THE PROBLEM THEY SUFFERED
Just hours before, the disciples had a completly different frame of mind. They were psyched.They were energized and confident, ready to take on anything.
Jesus had just fed thousands with a boy’s lunch, and the crowd erupted with messianic excitement. People surged forward, ready to make Jesus king by force.
And the disciples?
They loved every second of it.
They could see themselves in positions of glory—
royal rings, servants, authority, the inner circle of the new kingdom.
Peter picturing himself giving commands.
James imagining a sword at his side.
John dreaming of Roman soldiers bowing before the Messiah.
They were riding a wave of triumph so high
they could already feel political victory in their fingertips.
But that was eight hours ago.
Because suddenly—abruptly—Jesus broke the moment.
Matthew writes:
> “Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat
and go before Him to the other side.” (Matthew 14:22)
No explanation.
No discussion.
No softening of His tone.
He forced them away from the applause.
He pulled them out of the spotlight.
He shut down their fantasies of earthly glory.
And He sent them straight into a storm.
Not accidentally.
Not unknowingly.
Intentionally.
This isn’t “Blessed are the meek” Jesus.
This isn’t hillside-teaching Jesus.
This is the Jesus who refuses to let His disciples stay in shallow water.
This is the Jesus who knows storms reveal what sunshine never can.
And as the disciples push away from shore, everything begins to unravel.
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1. THEY WERE FAR FROM SHORE — ALONE IN THE MIDDLE
Matthew says they were now “in the midst of the sea.”
John says they had rowed twenty-five or thirty stadia—
three to four miles.
The Sea of Galilee is only seven or eight miles across.
Under normal conditions, a fisherman could row that far in about an hour.
But it is now three in the morning—
and they are only halfway.
That means they have been rowing
six to eight exhausting hours
and have gone nowhere.
They are too far to go back.
Too far to go forward.
Stuck in the place every believer knows too well:
The middle.
Not the beginning of trouble,
where hope is fresh.
Not the end of trouble,
where resolution is near.
But the lonely, grinding middle
where strength collapses
and questions multiply.
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2. THE WIND WAS AGAINST THEM — PROGRESS IMPOSSIBLE
Matthew adds:
> “The wind was contrary.”
It fought them.
Resisted them.
Pushed them backward.
Every stroke of the oar
cost twice the effort
and gained half the distance.
This wasn’t rowing anymore.
This was survival.
Some of you know this feeling:
You work and nothing changes.
You pray and nothing moves.
You fight and nothing improves.
You try to be faithful and life pushes back harder.
Contrary wind has a way of defeating confidence.
And their confidence was evaporating.
---
3. IT WAS THE DARKEST HOUR — THE FOURTH WATCH
Between 3am and 6am the night is at its coldest,
its quietest,
its blackest.
They cannot see each other.
They cannot see the shoreline.
They cannot see their way forward.
They hear the waves
before they ever see them.
They feel the wind
before they understand it.
This is where fear breeds.
This is where doubt whispers.
This is where faith feels thin.
Some storms attack your circumstances—
the worst storms attack your clarity.
---
4. THEY WERE EXHAUSTED — PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY
Imagine them by 3am:
hands blistered and bleeding
shoulders burning
backs aching
soaked to the skin
shivering in the cold
muscles trembling
lungs tight
heads spinning with confusion
This isn’t fatigue.
This is collapse.
And here is the truth:
Jesus did not come in the first watch.
He did not come in the second.
He did not come in the third.
He waited until the fourth watch—
the end of their human strength—
to come with divine strength.
Storms reveal where we end
and He begins.
---
5. THEY WERE IN AN EMOTIONAL FREEFALL
This is the part we often overlook.
Eight hours earlier,
they were dreaming of thrones.
Now they are:
confused —
“Why did He send us out here?”
doubting —
“Did we misunderstand Him?”
frustrated —
“Nothing is working!”
angry —
“What kind of Messiah leaves us alone?”
murmuring —
“This isn’t what we signed up for.”
They’re disappointed.
They’re hurt.
They’re questioning everything.
The royal high is gone.
The kingdom fantasies vanish.
The excitement evaporates.
And they are left with raw, bitter reality.
Eight hours earlier they were planning glory.
Now they’re just trying not to die.
And the most painful truth of all:
They were in this storm
because they obeyed Jesus.
Not because they sinned.
Not because they rebelled.
Not because they lacked faith.
They were suffering for one reason:
Jesus said, “Go.”
