read this scripture, because the Bible says it was evening time at Galilee when this took place that I am about to tell you. It was the eventide; it was the twilight, and that most beautiful, tranquil time. Jesus had just fed the five thousand. The crowds were clamoring after Him because of the miracles that He had done. They wanted to make Him a king. But He had no interest in being that kind of a king, so Jesus withdrew Himself up to a mountain to pray, to get away from the clamoring miracle-mongers, and He sent the disciples down to the sea to go across the Sea of Galilee.

Did you know, some 365 times in the Bible—one time for every day of the year—God has told us not to be afraid. In one way or another, He said “be not afraid,” or “fear not.” 365 times He tells us not to be afraid. The devil is the sinister minister of fear; but our Lord tells us not to be afraid.

And I can just see that scene. I envision the moon there in the beautiful sky like a gardenia pinned on the lapel of the night. I can feel the gentle breeze as it kissed their cheeks like the kiss of a baby. And these are seasoned sailors, and there they set sail because our Lord has told them—as a matter of fact, He has constrained them—to do what they’re about to do. Little aware that any trouble is coming, but they are sailing into the teeth of a storm. And the Bible says suddenly the wind arose.

Now remember, they are in a storm. He says: “It is I; don’t be afraid. Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. ” ().

Have you ever been there? Everything seems to be wonderful; everything seems to be beautiful. You’re sailing along. You’re like the disciples were that night. They were so full of joy and peace. They’d seen their Master feed five thousand. They were filled with the sense of exhilaration and power. After all, they were following Him, and He was a miracle worker. Besides that, they’d eaten, and they were filled with bread and fish. And then, it happened: the winds become boisterous, and greedy waves reached up to pull them down to devour them, and water now is filling the boat. Now the wind is contrary. The moon is hidden. It is dark. As a matter of fact, the Bible teaches that it’s the darkest hour of the night. And they’re rowing, and their backs are aching. Their hands are paralyzed with fear, but they can’t stop rowing. They’re right out in the middle of the sea. They rowed for two or three miles against that gale. They can’t go back, and it’s difficult to go forward. It’s too far to swim to the shore. And the shoreline is lost in the inky blackness, and they’re filled with despair. They’re going to find out that Jesus is God’s answer to man’s despair.

Maybe you’ve been there. Maybe you’re not there. Maybe everything is fine for you. Maybe it is smooth sailing for you right now. If so, just wait—just wait. I mean, you, sooner or later, you’re going to find the winds are going to begin to blow, and things are going to seem to reverse on you. If you’re having smooth sailing now, I’m grateful. I want you to enjoy it. But I want to give you six anchors that will help you to ride out the storm. When the storm comes, there are six things I want you to be able to say to find out that Jesus is God’s answer to man’s despair. These are six anchors of the soul—wonderful, wonderful lessons that we get from this passage of Scripture!

Now the background for this passage of Scripture: It had been a wonderful day. Now Jesus Christ had been with His disciples, teaching them, and He had performed miracles. He fed the five thousand. So the disciples were full. They were full of success. They were full of knowledge. They were full of self-confidence. And they were full of a banquet of fish and bread. And it was a wonderful evening. And perhaps, the moon was there, in the sky, snuggled like a gardenia on the lapel of the night. And a gentle breeze, soft as a baby’s breath, kissed their cheeks. And so these disciples, who are seasoned sailors, get in their boat and take sail to go to the other side of the sea, rejoicing in such a wonderful day. And then, it happened.

I. I Am Governed by His Providence

Now the background for this passage of Scripture: It had been a wonderful day. Now Jesus Christ had been with His disciples, teaching them, and He had performed miracles. He fed the five thousand. So the disciples were full. They were full of success. They were full of knowledge. They were full of self-confidence. And they were full of a banquet of fish and bread. And it was a wonderful evening, perhaps like the evening that I just described, when sometimes we sit there and bask in the beauty. And perhaps, the moon was there, in the sky, snuggled like a gardenia on the lapel of the night. And a gentle breeze, soft as a baby’s breath, kissed their cheeks. And so these disciples, who are seasoned sailors, get in their boat and take sail to go to the other side of the sea, rejoicing in such a wonderful day. And then, it happened.

Then, it happened, just like that. The wind begins to rise. The clouds darken the moon and the stars, and an angry wind begins to beat the sea with its fist. And the water rises up and slaps these disciples in the face. And the water that’s on the outside of the boat begins to come on the inside of the boat and fill the boat. And they’re now out there, in the middle of the sea. And it’s dark, and the wind is contrary to them, and they can’t even see their hand before their face. And that Sea of Galilee that had been as quiet as a mill pond, now, has become a dangerous deathtrap. And these seasoned sailors are filled with fear. They bend their backs to the oars. It’s too far from the shore to swim. The waves are too boisterous. They have an idea that they are going down.

