Where Is God In The Storms Of Life?

"One day a large male lion decided to make sure that all the other animals knew he was the master of the jungle – the most powerful one of the jungle – the one to be feared - so he went to the gazelle and roared, ’Who is the king of the jungle?’ Trembling in fear, the gazelle answered, ’Why, you are, mighty lion.’

Next he went to the zebra and roared, ’Who is the king of the jungle?’ Fearful, the zebra answered, ’Why, you are, mighty lion.’

Then he went to the monkey and roared, ’Who is the king of the jungle?’ Startled and filled with fear, the monkey answered, ’Why, you are oh mighty king!’

Finally, full of himself, he went to the elephantand roared, ’Who is the king of the jungle?’ The elephant reached out and grabbed the lion with his trunk, whirled him around in the air like a top, body slammed him to the ground several times, and then, he flattened him against large boulder.

The beaten, bruised, and battered lion struggled to his feet … looked up at the elephant and said — ’Look … just because you don’t know the answer doesn’t mean you have to take it so personally!’"

That lion thought he was king and that every one in the jungle knew it and feared him! And pretty much every one did – except for 1 big powerful elephant!

I began a sermon series 2 Sunday’s ago I’ve titled Overcoming the Giant of Fear. Last week we focused on how worry is a product of fear and how to deal with it. Today we’re going to look at how the storms of life come upon us and learn how to deal with them.

When you experience the storms of life, how do you react? Do you become terrified, petrified, filled with fear? Do you question God or feel like He doesn’t care?

Turn with me to Mark 4:35-41 …

Mark 4:35–41 NASB95

On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? How is it that you have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

From this experience of the disciples, we learn 4 things. 1st we learn that…

1. Storms are inevitable.

- They are going to come.

- Bible says it rains on the just and the unjust – so Christians and non-Christians experience the same kinds of storms in life. No one is immune. And they come in all different kinds of shapes/sizes.

- Here the disciples were with Jesus…yet they suddenly found themselves in a major life threatening storm!

TS – 2nd we learn that…

2. Storms fill us with fear.

- That’s just what they do.

- When the disciples left from the western shore of the Sea of Galilee after Jesus had spent an exhausting day of teaching the multitude on the western shore, it was calm.

- They were heading to the eastern shore which was an 8 mile journey. But some where in the course of their journey, a fierce storm suddenly swooped down upon them – it is described as a furious squall that was driving the waves into the boat so that the boat was being swamped! The Sea of Galilee was very susceptible to violent storms due its geography.

- Mark’s wording is of a hurricane-like tempest assaulting them. In 1992 one such storm generated 10 ft high waves on the lake causing flooding and damage in the western city of Tiberias.

- As many as 7 of the 12 disciples were fisherman – they had spent their lives navigating the lake and were intimately familiar with what their boats could endure.

- That they were terrified by the wind/the waves underscores the extreme nature of this storm.

- Frantic and afraid, they came to Jesus who amazingly was sound asleep in the stern of the boat in the midst of this violent storm! The boat was being tossed back and forth and no doubt water was filling the boat – soaking everyone in it – including Jesus! YET, He was totally zonked out! No doubt the whole day of teaching had exhausted Him in His humanity – and He was totally out!

- But the panic stricken disciples woke Him with a cry of reproach: “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Matthew notes some cried out Lord – Luke records some cried out Master – such variations do not imply any contradiction – rather, they reflect the pandemonium of the situation. As the frenzied disciples sought to awaken Him trying to be heard over the roar of the howling wind / crashing waves, some cried out Lord…some Master…some Teacher!

- They were shocked, perplexed and flustered that He was still asleep – seeming not to care about them or the dire circumstances that were threatening their lives!

TS – 3rd…

3. Jesus has storm calming power.

- Finally being aroused and awakened, Jesus rebuked the wind (literally ordered it to cease) and said to the waves, “Be silent! Be muzzled and remain so!

- The result was instantaneous – the howling gusts instantly ceased to blow – and the towering waves vanished – and the surface of the lake became like glass!

- As Charles Spurgeon expressed, “There was no trace of storm another moment after He had been awakened. The most blustering of the conflicting winds slept like a babe in its mother’s bosom. The waves were as marble.”

- Is there any storm He can’t calm?

TS – 4th…

4. Storms teach us some valuable lessons.

- Upon calming the raging storm, Jesus turned to address the astonished disciples – who undoubtedly stared back at Him wide-eyed with mouths agape!

- And Jesus said: “Why are you afraid (cowardly, fearful)?

- The answer was implied by His 2nd question: “How is it that you have no faith?”

- The reason they were afraid was because they still had no faith! They knew Jesus possessed divine power – having seen Him perform miraculous healings for so many others. YET – when their lives were at stake, the inadequacy of their faith was exposed!

- Clearly Jesus wanted to teach them 2 critical lessons:

(1) They could trust Him even in the most treacherous and helpless situations!

(2) His compassionately cared for them – in the midst of a frightening and fearful storm – and in spite of their failing faith – the Sovereign Savior rescued them!

Conclusion

And the Lord wants you to learn these same valuable lessons! Why do frightening storms come – why does the Lord allow them? Because He wants you to learn Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

So you can rest confidently in the fact that through all of life’s storms, the omnipotent Lord of creation is willing and able to deliver those who trust in Him.

As the words of the hymn Our Great Savior (written by John Wilbur Chapman in 1910) so eloquently

expresses:

Jesus! What a help in sorrow! While the billows o’er me roll,

Even when my heart is breaking, He, my comfort, helps my soul.

Jesus! What a guide and keeper! While the tempest still is high,

Storms about me, night o’ertakes me, He, my pilot, hears my cry.

Hallelujah! What a Savior! Hallelujah! What a Friend!

Saving, helping, keeping, loving, He is with me to the end.