In Tandem With God: When The Storms Hit Series

This week we are continuing our sermon series being tandem with God.

As we discussed last week being in tandem,

is like being in partnership, cooperating with God.

It doesn’t mean it that we are equal with God, but that we work with God.

And today we are looking at what it means to be in tandem with God, when the storms hit.

How do you respond to storms in your life?

We are blessed with exceptional roads between Launceston and Burnie.

And so most of the time when a heavy storm hits I continue driving, being determined to get to my destination.

However occasionally when a very heavy storm hits I tend to stop, and wait for that heaviness to pass.

What about when storms hit your life.

When you either see a storm coming or out of the blue a storm hits you.

Hits you as a parent.

Hits you as an employee or former employee.

Hits your health.

Hits your relationships.

Hits your children.

How do you react when you see coming towards you or when they hit you.

Most of us will know that storms are part of life.

If we are alive storms will affect us.

Some people attempt to avoid storms.

However something that often happens is when we attempt to avoid the storm

we actually focus on the storm rather than other good things in our life.

We dedicate a lot of effort to avoiding the storm that not only do we miss out on seeing and experiencing some of the good things around us as they are meant to be,

but we in fact get hit with another unexpected storm.

Storms are part of life.

And as disciples of Jesus Christ we will experience storms.

And today’s Gospel Reading gives us an insight into one of the circumstances when storms will hit.

Open your bibles to verses 22 to 24 of Matthew 14 and let’s hear again what caused the disciples to experience a storm.

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

Now today’s Gospel reading follows the reading we heard last week, the feeding of the 5000.

This was set in Jewish territory.

Territory familiar to Jesus and the disciples

However Jesus instruction to the disciples means they are to go into Gentile territory.

A territory with different customs, values and different ways of doing things.

And as they went to the other side,

As they went into new territory

they encountered a weather storm.

A strong wind.

Going to the other side meant they encountered a storm.

And this is exactly what Jesus told them to do.

Jesus told them to them to go to the other side.

And as they did they encountered a storm.

And Jesus tells us too to go the other side.

Remember as disciples of Jesus Christ we are called to ‘Go and make disciples”

And going to the other side,

entering new territory

often means that we will encounter a storm.

We are dealing with people and situations which are different.

We are dealing with people in a different way.

We are often going outside our comfort zone.

And when we go outside our comfort zone, we often encounter a storm.

Working in tandem with God involves ‘going to the other side’

Working in tandem with God involves experiencing something different,

Even though this is something we are meant to be doing.

I remember some years ago in High School I was needed to see the principal for something positive.

As I waited, I had butterflies in my stomach, my palms were sweaty.

Simply, because I had only ever seen the principal on stage, during assembly and this situation was unfamiliar.

As disciples of Jesus Christ we are called to go to the other side

Into the unfamiliar and we may encounter a storm.

Because we experiencing situations or people who are unfamiliar to us.

This may be a new geographic area.

But it may also be dealing with a different generation or people who have different values and experiences that are still consistent with Christianity.

And this may be uncomfortable for us but simply because it is uncomfortable does not mean we are to avoid the situations.

Part of our calling as disciples of Jesus is to walk through the storms that Jesus’ calling leads us to.

But storms are confronting aren’t they?

However when storms hit remember that we are not alone in the storm.