The first thing you need to say when you find yourself in a storm is this: I am governed by His providence. Write it down: I am governed by His providence. This storm did not take the wave walker, the Lord Jesus, by surprise. Are you telling me the One who had the power to still the waves and walk on water was surprised that this storm came up? As a matter of fact, the Bible says He’s the One that “commandeth and raiseth stormy seas.” () He’s the One who created Galilee so long ago. And the Bible tells us over in Matthew chapter 14, verse 22, He “constrained His disciples.” () He constrained them to go and get in the ship. They were not there because they were out of the will of God. They were there because they were in the will of God.

And perhaps you’re right now in the eye of the storm—that’s right now. It looks like your little boat is sinking. Right now, the icy water is reaching up for you. Right now, it’s so dark you cannot see your hand before your face. Right now, every wind seems to be contrary to you. I want to tell you something, friend. There is nothing that comes to you that He does not cause or allow. One way or the other, His providence is there. Not a drop of water in the Sea of Galilee was there without His permission.

And on top of all of this, where is Jesus? Why hasn’t He come to them? Why has He forsaken them? And then, they see Him. He’s walking on the water. That doesn’t bring them joy. Now their fear has turned to raw terror. Who? What is that walking on the water? Is it a phantom? Is it a ghost? And then, they recognize—it’s Jesus, the wave walker, walking on the water. And He speaks to them, and He says, “Don’t be afraid.” In another Gospel, He says, “Be of good cheer; it is I” (). And they receive Him into their boat. And when they do—watch this—immediately, they’re on the shore.

II. I Am Growing by His Plan

Well, are you in a storm? You say, “No, Pastor, I’m not in a storm.” Well, I’m glad for you. Enjoy the trip; enjoy the trip. Have a good time. Really, I’m serious. We’re fools if we don’t enjoy the good times of life. If you are not in a storm, right now, I am happy for you. Enjoy it. But wait a while; just wait a while. Sooner or later, you are going to find yourself in a storm.

So, put it down. First of all, I am governed by His providence. Whether I can see it, whether I can understand it or not, it is a fact that God has not relinquished His rule upon His universe. Second anchor of the soul: I am growing by His plan. I am governed by His providence. I am growing by His plan. What is God’s plan for you? God wants to enlarge you, not indulge you. God is not nearly so interested in making you happy, and healthy, as He is holy. And so God will put you into trouble. The Lord Jesus engineered these problems for His disciples, because He wants to develop us. In Psalms chapter 4, verse 1, the psalmist has said this: “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” ()

The Spanish have a proverb: “There is no home without its hush.” That just simply means that, sooner or later, we have storms. And I’ve learned, that while there are many of us here, there’s probably a heartache on every pew. Somewhere, sitting next to you, there is a heartache—somewhere. We have storms. We all have difficulties. If not now, later.

And so what I want to talk to you about is how to find peace in the midst of your storm. Because, peace is not the subtraction of problems from life; peace is the addition of power to meet those problems. That’s God’s peace.

Now, you think about that: “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” Think about the times when you have grown the most. When have been those times when you have developed and been enlarged spiritually? It’s when your friend trouble came along—your old pal named trouble. And that’s when you’ve been stretched; and that’s when you’ve been enlarged. We all enjoy not having trouble; but, folks, I want to tell you—and I can give this testimony—that I have grown the most in my own life in times of deepest despair.

I know that when Joyce and I had a little baby boy to step over into heaven, we grew a quantum leap in that period of time. I know when I had a daughter to go through deep, deep heartache and distress, God stretched my heart, my life. I would never want it to happen again; but it did happen. And I’m here to tell you that I’m a better person because of it.

So I want to give you six principles. Will you write them down?

And many of us can think of the storms we have gone through.

I. I Am Governed by His Providence

Principle number one—here’s what you can say when you are in a storm—number one: I am governed by His providence. What happened to these people that day was not happenstance. It was not a mistake. It was not something that should have been avoided. The storm did not take Jesus by surprise.

Isn’t that true? “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” Fate, like film, is developed best in the dark. I don’t know why it is, but that is true. These are the things that will enlarge us. Remember when Joshua and Caleb were sent out to spy out the land of Israel, and there were twelve spies that were sent out, and ten came back and gave a bad report? They said, “Well, it’s a land filled with milk and honey, corn and oil, and wine and pomegranate and grapes. It’s wonderful! Hills and valleys! And you can dig iron out of those hills. Rivers, mountains, beautiful fertile plains! But there are giants in the land. The sons of Anak—they’re called Anakim—these Anakim, these are terrible giants. We can’t go into that land, because if we do, we’ll go into war; and, well, they’re so big we felt like grasshoppers. And Caleb said—and I love what Caleb said—Caleb said in , verse 9, “Rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us”—bread, not bred. () Not that they were created for us, but bread. They’re food for us. They’re bread for us.