But obedience that takes you into a storm
is the same obedience that invites Jesus
to walk into the storm with you.
And when they could row no more… He came.
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THE PERFORMANCE OF THE SAVIOR
For eight long hours, the disciples have been rowing into the teeth of the storm.
Their confidence is gone.
Their strength is gone.
Their hope is bleeding out in the dark.
And it’s right here — when they’ve reached the end of themselves — that Matthew writes one of the most beautiful lines in all of Scripture:
> “In the fourth watch of the night Jesus came to them,
walking on the sea.”
(Matthew 14:25)
Let’s pause here — because this is not just a miracle.
This is a message.
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1. JESUS CAME TO THEM — NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND
This is the gospel in a sentence.
They couldn’t come to Him.
They couldn’t row to Him.
They couldn’t find Him.
They couldn’t even see Him.
So He came to them.
This is not the prodigal son running home.
This is not Zacchaeus climbing a tree.
This is Jesus Himself bridging the distance, closing the gap, stepping into the chaos that is swallowing them.
He doesn’t wait for the waves to calm.
He doesn’t wait for daylight.
He doesn’t wait for them to row close enough for Him to shout.
He comes into their storm.
Not when they were strong,
but when they were spent.
Not when they were believing,
but when they were doubting.
Not when they were praising,
but when they were murmuring.
Not when they were full of faith,
but when they were full of fear.
That is the nature of Christ.
He doesn’t wait for you to get better.
He comes when you’re breaking.
He comes when you’re lost.
He comes when you’re drowning.
He is the God who walks into storms — not around them.
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2. HE CAME WALKING ON THE VERY THING THAT THREATENED THEM
The waves that overwhelmed the disciples
were under His feet.
The wind that nearly sank them
did not move Him.
The sea that swallowed their strength
carried His steps.
Jesus did not come in spite of the storm.
He came because of the storm.
The storm became His pathway.
Hear this:
What is over your head
is under His feet.
What threatens to take you under
is the very thing He uses
to reveal His glory.
The thing you fear the most
is the thing He walks on.
In your life:
The diagnosis
The financial collapse
The broken relationship
The depression
The addiction
The unanswered prayer
The betrayal
The loneliness
What you think will destroy you
becomes the stage on which Jesus displays His power.
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3. THEY DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM WHEN HE CAME
This is one of the most heartbreaking verses in the story:
> “When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea,
they were troubled, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’”
(v. 26)
He came to them —
but they could not recognize Him.
Why?
Because they expected Him to come in comfort,
not in crisis.
They had a Messiah for miracles in the sunshine,
but not a Messiah for storms in the darkness.
And here is the truth:
When you are exhausted,
when you are confused,
when you are disappointed with God,
even Jesus can walk right up to you
and you’ll mistake Him for a threat.
Sometimes we misread the things God sends to save us
as things coming to sink us.
Sometimes His approach looks frightening
before it looks comforting.
The disciples' cry is our cry:
“Lord, is that You?
Or is this just another wave coming to hurt me?”
But Jesus wastes no time.
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4. HE SPOKE INTO THEIR FEAR BEFORE HE SOLVED THEIR PROBLEM
Three things Jesus says —
and He says them before calming the wind.
He doesn’t fix the storm first.
He fixes their fear first.
> “Be of good cheer.”
Take heart.
Your circumstances haven’t changed —
but your courage can.
> “It is I.”
Literally: ??? e?µ? — “I AM.”
This is the divine name.
This is Exodus 3.
This is the God who outlives storms,
outlasts oceans,
and outrules all creation.
He is not identifying Himself —
He is revealing Himself.
This is not
Sermon-on-the-Mount Jesus.
This is
I-AM-that-I-AM Jesus.
The God who walked with Moses
is walking on the water.
The God who parted the Red Sea
is standing on the waves of Galilee.
> “Do not be afraid.”
Notice:
He doesn’t say,
“There’s nothing to fear.”
He says,
“You don’t need to fear it —
because I’m here.”
Fear doesn’t vanish because danger vanishes.
Fear vanishes because Jesus is present.
The storm is still raging —
but their fear is now confronted
by a greater reality.
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5. JESUS REVEALS HIMSELF MOST FULLY IN WHAT FRIGHTENS US MOST DEEPLY
This is the hinge of the whole passage:
Until this moment, Jesus has been:
Teacher
Healer
Miracle Worker
But in the storm
He becomes Revealer.
This is the first time in Scripture
the disciples say:
> “Truly, You are the Son of God.”
