Counting Trials As Joy Pt. 2 - The Wake Up Storm

James 1:2–4 KJV 1900

2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Introduction

James 1:2 - “temptations” - Strongs: A putting to proof…Thayer’s: the trial of man's fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy.

We often call trials “storms”

Talk about last week

Began a series of messages “Counting Trials As Joy”

The Grow-Up Storm - Trials give opportunity to grow spiritually…

Jonah - Rebelled against God, and God sent a storm to show him the truth about himself - That he wasn’t truly 100% surrendered to God.

Tonight, we are going to look at storm number 2, which is “The Wake Up Storm”...

Do you remember the storm that Jesus calmed onboard a ship with the disciples on the Sea of Galilee?

After a long day of work, Jesus told the disciples to get into a boat and cross over to the other side of the sea.

Exhausted, Jesus fell asleep as they crossed over.

This is one of the clearest portraits of our Lord’s humanity…I thank the Lord that He understands our weakness! I’m thankful tonight that He is able to sympathize with us when we get tired...

Psalm 103:14 KJV 1900

14 For he knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.

So, Jesus is asleep, and a great storm of wind arose, the disciples were frightened. Remember that some of these disciples were experienced fisherman.

The fact that they believed the boat wasn’t going to survive the storm shows just how great this storm was.

Mark 4:35–38 KJV 1900

35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

Oh, the disciples responded the way we sometimes do when a storm brews in our lives.

What did they do?

They questioned the care of God: “Master carest thou not that we perish?”

Though our storm rages and we feel all alone and helpless, the truth is that God is right by our side in the storm and He wants to help us.

Trials Show Me That He Cares

How often we question the care of God for us in difficult times, even though He resides in us and is with us always.

We tend to look at the problem and not at the God who is above our problem. He has already promised in His Word to be with us and to help us.

Hebrews 13:5–6 (KJV 1900)

5 ...for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

He cares!

Jesus did not save you to abandon you when the going gets a little tough. He is absolutely committed to you and will never forsake you, Heb. 13:5. The word “leave” means “to let sink”; the word “forsake” means that He won’t “abandon you, desert you or leave you under any circumstances”.

When the storm is raging; when your boat is rocking and reeling; when the adverse winds are blowing; when the waves are crashing against your vessel; He will not let you sink! He will hold you up and never desert you under any circumstances. The Lord Jesus Christ is absolutely committed to you!

The city of Jerusalem once felt forsaken by the Lord. Here is what they said and what the Lord said in reply: “But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me,” Isaiah 49:14–16.

If the Lord would love the nation of Israel, whom He had redeemed out of Egypt; how much more will He love and protect His Own Church Whom He has redeemed by the blood of His Darling Son?

He is committed to you!

When we fix our eyes on the storm instead of the Savior, we begin to doubt and even question God’s care.

God wants us instead to turn our gaze toward Him. He wants to reveal His great care for us in our deepest time of need.

The greater our trial, the greater the demonstration of His divine care.

The lyrics of the hymn “Does Jesus Care?” by Frank E. Graeff are a reminder of God’s care for us in the midst of difficulty.

Graeff penned these words after a difficult season in his own life through which he struggled with doubt, despondency, and physical pain. During this time, however, he turned to God’s Word and found comfort in 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” The song is based on this verse.

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained

Too deeply for mirth or song,

As the burdens press, and the cares distress

And the way grows weary and long? Does Jesus care when my way is dark

With a nameless dread and fear?

As the daylight fades into deep night shades,

Does He care enough to be near?

Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,

His heart is touched with my grief;

When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,

I know my Saviour cares.

Christ cared for the disciples even though He allowed the storm. When the storm came and the disciples found Him asleep, they felt abandoned.

But what they didn’t know was that the storm was the setup for a mighty work Christ was going to do, which brings us to the second point tonight:

Trials Show Me That He Can

Back in the boat, storm raging; the disciples run and wake Jesus up. Jesus rebukes the wind and instantly, the sea becomes calm.

Mark 4:39 KJV 1900

39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Imagine the disciples’ amazement at this miracle. Immediately, their fears were relieved and their awe inspired. Clearly, they had forgotten who was with them in the storm—the Author of the storm Himself.

They had allowed the storm to distract them from the all-powerful One who alone could calm the storm. And He was right beside them.

The Bible says in verse 36 that there “were also with him other little ships.” There were many boats on that sea that night, but only one contained the Lord of glory. That boat was the place to be.

As we sail on the sea of life, we need to remember that we are all in this thing. We are all on the sea, we are all in our boat, and we all voyage together. We need to be sure that Jesus rides with us in our vessel. Having Jesus in your vessel makes all the difference. They were able to call on Him because He was with them. They were able to see Him move in power because He was with them.

They were able to experience His peace because He was with them. Is He in your vessel? If He isn’t, how do you weather the storms that arise in your life?

Sometimes we assume that trials are always the result of sin on the part of someone. But sometimes trials are simply the backdrop for God to work a miracle.

This storm taught these men a lesson they could have learned no other way.

It would have been nice if they would simply have believed Him after seeing Him do all the great things He did in chapters one and two. It would have been great if they could have taken the things the Lord did for others and applied it to their own lives.

If they could have said, “You know, if Jesus can heal a leper, cure Peter’s mother-in-law, cast out devils, heal that guy with the palsy and forgive his sins, then I am sure that He can take care of this storm too.” But, they seemed unable to process that information and apply it to their own lives. So, He sent them into this storm to teach them to trust Him.

What about us? We have the Bible. It tells us all the things He has done and can do. We have the testimony of others around us. We have seen what He has done for them. We have even seen Him move in our own lives. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just trust Him?

We don’t, so He uses the storms to teach us that we can lean on Him and trust Him to take care of us.

Conclusion

Our picture of God is so limited. How often do we ask God to demonstrate His power in a time of trial?

We need to ask Him to show Himself strong. When He reveals His power in our trial, our faith is strengthened and when others see His mighty work, they join us in giving Him the glory He deserves.

Jeremiah 33:3 KJV 1900

3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

I don’t know what storm you may be in tonight, but I do know Who can calm it...

If you’re in a Grow-up storm, Jesus can help.

If you’re in a Wake-up storm, Jesus can help.

Next week, we will look at the Speak-up storm…

Do you need to hear Jesus say “Peace, be still” to your storm? If you do, bring it to Him and watch Him work.