Now, what did he mean by that? What happens when you eat bread? You strengthen yourself; you grow. Now, what Caleb said is, “These difficulties are there to make us grow. They are bread for us. We can do it.” You will never grow until you eat the bread that God sets before you—and often it is trouble. Anakim are the breakfast of champions. To grow, you have to have difficulty.

Now folks, if Jesus Christ can walk upon water, Jesus Christ can certainly read and forecast the weather. This thing was not incidental; it was providential. Put in your margin “Matthew chapter 14, and verse 22.” The Bible says: “22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat” (). Now He said, “You must do it.” It was Jesus who sent them into this storm.

You know, it is a shallow theology, a very shallow theology, that says that, if we’re in the will of God, that we’re just going to sail always smoothly on the sea of life. We’ll have no sickness, no sorrow, no disappointment, no separation. There’ll be no death in our family. There’ll be no problems. And the joy boys get on television and say, “You just get right with God, and believe God, and send me an offering, and you’ll never be sick; everything will be fine.” And this is the gospel of cash and Cadillacs, tranquility. Friend, there’s a Greek word for that and it’s baloney. Baloney! No, no, no, no!

III. I Am Graced by His Prayers

his wonderful deeds in the deep.

25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest

that lifted high the waves. ” (). It’s God who is the Master of the winds and the waves. He’s the One who causes storms to come.

” (). It’s God who is the Master of the winds and the waves. He’s the One who causes storms to come.

You know, it is a shallow theology, a very shallow theology, that says that, if we’re in the will of God, that we’re just going to sail always smoothly on the sea of life. We’ll have no sickness, no sorrow, no disappointment, no separation. There’ll be no death in our family. There’ll be no problems. And the joy boys get on television and say, “You just get right with God, and believe God, and send me an offering, and you’ll never be sick; everything will be fine.” And this is the gospel of cash and Cadillacs, tranquility. Friend, there’s a Greek word for that and it’s baloney. Baloney! No, no, no, no!

So, first thing: I’m governed by His providence. Number two: I am growing by His plan. Number three: I am graced by His prayers. What was the Lord Jesus doing up on that mountaintop? When the Lord Jesus sent them down to the sea, and He went up to the mountain, do you know what He had right there? He had a vantage. He saw the whole thing. He saw them rowing. He saw the clouds as they begin to rage and boil. He saw the sea as the waves begin to rise. He saw it all. And what was He doing up there? He was praying. He was praying. They may not have known that He had His eye upon them; but He did. Put in your margin Mark chapter 6, verse 47: “And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he”—Jesus—“alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing”—“he saw them toiling in rowing.” () They didn’t see Him; He saw them. And He never took His eye off of them.

And what was He doing there on that mountain? He was praying for them. He was interceding for them. Are you in the midst of a storm? You can say, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” He’s watching over you, and He is praying for you. The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 7 and verse 25, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” ()

Listen. We are going to have difficulty. And the first thing that you can say when difficulty comes is that God’s providence is over it all. I am governed by His providence. God’s wonderful plan is in effect. We call that the providence of God. Now remember, Jesus constrained them to get into a storm. They were in this storm because of the providence of God.

II. I Am Growing by His Plan

Sometimes people will say to me casually and almost carelessly, almost sometimes flippantly, “Put me on your prayer list.” And I don’t say it out loud, but sometimes I think, “Fat chance!” You say, “You’re so hard-hearted.” No, I’m not. You can’t pray for everybody. You can’t pray for everything. If you try to pray for everybody and everything, your prayer list will become a stagnant swamp rather than a controlled river. God will lay prayer burdens upon you heart, and God will tell you who to pray for. Oh, I pray generally for a person; but, friend, when somebody tells me that they pray for me every day, tears generally pop to my eyes. I think there are almost six billion people on the face of this earth; if somebody is praying for you, you’re blessed. You’re blessed if somebody is praying for you. And I am blessed that people pray for me. And don’t think I don’t pray for others. I pray for a lot of people, as I have already this morning. You don’t understand what I’m saying. I’m just simply saying this: that if you’re on somebody’s prayer list, you’re blessed.

Now here’s the second thing that you can say: Number two: Not only am I governed by His providence, but I am growing by His plan. I am growing by His plan. Now God’s plan is not to indulge you; God’s plan is to enlarge you. Write down “, verse 1”: “Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

But now, you listen to me. You are on Jesus’ prayer list. You! He knows you! “The very hairs of your head are … numbered.” (; ) You’re not an incident; you’re not an accident. He doesn’t love us all; He loves us each. He was watching them right in the eye of the storm. He was there. They couldn’t see Him, but He could see them.

1 Answer me when I call to you,

my righteous God.