And they say it
not after feeding the multitude,
not after healing the sick,
but after walking through a storm.
Because storms uncover what comfort conceals.
Storms strip away superficial faith
and reveal the real Christ.
Storms bring us face-to-face
with the Jesus who does not drown,
does not flinch,
does not fear,
does not sink,
does not lose His footing,
does not abandon His own.
And it is in this moment —
after hours of confusion, doubt, frustration, murmuring —
that Jesus stands before them in sovereign calm.
Jesus always comes.
But He rarely comes the way you expected…
and never at the moment you preferred.
He comes at the moment you need Him most.
And sometimes, storms strip everything away until only the truest part of a person remains.
I remember sailing years ago with my oldest brother Bob out on the Chesapeake Bay.
We were just having fun—novice sailors on a rented catamaran—when a sudden summer storm exploded over the water.
The wind flipped the boat, and the current began pulling us toward the open Atlantic. We clung to the overturned hull for hours as the light faded and the cold set in.
My brother grew up a Christian in the mission field, but Vietnam broke something inside him. He wandered into Eastern traditions, searching for peace in places that never quite healed him.
That day—clinging to a capsized catamaran in the middle of a storm—none of those philosophies rose to his lips. Not one mantra. Not one teaching.
All that remained was the same desperate cry Peter prayed when he sank:
“God, save me. God, save us.”
And God did.
The Coast Guard found us in the dark, righted the boat, and towed us home.
Storms have a way of uncovering what you really believe. They reveal the cry you turn to when everything else is gone.
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THE PROGRAM FOR THE SAINTS
Jesus has come to them in the storm.
He’s spoken into their fear.
He’s revealed Himself as I AM.
And now, the scene shifts.
The question becomes:
How should a believer respond when Jesus meets you in your storm?
This is not abstract theology.
This is not theory.
This is the pathway God lays before every child He loves.
And Jesus teaches it through Peter.
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1. SEE JESUS — THE VISION OF CHRIST
Before Peter does anything—before faith takes one step—he sees Jesus.
Not the wind.
Not the waves.
Not the darkness.
He sees Him.
Peter’s greatest moment didn’t begin with courage.
It began with clarity.
What you see determines what you do.
If you see circumstances, you’ll fear.
If you see yourself, you’ll fail.
If you see your resources, you’ll quit.
If you see the storm, you’ll sink.
But if you see Jesus—
walking on the very thing that threatens to overwhelm you—
something awakens inside that the storm cannot touch.
Maybe that’s why some storms last as long as they do:
God is waiting for you to see Him in them.
Not your solution.
Not your imagination.
Not your escape route.
But Him.
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2. HEAR JESUS — THE VOICE OF CHRIST
Peter sees Jesus, but he doesn’t move
until Jesus speaks.
> “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
Peter will not take one step in the dark
without a word from Christ.
And Jesus answers with a single syllable
that still shakes the universe:
> “Come.”
Faith does not begin with desire.
Faith does not begin with bravery.
Faith does not begin with determination.
Faith begins with a word from God.
Romans 10:17:
> “Faith comes by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God.”
Sometimes storms are loud—
so loud you cannot hear the whisper of Christ.
That’s why you must quiet every other voice
until His is the only one that matters.
Before you step—
you listen.
Before you act—
you wait.
Before you move—
you ask:
“Lord, speak.
Give me Your word.
Give me Your direction.
Give me Your command.”
Because if Jesus says, “Come”…
no wave can stop you.
No wind can sink you.
No storm can take you under.
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3. OBEY JESUS — THE STEP OF FAITH
Peter steps out of the boat.
He doesn’t test the water first.
He doesn’t argue with the waves.
He doesn’t ask for a guarantee.
He simply obeys.
And his obedience lifts him
into a realm where human strength cannot go.
He doesn’t walk on water—
he walks on a word.
A word strong enough to carry him.
A word steady enough to uphold him.
A word powerful enough to override physics
and silence fear.
And here’s the truth:
Faith is not believing Jesus can.
Faith is stepping because Jesus said.
Most Christians see Jesus.
Many Christians hear Jesus.
But fewer obey Jesus.
Why?
Because obedience always feels risky.
Obedience always feels dangerous.
Obedience always feels costly.
But obedience is the only place
where faith becomes real.
Peter didn’t know if the water would hold him.
He only knew the Word would.
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4. PROVE JESUS — THE EXPERIENCE OF CHRIST
Peter walks toward Jesus…
until he doesn’t.
He feels the spray on his face.
