Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over.
1. The problems began when Chippie’s owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She’d barely said "hello" when "ssssopp!" Chippie got sucked in.
The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie -- still alive, but stunned.
Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . . she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.
Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.
A few days after the trauma, the reporter who’d initially written about the event contacted Chippie’s owner to see how the bird was recovering. "Well," she replied, "Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore -- he just sits and stares."
It’s hard not to see why. Sucked in, washed up, and blown over . . . That’s enough to steal the song from the stoutest heart.
- Taken from the writings of Max Lucado. Unsure of the book title.
Lessons from this miracle of Jesus.
1. When you follow Jesus, problems may happen.
Storms happen. Even when you follow Jesus, storms happen. You’re doing your best to do what God wants you to do, and suddenly, it’s all turned upside down. The waves are smashing over your little boat – the water seems like it’s coming in faster than you can bail it out!
If I was the disciples, I would have been pretty aggravated with Jesus, about the time the waves started coming over the side. Did you notice whose idea it was to get in the boat and go to the other side? JESUS’!
Now, since we know that Jesus was God come in the flesh, and he knows EVERYTHING, that means that HE KNEW THAT STORM WAS COMING!!!!
And he still allowed them to go! What does that mean to you and me? It means that when you start following Jesus, not everything will be perfect. . . you’ll still have problems.
2. When Jesus is on board, you can always call him.
I wonder why the disciples waited until they were quite sure they were done for until they called Jesus? I don’t know the answer to that. . .
But I do know that no matter where you are in your storm, you can talk to Jesus about it. IF he’s in the boat with you. If you aren’t currently following him, and giving him your life, then NOW would be a good time to get him in your boat – don’t wait until the storm comes up!!
You may be at the stage where the waves are just getting a little rough. Nothing to really get scared about yet. You know,
- if your money is running a little lower than normal. . .
- or if your physical condition hasn’t been as good as you’d like. . .
- You’re undergoing some tests at the hospital.
- The kids aren’t minding all that well, and you’re worried about them.
- You’ve felt depressed lately.
- Your wife/husband has been a little cold and distant for a few weeks now.
NOW IS THE TIME to make sure Jesus is in your boat. Don’t wait until the storm is so big that you’re afraid you’re going under!!!
3. The REAL problem isn’t usually the storm, it’s our lack of faith.
A friend of mine awoke one morning to find a puddle of water in the middle of his king-size water bed. In order to fix the puncture, he rolled the heavy mattress outdoors and filled it with more water so he could locate the leak more easily. The enormous bag of water was impossible to control and began rolling on the hilly terrain. He tried to hold it back, but it headed downhill and landed in a clump of bushes which poked it full of holes.
Disgusted, my friend threw out the water-bed frame and moved a standard bed into his room. The next morning, he awoke to find a puddle of water in the middle of the new bed. The upstairs bathroom had a leaky drain.
When Jesus woke up, he didn’t say, “Oh, man! This IS a bad one! You guys were right to be afraid! You were right to think that I didn’t care!!”
Instead, he turned to them, and said, “Why are you fearful, you men of little faith?”
What’s he saying? He’s saying that the problem isn’t the storm they were going through. . . it’s that their faith wasn’t strong enough. They thought they were going under – when Jesus had led them into the boat to take them to the other side!!
Unfortunately, they didn’t believe that Jesus had their best interest in mind!!
Here’s the question for you and me. . . it’s easy to blame God when we get into a storm.
● Do we trust him enough?
● Do you believe that God has a purpose in what you’re going through right now?
● Do you trust Him to bring you through, or are you too busy asking Him why He doesn’t care?
● Remember, when He stands up to calm your storm, He’ll either say, “I’m proud of you for believing in me,” OR He’ll say, “Why were you fearful, you of little faith?”
4. When you follow Jesus, you always arrive at your destination.
Mt 8:28 ¶ When He had come to the other side. . .
Where is Jesus leading you? What’s his plan for your life?
Some would teach you that he’s going to make you rich — or that he’s wanting to make you totally healthy – or that being a Christian means you’re going to move up the ladder, because God will help you move up! Some of the evangelists on TV will try to tell you that it’s all about health, wealth, and prosperity!!!
Well, unfortunately, that’s not where Jesus wants to take you. Don’t misunderstand me. . .
- He HAS promised to meet your needs.
- If you follow Christian principles, you’ll usually climb the ladder where you work.
- If you work hard, and you’re careful with your money and you tithe 10% to God, you’ll usually wind up better off than when you started.
But what’s God’s ultimate point? It’s not to make you healthy, wealthy and prosperous. We find it in Rom. 8:29, God says he wants you “to be conformed to the image of his Son...” Wow! That’s God’s big point. He wants you to be like Jesus!
But in the process of making us like Jesus, sometimes God calls us to go through storms. . .
God has called some of you to go through:
● Losing your job.
● Health problems.
● Losing a loved one that was dear to you.
● Finding out your partner was unfaithful.
● Finding out your family member has cancer.
In all of those storms, just remember that Jesus always calms them when his purpose is complete.
Checklist: Let the storm make you more like Jesus.
□ Make sure your whole life is given to Him.
□ Let the storm force you to talk to Him more!
□ When you’re in the storm, remember to trust Him to bring you through.
□ Trust Him to know what will make you more like Jesus.
In 1924, two climbers were part of an expedition that set out to conquer Mount Everest. As far as is known, they never reached the summit; and they never returned. Somewhere on that gigantic mountain they were overpowered by the elements and died. After the failure of the expedition, the rest of the party returned to base camp. Everyone was down. . . they had failed. But the expedition leader turned to a huge photograph of Mount Everest, mounted on the wall, and said:
"Everest, you’ve beaten us this time. But I want you to know that we will be back, and next time we’ll beat you – because the difference between you and us is: YOU’RE not going to get any bigger!"
You may feel like the storm is getting you down. It’s got you beaten. But just remember. . .
You’ve got the option to get more like Jesus through each storm you face – and NONE of the storms you face will ever be as big as the God you serve!
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HANDOUT
Facing Life’s Storms Without Fear
Lessons from Jesus Calming the StormMt 8:23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.
24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.
25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!"
26 But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
27 So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"
28 And when he was come to the other side...
1. Even when you follow Jesus, _____________ will happen.
Matthew 8:23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.
2. When Jesus is on board, you can always ________ _____
__________. Matthew 8:25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!"
3. The REAL problem isn’t usually the storm, it’s our ________ _____ __________. Matthew 8:26 He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"
4. When you follow Jesus, you always ___________ at your _____________. Matthew 8:28 And when he was come to the other side...
Checklist: Let the storm make you more like Jesus.
□ Make sure your whole life is given to Him.
□ Let the storm force you to talk to Him more!
□ When you’re in the storm, remember to trust Him to bring you through.
□ Trust Him to know what will make you more like Jesus!