Give me relief from my distress;

have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

IV. I Am Gladdened by His Presence

I want to ask you a question: Those of you who have been on the trail for a while, when did you grow the most? When everything was fine, when you were smooth sailing, or when the storm came? Did you not grow more in the storm, in distress, when you were drawn to Christ, and when you had to call upon Him?

You see, in the Bible there are correcting storms and there are perfecting storms. Now Jonah, who spent the night on a foam blubber mattress was in one of those correcting storms. I mean, he was in a storm because he was out of the will of God. He was running from God. And God sent a correcting storm.

I am governed by His providence. I am growing by His plan. I am graced by His prayers. I’ll tell you another thing: When I’m in the storm, I am gladdened by His presence. Write it down: I am gladdened by His presence.

But there are also perfecting storms. These disciples were not out of the will of God. Why were they in a storm? They were in a storm—don’t miss this—they were in a storm because they were in the will of God. It was Jesus, Matthew tells us, that constrained them to get into that boat. They were in this storm because they were obeying Jesus.

Look, if you will, in verse 17. The Bible says, “And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.” () But then, down to verse 20: “But he saith unto them, It is I;”—“here I am”—“be not afraid.” () Now it’s the fourth hour when Jesus does this. The fourth hour is the hour between three and six a.m. It’s the darkest hour of the night. And in the darkest hour, Jesus came. Question: Why did He not come sooner? Was He cruel? Was He just wanting them to suffer? I can imagine them there with their backs aching, looking into the mouth of a watery grave there, asking, “Where’s Jesus? Where is Jesus? If He could feed five thousand, where is Jesus?” He had His eye on them all the time. He was praying for them all of the time. He had not forgotten them.

Well, why would Jesus want them to be in a storm? Because, He wanted them to grow. Here are some words that someone wrote. I don’t know who wrote them:

You know, the problem was not that He had forgotten them; they had forgotten Him, in the real sense of the word. By the way, just put in your margin here again Mark chapter 6, verses 51 and 52. Here’s something almost humorous. The Bible says—it gives the same story: “And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.” And now, listen to verse 52: “For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.” () Remember when He fed the five thousand? What was the miracle of the loaves? He fed five thousand. Now, here they are—they’ve seen Him feed the five thousand—and how many baskets full were left over? How many? Twelve. So here’s every disciple with a basket of bread right at his feet—I mean, there right between his feet. Here is a basket of bread, one basket for every disciple. And the Bible says they forgot all about it. They forgot the miracle of the loaves.

That’s the reason, friend, you need more than miracles to live on. You need Jesus—you need Jesus. How easily we forget miracles! And here they are saying again, “Give us another miracle”—“Give us another miracle.” But what they needed was not a miracle; they needed the miracle worker, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

I walked a mile with pleasure, she chatted all the way,

But left me none the wiser, for all she had to say.

Now He waited for a while before He came to them. He waited, because He came to them strategically at exactly the right time. The Bible says in Isaiah chapter 30 and verse 18, “Therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you.” () I could not help but think of the song that you sang, Brother Marty, just before I preached, about waiting on the Lord, and crying to God out of the depths. That’s what we need to learn to do.

Many times the Lord will deliberately delay, that He may be gracious to us. When Lazarus died, they sent for Jesus, and the Bible tells us, rather than Jesus coming immediately at their request and behest, that Jesus demurred. He waited. He held back until Lazarus was dead. And if you read —we’ll get to it in a little while when we’re preaching on these miracles—He said this: “Lazarus is dead. And I’m glad.” () What? That’s what He said: “Lazarus is dead, and I’m glad”—because He had something greater.

I walked a mile with sorrow, not a word said she;

Suppose the Lord had come when Mary had pouted and Martha had rebuked Him: “Why did you wait?” Suppose He’d come sooner, and laid His hand upon the fevered brow of Lazarus, and healed Lazarus. Well, just one more person that Jesus healed. Some people would have said, “You know, he might have gotten better anyway. I mean, after all, even, you know, people get better sometime. How do we know it was a miracle?” I’ll tell you one thing. When He raises the dead, they don’t say, “It might happen anyway,” isn’t that right?

But oh, the things I learned from sorrow, when sorrow walked with me.

You see, He had a plan. And that plan was the greater glory. God waited four thousand years before He sent the Lord Jesus Christ into this world after He made that promise—four thousand years, forty centuries—but the Bible says He came in the fullness of time: () never late, never ahead of time, never in a hurry.

Is that not true? “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress”. Somebody said that faith is like film: It’s developed in the dark. That’s when we learn to trust the Lord.

Put this verse down— and verse 3—and it’s a great verse for you if you’re in trouble: “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it”—“wait for it.” () And so I’m gladdened by His presence. He will come to me, and His eye’s upon me as He prays for me.

I was reading about the Israelites, when they were headed into the Promised Land, into the land of Canaan. And in the land of Canaan, there were some demon-possessed giants, and they were called Anakim and they were great giants.

