Have you ever been in a situation where you’ve seen a rain line approaching during a storm? You step outside to just look around and off in the distance you see that rain moving in. You can see the rain headed your way, feel the wind kicking up, maybe see flashes of lightning and hear some thunder. It can be a little frightening. Sometimes you’re able to gauge how fast it’s moving and get back in before you get soaked. Sometimes your timing’s off and you end up all wet. And sometimes the thunder and lightning chase you back in. But the one thing to remember when you’re in that situation, no matter how intense things get, is that just as surely as you saw the rain approaching you know it’ll pass. The storm has a beginning, and it will have an end.
I want to talk about a storm, about the people in it, and about what the storm meant, because it was a perfect storm.
It had been a long and hot day. Earlier, Jesus and His disciples had the bad news that their fellow-laborer, John the Baptist, had been killed. Jesus, on hearing the news had had his disciples take him by boat to a deserted place, a lonely place in some accounts. But it wasn’t lonely long, because the crowds followed Him. When he saw them, Jesus was filled with compassion. He had taken the time to talk to the crowd, to touch them, to heal their sick, to teach them. When the evening had come the disciples, maybe a little stressed from the day, had asked Jesus to send the crowds away to get food. But instead Jesus had taken five loaves and two fishes and fed all of them, had fed over 5000 people. And there were 12 baskets full left. The disciples were tired, and they gave no argument when Jesus told them to get back in the boat and go to the other side of the sea while He sent the crowd away. The journey would be long, but they would be able to take turns resting. Or at least they thought they would.
But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind [was] boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out [His] hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."
MATTHEW 14: 24-33
Storms could come up quickly in this area. There were mountains that surrounded the Sea of Galilee, and the heat of the desert areas and the cool mountain air would sometimes collide over the sea, causing rough weather to spring up without warning. It was something Peter, James, John, and Andrew were more than used to, being fishermen. But still it must have seemed odd to them to have this happen. After all, they were doing what Jesus had told them to do, simply doing His bidding. Now however it seemed that they were fighting just to hold their own, bailing water like no tomorrow, rowing as hard as could, making no headway. And Jesus was nowhere to be found. What was going on?
Sound familiar? Of course, because, if you’ll pardon the expression, we’ve all been in the same boat with the apostles. We’ve all been caught unawares by storms, trials, and tribulations. How many times have you sat there saying, “I’m doing what you asked me to do” while having to bail water with both hands? It’s not fun, and it can be disheartening. You’ve been there, I’ve been there. You’ll be there again, and so will I. At some point in the future, and I don’t know when, I’ll be battling a storm of fear or doubt or sorrow. At some point I’ll be tempted to throw up my hands and say “Why are you doing this?” But when that happens there are two things I need to remember:
First, Jesus never promised that storms wouldn’t come. In fact, He plainly said they would. “Remember the word that I said to you,” Jesus tells us in John 15:20, “The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you.” That sounds like a tough storm to withstand, a storm of persecution. Maybe it’ll come in the form of a lost friend or loved one who doesn’t want to have anything to do with us anymore because of our beliefs. Maybe it’ll be a missed promotion because we refuse to play the games, maybe it’ll even be a physical persecution. But it might be another type of storm: A life changing injury, the closing down of the company where we’ve worked for 20 years, the loss of a loved one to death. Jesus Himself was caught in other storms besides persecution. Remember the storm of sorrow that He endured at the death of Lazarus? And how about the storms of frustration when His followers just didn’t understand what He was trying to teach or what He was trying to do? Storms come in all sizes and intensity. But they will come. Lillian Smith, in her book “Now Is The Time” said this: “Trouble…why do we fear it? Why do we dread ordeal? Every good thing the human race has experienced was trouble for somebody. Our birth was trouble for our mothers. To support us was trouble for our fathers. Books, paintings, music, great buildings, good food, ideas, the nameless joys and excitements which added up to what we call ‘a good life’ come out of the travail of countless hearts and minds.”
The second point we need to remember is that the storms we face are there for a reason. They may be ones that we created ourselves. There are some people who are in the middle of financial problems because of selfishness or mismanagement, not because God’s punishing them. Sometimes we blame God for the storms, but they’re not His fault.
But, there are times when the storms are sent. It may be that God’s trying to strengthen us, or that He’s just trying to get our attention. Of course it could be that Satan is sending it to frustrate us. Obviously Job is the best example of that. But just think of the faith that God had in Job. Then remember the words of I Corinthians 10:13: “But remember this--the wrong desires that come into your life aren't anything new and different. Many others have faced exactly the same problems before you. And no temptation is irresistible. You can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it, for he has promised this and will do what he says. He will show you how to escape temptation's power so that you can bear up patiently against it.” That’s from the Living Bible translation, which I think renders it pretty strongly. Think of it as an honor to be put in that storm. God has confidence that you can withstand it.
Which brings up another point from this stormy night. Let’s go back and read part of Mark’s account of the story.
Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.