He sees the mountain of water rising.
He hears the wind howl.
And suddenly, the miracle beneath him
feels impossible.
He begins to sink.
Not because the Word failed—
but because his focus shifted.
What he saw changed what he believed.
This moment is not Peter’s shame.
This is Peter’s humanity.
Faith is not the absence of sinking.
Faith is knowing who to cry out to
when you do.
And Peter gives the purest prayer in Scripture:
> “Lord, save me!”
Immediately—
not eventually,
not after a lesson,
not after a scolding—
Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand
and caught him.
Peter walked,
then wavered,
then sank,
then was saved…
And through it all,
Jesus never let go.
You will falter.
You will sink.
You will misjudge.
You will lose focus.
But you will not drown
if your cry can reach His hand.
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5. WORSHIP JESUS — THE RESPONSE OF THE DISCIPLES
When they climbed into the boat
and the wind ceased,
the disciples didn’t cheer.
They didn’t clap.
They didn’t congratulate Peter.
They didn’t admire the miracle.
They worshiped.
> “Truly, You are the Son of God.”
(v. 33)
Take this in:
This is the first time the disciples ever say this.
Not after healings.
Not after teachings.
Not after feeding thousands.
But after a storm.
Storms aren’t sent to break you.
Storms are sent to reveal Him.
The wind was His platform.
The waves were His stage.
The darkness was His backdrop.
And when the truth finally dawned on them,
their worship wasn’t polite—
it was humbled, breathless awe.
“Truly…
Truly…
You are the Son of God.”
You can always tell a believer
who has been through a storm with Jesus.
Their worship is different.
Deeper.
Truer.
Quieter sometimes…
but weightier.
They don’t praise Him for the bread on the hillside—
they praise Him for the hand that caught them
when they were going under.
---
Storms give us:
sight of Jesus
sound of Jesus
steps toward Jesus
rescue from Jesus
worship of Jesus
Storms take away everything—
except Christ.
And Christ in a storm
is more than enough.
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APPEAL
My friend, I don’t know what kind of storm you’re in tonight.
I don’t know how long you’ve been rowing, or how far you feel from shore.
Maybe the wind has been against you for so long that you’re tired of hoping.
Maybe the darkness has lasted so long you’ve forgotten what dawn looks like.
Maybe you came into this place smiling politely, but inside you are exhausted,
discouraged, confused, angry, or quietly murmuring like those disciples in the boat.
But hear me:
Storms do not mean Jesus has forgotten you.
Storms mean Jesus is on His way to you.
And He is coming with the same message He brought to the disciples:
“Take courage.
It is I.
Do not be afraid.”
Tonight, someone needs to shift their eyes from the waves to the Savior.
Someone needs to stop listening to the storm and start listening to His voice.
Someone needs to say, “Lord, if it is You, command me. Speak to me. Save me.”
Maybe you have never invited Jesus into your life.
Maybe you walked with Him once and drifted into darkness.
Maybe you love Him, but fear has smothered your faith.
Whoever you are, wherever you are,
Jesus is walking toward you right now.
Not tomorrow. Right now.
Not when the storm calms. Right now.
Not when you feel worthy. Right now.
And all He is waiting for is one cry from your heart:
“Lord, save me.”
If that is your desire—
if you want Jesus to step into your storm,
if you want Him to silence fear,
if you want Him to catch you where you’re sinking—
then I invite you, in your heart, right now,
to reach for His hand.
Jesus always comes.
But the miracle begins when you call His name.
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CLOSING PRAYER
Father in Heaven,
Tonight we come to You from the middle of our storms.
We come tired, discouraged, confused, and sometimes ashamed.
We confess that the wind has been against us
and the waves have been louder than our faith.
But we thank You for the Savior who comes in the fourth watch.
We thank You for the Christ who walks on what threatens to drown us.
We thank You for the voice that speaks courage into fear,
identity into confusion,
and peace into chaos.
Lord Jesus, we lift our eyes to You.
Help us to see You above the waves.
Help us to hear You above the wind.
Help us to obey You even when the water looks impossible.
And when we sink—and we will—
reach out Your hand immediately,
as You did for Peter,
and catch us with Your unfailing love.
Tonight, strengthen every weary heart.
Calm every anxious mind.
Speak into every frightened soul:
“It is I; be not afraid.”
And when this storm finally passes,
may we worship You like those disciples in the boat,
saying with full conviction of the Spirit:
“Truly, You are the Son of God.”
In Your holy name we pray.
Amen.