And when the twelve spies went into the land to spy out the land, ten of the spies came back and said, “Hey, we can’t take this land. Why, it’s full of milk and honey and corn and wine and oil and pomegranates and figs and grapes. It is a land of hills and valleys. But there are giants in that land, and we can’t take that land.

V. I Am Guarded by His Power

But two of the spies said, in Numbers chapter 14, and verse 9: “Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land— now listen to this—“ because we will devour them.” Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” They said, “Look, these people are a piece of cake, don’t be afraid of them.”

Here’s the fifth anchor of the soul that I want you to write it down: When I’m in trouble, I am guarded by His power. Look, if you will, in verse 20: “But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.” () I don’t know who first said this, but I one hundred percent agree with it. The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you. The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you. That’s everlastingly true. Now Jesus had said to these disciples, “Go over to the other side.” He said, “Go over.” () He did not say, “Go under.” He had a plan for them. And so they see Him. When all of these waves are there, here He comes walking on the water. You know, I if I could have been there in the days of His flesh, many times I would have liked to have seen Him; but if I just had my choice, I would choose this one. I can just see that kingly form, with the wind in His hair, putting His footsteps on the sea, His garments billowing back, smiling at the storm. Wouldn’t you love to see Jesus walking on the water?

And so, here He comes. At first they say, “What is that? Who is that?” They begin to draw back in terror. They think it’s a phantom, a ghost. They don’t know what it is. But soon the terror is turned to joy, because they hear Him say, “It is I; be not afraid.” () But now, let me tell you something. What He literally said is, “Don’t be afraid; I am.” That’s exactly what He said. “I am”—not, “I am afraid”—“I am”—“I am.” What He used was the name for Jehovah, the most sacred name to the Jews. When Moses said, “Who shall I say sent me when I tell Pharaoh to let my people go?” Jehovah said, “You tell them I AM sent you.” ()

Why do you eat bread? For strength. You grow on bread. It’s bread that gives energy. It is bread that is the staff of life. What was God saying? These things that look like they are your problems are your food. Anakim is the breakfast of champions, not Wheaties.

Yesterday, He wasn’t “I was”; He was “I AM.” Today, He is I AM, and tomorrow He is not “I will be tomorrow”; He is I AM. He is I AM. “There never was a time when I was not. I am the great eternal God, and I was when this pond wasn’t even a vapor. Don’t be afraid. I am. I am guarded by His power.” What is I AM? It is a declaration, a proclamation of presence, a promise of abundance. He is the I AM in the midst of your storm.

Folks, it’s when you feed on these problems that you grow. You see, what our Lord was looking for was not softies as disciples. He wanted them to grow, and He enabled them to be in a storm that He might enlarge them. So remember that you’re governed by His providence, when you’re in a storm. He rules over all. And remember that you are growing by His plan. And it’s in the storm that you’re going to grow and become more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, why did He walk on the water? Was this theatrics? Oh, no, no! Was He just saying, “Look at me: I can walk on water”? No, there’s a message in the miracle, a significance in the sign, something that goes beyond the miracle, something for your heart today when you’re in trouble. And what is it? Listen. When they saw Him walking on the water, what was their biggest problem? That water. What He was saying to them was this: “What looks like is going to be over your head is already under my feet.” Did you get it? “What you think is going to be over your head is already under my feet.” Don’t forget that. Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation. Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” () We’re overcomers in the Lord Jesus Christ. You’ve got problems; you’ve got heartaches; you’ve got fears and tears. You are guarded by His power. You are. He is to you the great I AM.

III. I Am Graced by His Prayers

I wish I had more time to finish that, but I AM is an unfinished sentence. I am what? You fill in the blank. “I am the bread of life.” () “I am the water of life.” () “I am the door.” (, ) “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” () “I am the great I AM in the midst of your storm.”

But you say, “But Brad, I just don’t have what it takes to grow when I’m in a storm.” True, you don’t. But here’s the third thing: I am graced by His prayers. Look, if you will, in verse 17: “where they got into a boat”—notice here—“where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. They’re saying, “Where’s Jesus? Where’s Jesus? It’s dark and He hasn’t come. Why hasn’t He come?” Well, He’s doing something else. What is He doing? He’s praying. And He’s up on a mountaintop, praying. Write this down, “,” because this story’s told in different ways in the different gospels. And the Bible says: “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” ().

Listen. Don’t think He has forsaken you just because you cannot see Him. When you’re in the storm, He may not be with you in bodily form, but He is very much aware of you. I love that song:

VI. I Am Guided by His Purpose

For His eye is on the sparrow

And here’s the last and final anchor of the soul I want to give you this morning: Not only am I guarded by His power; but I am guided by His purpose—I’m guided by his purpose. Look up here, and let me tell you something. God has not promised you smooth sailing. He has promised you a safe landing. He said, “Go over to the other side.” () Now, look, if you will, in verse 21: “Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.” () There were two miracles—actually three. He suspends the law of gravity, but also overrules the laws of time and space. Just like that, they’re there. I mean, here they are rowing, their backs aching, their brows mingled with perspiration and seawater. When Jesus comes aboard, immediately, there they are at the shore.

