Surviving The Storm With The Storm Calmer
Matthew 14:27-31
In 1987 after beating the Boston Celtics to win the NBA championship Pat Riley during the victory parade guaranteed to the crowd that they would win the championship again next year & they beat the Detroit Pistons in 1988 to win the championship again back to back. But what got to me is the confidence that Pat Riley had in his team & their abilities to win the championship again d that there was no doubt or hesitation in his voice but rather he was bold & confident because of the team that he had with him. Well in this life when storms come, valleys happening, different tests & trials that present themselves I don't rely on Magic Johnson or Kareem Abdul Jabaar but I rely on JESUS. Somebody said that JESUS is on the main line & you can always tell JESUS what's going on because JESUS never has a dying ear, JESUS bis always there to heal the hurt & restore the wounds that have happened in your life. There are some things I may not know & some places I wont go but there is one thing I know for sure & that is that GOD is real & I don't know why things happen & how they will get fixed but what I do know is that GOD is real, GOD is in the midst of it, GOD has it under control, GOD won't put more on me than I can bear & even when the the problem seems impossible to fix GOD always steps in & GOD will see you through, take care of you, bring you out, lead d guide you & hold you up because the help from HIS hills will keep you from falling & keep you from losing your mind but focusing on HIS POWER.
GOD loves & cares for you & does nothing to hurt you but to help & develop you. Like when we go to Barnes & Noble or anyplace that offers free WiFi we take our laptops, kindle fires, iPad, there is audit so we can use the internet or watch a movie but when we leave that place than the WiFi is gone well in the Christian life & did not know what all GOD could do was because I was in the wrong connection area & could not feel HIS LOVE but since I have been walking with GOD there is a long lasting connection that no matter where I go & no matter what I go through that connection that I have with GOD it never fails & never loses its power because the connection with GOD has everlasting peace, strength to survive the storm, a GOD who never sleeps or slumber, a belief that I may be broken but I am still blessed, I may have tears in my eyes but I can still see the goodness of GOD & HE will wipe the tears away, I may not be rich materially but I am rich spirituality because everything in the world belongs to GOD so I don't have to get down or discouraged but keep my trust in GOD knowing what GOD has for me is for me & HE will BLESS me with it when HE gets ready & sees to it.
In verses 22-26 JESUS speaks to the disciples & tells them to go over to the other side just like in Mark 4 JESUS said let's go over to the other side & living for GOD you will encounter storms & don't let the gospel of prosperity fool you in thinking you want but you will go through a storm but you will be the better for it because the more pain you experience the more you appreciate & get closer to GOD because HE does not turn HIS back on you but keeps you alive & clothed in your right mind if JESUS endured a storm than don't think you want endure a storm but in spite of what you deal with HIS Grace is still amazing & sufficient. JESUS starts to walk on the water & the disciples were troubled & losing their mind & sometimes when you see something that is unrecognizable & a storm comes catches you off guard it can get to you or shock you but if you know who your GOD is than you know that HIS plan won't deny but they will deliver. Because they were scared when they saw the ghost & forget that JESUS was with them & don't let any current circumstance keep you down that you can't call out to that power that can make a way out of no way because JESUS will show you a miracle when you have real faith when enduring a storm.
In verse 27 we see JESUS who speaks joy & tells them why to not be afraid. JESUS was telling Peter not to be afraid but be of good cheer because JESUS was there. That's we should be of good cheer because JESUS never leaves our side no matter how rough it gets, no matter how many trials we endure there is good news that GOD is a good GOD who never leaves a child of HIS alone to face the storms by himself but that GOD is always there & that's what keeps me being of good cheer knowing that GOD is still on my side because if GOD was not on my side than I would have quit a long time ago but because the LORD is still on my side than I will keep smiling, keep praising, keep praying to GOD because after all I have seen, experienced, & endured it did not take me out those things did not separate me from GOD'S love but brought me closer to his love so I will be of good cheer.
Like a cheerleader whose job is to cheer for her team even if they are losing the cheerleaders are still smiling & cheering for their team because they have a belief that there team can still win, well in the Christian life it can be like that because it can feel like if it ain't one thing it's another you still report to duty & praise the name of GOD because when I praise GOD than I know that trouble don't last always so no reason to be dismayed or discouraged because I will be of good cheer because all things work together for the good of those that love GOD & are called according to HIS purpose & I may be faced with an obstacle now but all I have to do is look back & see how far the LORD has already brought me from because even if the storm is different the saving power of GOD remains the same & gets sweeter every time I experience it.
You may be struggling financially or with family, at the job, dealing with the loss of a loved one, having marriage or relationship problems, not making the grades in school that I study hard to make, dealing with betrayal, backbiting, I am still supposed to be of good cheer even with all of this going on yes we are because we told GOD we would serve HIM till we die & this life is not like burger king you can't & won't always get your way but keep talking to GOD because HE will comfort you & you sometimes got to ignore what it looks like, what the devil says, & our minds because we can doubt ourselves but if we block everything else out but keep seeking GOD & encouraging yourself saying I can make it. If GOD can heal the blind, raise the dead, turn a maniac into a missionary than I know that when GOD speaks things will turn around & I will the better for it.
Also in this verse JESUS lets us know to be of good cheer because HE is everything. The Bible says