MARK 6: 48
Did you catch that? It’s easy to miss if you’re not careful. “Then He SAW them straining at rowing…” Jesus hadn’t deserted them. In fact, He was watching! He was aware. At no time were the apostles ever out from under the watchful eye of their Lord. And think about this, too: Why was He walking on water? Just to get to other side? No, it was the shortest path to the apostles! In John’s account he mentions that this is about 25 or 30 furlongs out in the Sea of Galilee. That’s about 3 miles, a pretty good walk. Jesus must have cared an awful lot to be watching them so carefully, and then take pains to walk to them through a storm!
Their reaction is kind of funny at first. They see Him coming but don’t recognize Him, they think He’s a ghost. Or maybe they think He’s the angel of death. Whatever, they can’t believe their eyes. Peter blurts out “Lord, if it’s really you let me come out to meet you.” He was looking for a sign, a message of proof.
Someone here might be in that predicament right now. Jesus isn’t standing right in front of you bidding you to walk through the storm, but the signs you need are all over the place. They begin in Genesis with the story of Abraham. His storm was the sacrifice of the son he’d waited a hundred years for. When he was told to sacrifice, he did what he was told to do. When asked about the sacrifice by Isaac, Abraham said “God will provide a lamb.” He trusted even though it didn’t seem logical. Joseph, though sold into slavery, followed God trusting Him to provide a way. He eventually rose to second in command three different times. The children of Israel were put under bondage by Pharoah. They worked 80 long years waiting for deliverance. And God provided it. Esther was provided as a way of deliverance for Israel. Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days. I could go on and on. What’s the common link in these? The end of the storm took time. It was God’s timetable, not theirs. If you’re in the middle of a storm, right now, it may seem like He’s not there, but He’s working His plan in your life. Remember that I said storms were created by us or sent to correct or maybe even perfect. What we need to remember is to let God work in our lives through the storms. We can’t waste them by complaining, moaning, or throwing blame around. It should be used as an opportunity to grow and mature. It’s an opportunity to let God make us better and stronger. They’re not just perfect storms – they’re perfecting storm.
And the time element brings up the last point about this particular storm: Peter walking on the water. I’ve heard lots of sermons, and you probably have, too. But there’s one small, IMPORTANT point that’s sometimes overlooked.
And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
MATTHEW 14: 32
Again, this passage can just slip on by, but we need to pay very close attention to it. Logic says that it would’ve been easier to rescue Peter by first stopping the storm, but Jesus didn’t. The important action was NOT stopping the storm, the important action was rescuing Peter. The important action was to let the apostles know He was with them. You can see what kind of effect this had by looking back at another storm, and the apostle’s reaction to His calming of it. In Matthew 8: 27, after Jesus says “Peace, be still” and the winds and the waves obey His will, the apostles say: “What manner of man is this?” But here, when the storm has been calmed, the apostles worship Jesus and say “Truly, You are the Son of God.” What a difference! This was the perfect storm, because it served to perfect them. Notice also it WAS another storm. In the first one Jesus was in boat. In this one He wasn’t physically there, but he was there spiritually. And in neither case did He stop the storm until they’d learned the lesson.
When we’re in the middle of a storm, God won’t always stop it just because we beg Him to. I’ve been blessed with only having two cavities in my entire life. The first one I didn’t even need Novocain, but with the second one I ended up getting two shots. I wanted to stop the dentist, but knew it was for the best so that my teeth would be perfected. The dentist wouldn’t have stopped anyway because he also knew it was for best. A little pain now can sometimes make big hurts go away, or maybe even stop them from coming. I once had a friend who’s fiance died. She called me the night it happened, crying and begging “Make it stop hurting.” It was a terrible feeling for me. I tried to console her as best I could. There may be someone out there right now asking the same thing: Make it stop hurting. I wish I could. I wish I could explain the reason for the storm in your life.
But all I can tell you is that there’s a purpose. You might not know what it is for years. You may know tomorrow. I don’t know, but I do know that Jesus loves you so much that He’ll be there, walking on the water to get to you as quickly as possible, walking through the storm Himself to comfort you, strengthen you. Back in Deuteronomy 31 Moses was giving his final address to the children of Israel. They were going over Jordan into the Promised Land, Moses wasn’t going to get to go. I guess you could call that a storm. But Moses understood who was making the decisions and why. And in this passage he encourages the Israelites as they prepare to face new foes in that strange new land. "Be strong and of good courage,” Moses tells them in the sixth verse, “do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He [is] the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."
Storms rise, storms blow, but storms do end. And many times there’s something beautiful at the end. A great philosopher, Dolly Parton, once said: “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow you gotta put up with the rain.”
You may be in the midst of a storm - A storm of doubt, a storm of fear. Remember to keep your eyes on the One who’s walking through the storm to help you, to comfort you. Let Him in the boat with you, and let Him calm the storm, or calm you, or both. Either way, you’re not alone, and never will be. And if you need some helping inviting Him in the boat, your fellow passengers will be happy to assist you. All you have to do is ask.