And I know He watches me.

What does that mean? It means He has a purpose. You can bank on it—no pun intended—He’ll see you to the shore. Well, maybe there was a pun intended—I have to apologize. Now Andrew Murray said this: “God is willing to assume the full responsibility for the life totally yielded to Him”—“God is willing to assume the full responsibility for the life totally surrendered to Him.” And He brought them to the destination.

Conclusion

Let me give you another verse from one of the other Gospels—in Mark chapter 6, beginning in verse 47: “Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land”—they’re in the sea; Jesus is on the shore. Now watch this—“He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them” (). He saw them.

You may have trouble, you may have tears and heartaches; but I’m going to promise you something on the authority of the Word of God. You are predestined to be like Jesus, and “all things will work together for good to those who love Him, who are the called according to His purpose.” () One of these days—one of these days—your destiny will be fulfilled. For the Bible says in , “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it.” And let me tell you something, folks. If you’re in trouble right now, His eye is on you. He’s praying for you. He will come to you. And I can promise you this: He is going to see you through. Did you hear me? You say, “Adrian, who are you to promise?” I’m not promising. I’m repeating a promise. He said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” () He will see you through.

Did you know that He sees you right now? You say, “He doesn’t know where I am. He doesn’t know this difficulty. Why is He so far away? Why am I in the storm and He on the shore?” Friend, He is there, praying for you. He went apart to a mountain to pray. He’s up there on the mountain, looking down. He sees right through the dark. You can’t see Him; He sees us. And what’s He doing? He’s praying.

And one of these days, soon and very soon, He is going to step down from the mountain of His glory. And then, walking on water will be like child’s play, because He’ll be stepping on the clouds. And He’s coming to us. As the barometer is falling, and the winds are whipping, and the storms are coming, and we say, “What is the world coming to?” it’s coming to Jesus, because Jesus is coming to this world. And He’s going to step out of the glory, with the rainbow wrapped around His shoulders, and with victory on His face as the great I AM. And the trumpet will sound. And our little ship will leave the sea of time. And immediately we’ll be on the shores of eternity. When He comes! When He comes! He is the great I AM. What a Savior!

You want a blessed thought? Let me give you a blessed thought. You are on Jesus’ prayer list. You are on Jesus’ prayer list. There’s nothing much more comforting to me than for somebody to tell me that they pray for me.

There are about 7 billion people on this Earth. Some people have never been prayed for one time. If you’re on anybody’s prayer list, you’re blessed. You’re blessed. But I can tell you: You’re on His prayer list. The Lord Jesus knows you by name, and He calls you by name. And the Bible says that He ever lives to make intercession for us. , verse 25: “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Did you come to God by Jesus? Then you’re on His prayer list. And what is He doing? The finished work of Jesus is Calvary. The unfinished work of Jesus is His prayer ministry.

Folks, there are almost 6 billion people on this Earth. Some people have never been prayed for one time. If you’re on anybody’s prayer list, you’re blessed. You’re blessed. But I can tell you: You’re on His prayer list. The Lord Jesus knows you by name, and He calls you by name. And the Bible says that He ever lives to make intercession for us. , verse 25: “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Did you come to God by Jesus? Then you’re on His prayer list. And what is He doing? The finished work of Jesus is Calvary. The unfinished work of Jesus is His prayer ministry.

Listen. I am governed by His providence. I am growing by His plans. I am graced by His prayers. He was praying for them in the midst of their storm. Do you have any reason to doubt that He is praying for you in the midst of your storm? How would you feel if you knew, while you’re in your bedroom, that right out there in your living room, Jesus was on His knees praying for you? Is it any less real that you’re in the boat, and He’s on the shore? Or you’re here on this Earth, and He’s in glory, praying for you? He ever lives to make intercession for you.

IV. I Am Gladdened by His Presence

Now here’s the fourth thing I want you to learn in the midst of your storm: Not only am I graced by His prayers, but I am gladdened by His presence. He will come. Look, if you will, in verse 20: “But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” And in Matthew, He tells them to be of good cheer. , verse 27: “But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

I can see these disciples, as perspiration is on their brow, and their face is a network of fear. Their clammy hands hold to those oars, and their backs are aching, and they’re pulling. Peter says, “Pull harder. We’re going to sink.” And old doubting Thomas says, “I don’t believe we’re going to make it. We’re going down.” And then, they see Jesus.

Question: Why didn’t He come sooner? Why did He wait? You know, He’s been there for a long time. If you will read the story, you’re going to find out that they had been out there on the sea for six agonizing hours. They’re out there pulling, and now it’s the darkest hour of the night. Mark tells us that Jesus came shortly before dawn (). For six long, agonizing hours they’re out there, and it seems that He has forgotten them. It wasn’t Jesus who had forgotten. Really, it was the disciples that had forgotten.

You know, Jesus had just done a miracle. If you’ll read this story, in the sixth chapter of John, you’ll find out that Jesus had fed five thousand. Notice, if you will, in verse 12: “When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. (). Now why did they fill twelve baskets? How many disciples? Twelve disciples. All right. He says, “Now take everything, take the fragments that remain.” Every disciple has a basket of bread sitting right at his feet. In that boat is a basket of bread. He’s just done a miracle, and now here they are filled with fear.

Now they’re thinking: “Why has Jesus forgotten us?” They’d forgotten Jesus. They had forgotten what He had already done. Aren’t we prone to do that? I mean, how many times our Lord has delivered us, how many times our God has performed miracles for us. But we have forgotten. And what they should have done was just remember what Paul said in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 18: “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”

But our Lord waited. Why did He wait? Well, His wait, His delay, before He did come to them, was strategic, and it was deliberate. Would you write this verse down: “Isaiah chapter 30, and verse 18”: “Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! ” (). Isn’t that a great verse? “And therefore will the LORD wait,”—not that He might be cruel to you—“that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted”—now, God is in the business of getting glory to Himself—“that he may have mercy upon you; for the LORD is a God of justice”—that means discernment. He knows not what you want; He knows what you need. And then, it says—“blessed are all they that wait for him” (). God waits. You need to wait. And you know what God is waiting on? God is waiting for you to wait on Him. God is waiting upon you to wait on Him.

18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;

therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.

For the LORD is a God of justice.

Blessed are all who wait for him!

” (). Isn’t that a great verse? “And therefore will the LORD wait,”—not that He might be cruel to you—“that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted”—now, God is in the business of getting glory to Himself—“that he may have mercy upon you; for the LORD is a God of justice”—that means discernment. He knows not what you want; He knows what you need. And then, it says—“blessed are all they that wait for him” (). God waits. You need to wait. And you know what God is waiting on? God is waiting for you to wait on Him. God is waiting upon you to wait on Him.

Have you ever thought about the deliberate delays of the Lord? I was reading in John chapter 11, when Lazarus died. And Mary and Martha, who loved Jesus, and knew that Jesus loved Lazarus, sent for Jesus. They were there in Bethany. And they sent for Jesus and told him, “Look, the one that You love is sick.” And I picked it up and read it again this morning. The Bible says, “And Jesus waited two days”—two days before He ever did anything, before He ever even started to come ().

Now suppose, Brother Bob, that you get a message that Buna, for example, is sick. And you’re somewhere, and you just say, “Well, I just believe I’ll stay around two more days.” That would seem so cruel not to come. And of course, you should come and I would come. But Jesus waits two days. And by the time He gets there, four days have passed. And Jesus says, “Lazarus is dead and for your sake I am glad I was not there so you may believe” ().

Now wait a minute. But that’s what He said. Because, Jesus had a plan, there. He’s going to raise Lazarus from the dead. Question: Suppose Jesus had come right away and healed Lazarus? Certainly He could have healed him, if He raised him from the dead: no ifs, ands, and buts about that. We know He could have healed him, but He didn’t.

Well, had He healed Lazarus, you know what someone may have said? “Well, you know, he might have gotten well anyway. I mean, how do we really know that it was Jesus that did that? Maybe he would have gotten well anyway.” But there’s no explaining away the miracle, when He raised him from the dead.

You see? He had a plan. And the plan did not make sense to Martha; she scolded Him. It did not make sense to Mary; she pouted. But it made sense to the Lord Jesus. “Therefore will the LORD wait” (). The Lord gave a promise in the Garden of Eden that He was going to send a Messiah——but He waited four thousand years. Four thousand years. Did you hear that? Four thousand years. The Bible says, “In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son” (). In the fullness of time.

You know, many times, we’re trying to pick God’s blessings before they’re ripe. “Therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you … blessed are all they that wait for him” ().

God is developing patience. God is never in a hurry, but He is never late. , verse 3, says: “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false”. Many of us are waiting for Jesus to come. People say: “Where is the promise of His coming? He is coming and He’s coming in God’s good time.

it speaks of the end

and will not prove false.

” (). Many of us are waiting for Jesus to come. People say: “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (). You can put it down, big, plain, and straight: He is coming. He is coming. And He’s coming in God’s good time. But He’s coming. Our Lord is coming.

V. I Am Guarded by His Power

Next, you can say this in the midst of your storm: I am guarded by His power. I am guarded by His power. Notice what He says, in verse 20: “It is I; don’t be afraid” (). I don’t know who first said this, but he said a mouthful when he said, “The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you.” That’s good. The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you. That’s everlastingly true. You see? Jesus constrained them to get into a boat and to go over to the other side. You read that in the Word Of God. He said: “Go over to the other side” (). He didn’t say, “Go under”; He said, “Go over.” God has a plan for you. Jesus did not lead these disciples into disaster. He said, “Go over.”

And when He comes to them, He says, “I am; be not afraid, be of good cheer. I AM.” Now “Be not afraid, I AM.” When He says the word I AM, what does He mean by I AM? Well, in verse 20—look at it: “It is I” (). Do you see that in verse 20? Well, in the Greek, it just literally says, “I AM.” “It is I” is the way we read it in modern translations; but it literally says, “I AM.” And I AM is the sacred name for deity. It means He is the Almighty, the Everlasting. It’s Him saying, “Look, I AM that I AM that I AM.” He is the great I AM. “I was in existence when this thing was not even a vapor, this Sea of Galilee. I am the great I AM.”

A. A Proclamation of Presence

So think about it. When He says, “I AM,” that’s a proclamation of presence, eternal presence. Not “I was, but maybe I no longer am.” Or, not “I will be, but maybe I’m not yet.” No. He’s just that “I AM that I AM that I AM that I AM.” Hey, there never was a time when Jesus was not. Never will there be a time when He will not be. And friend, in the midst of your storm, just remember this: I AM, I AM. It’s a proclamation of presence.

B. An Announcement of Abundance

But I’ll tell you what else it is: Not only is it a proclamation of presence, it is an announcement of abundance. Did you know what I AM is? It’s an unfinished sentence. An unfinished sentence. I AM … what? Well, you fill in the blank. Just fill in the blank. Over and over again, in the Gospel of John, He’s saying, “I AM,” “I AM,” “I AM.” He says, “I AM the way.” Are you lost? Then fill in the sentence. He’s the way. Are you on the wrong side and want to get in? He says, “Okay, I AM the door.” Are you hungry? He says, “Okay, I AM the bread of life.” Are you stumbling in darkness? He says, “I AM the light of the world.” Are you dead in trespasses and sin? He says, “I AM the resurrection and the life.” “I AM,” “I AM,” “I AM,” “I AM,” “I AM.” And I’m going to tell you something, precious friend: He’s I AM for you. You can just fill in the blank.

I don’t know what your problem is, I don’t know what your need is; but I know your answer. And. His name is Jesus.

And my advice for you, in the midst of your storm, is to see Jesus, the great I AM, and see Him walking on the water. And what looked like it was going to be over their head was already under His feet. Under His feet. And you’re seated in the heavenlies with Him. And you can’t drown with your head above water. And friend, you’re seated in the heavenlies with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the great I AM. And you can put it down: “I am guarded by His power.”

Blindly they strive for sin darkens their way.

Oh, to pull back the grim curtains of night;

One look at Jesus and all will be light.

And my advice for you, in the midst of your storm, is to see Jesus, the great I AM, and see Him walking on the water. And what looked like it was going to be over their head was already under His feet. Under His feet. And you’re seated in the heavenlies with Him. And you can’t drown with your head above water. And friend, you’re seated in the heavenlies with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the great I AM. And you can put it down: “I am guarded by His power.”

VI. I Am Guided by His Purpose

And last of all, write this down: You can say, “I am guided by His purpose.” Verse 21: “Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.” (). God has not promised you smooth sailing; but He has promised you a safe landing. Immediately, they were at the shore. Now you see, your destiny is already determined. Time and space are no impediment to the Lord Jesus Christ. He will see you to the shore.

Andrew Murray said this, and it’s another great statement: “God is willing to assume the full responsibility for the life that is totally yielded to Him.” God is willing to assume the full responsibility for the life that is totally yielded to Him. Now they were having tribulation, but Jesus said, “Be of good cheer” (). “In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (). You see? That storm just represented the world. Where is Jesus? Jesus has overcome the world. That’s what He’s telling you. That’s what He’s telling me.

Conclusion

Now folks, let’s make another application, and then, we’re going to wrap this up. The spiritual barometer is falling, and all of us who can read the signs of the times, we know there’s a storm gathering. There’s a storm gathering. Sometimes, it’s calmest just before the storm. I learned that in Florida. When they say a hurricane’s coming, you walk outside and you say, “No way.” But yet, the barometer is falling, and you know that it’s coming. The Bible tells us that.

But folks, soon our Lord, who has been on the mountain of His glory, praying for us, is going to rise from His throne. And then, walking on the water will be child’s play. He’ll come, stepping on the clouds. He’ll come in His glory. And those of us who are here, on the sea of time, will immediately be on the shores of eternity, just like that, when He comes. Won’t that be a day? Won’t that be a day?

The Bible says it happened, when they received Him into the boat. Have you received Him? Have you? Have you trusted Him?