Storms
Cornwall/Montreal retreat- July 2 & 3, 2005
Robert Munger- 20th century theologian and pastor in the southern California area- was in a storm. This is his story in his own words.
Being assaulted by winds and walls of waves and a wildly tossing sea was like being run over by a train in a dark tunnel. We knew the typhoon was coming, but I for one hadn’t expected it to pack such a wallop. Everything was battened down as we prepared to take a direct hit. Those of us who were on deck had our slickers on- similar to the old yellow slickers used by New England fisherman. Being a novice to things of the sea, I’d hung mine up by a hot pipe a few days before and the heat had melted all the oil from the fabric. Now my slicker leaked like a sieve. It wasn’t much good but it was all I had to wear as the ship shuddered and pitched into huge mountains of brine and foam.
It was fast approaching midnight. As I made my final rounds on deck, everything I saw brought on physical terror. The lights of the ship reflected only a few feet out over the water. Each wave became visible only as it reared to crash. More than once, I thought, “what if I were washed overboard while making my rounds? No one would even know. I would be lost forever in a violent, angry sea.” The possibility of death was enough to focus my mind. But almost as terrifying as drowning was the fear of falling into darkness and death all alone. No one to see. No one to hear. No one to report. The blotting out of life. Caught. Trapped. Right there in the eye of the storm.
I don’t know what storms in your life you’ve had to face — literal storms or figurative storms. Literal storms: maybe at sea; maybe on land; maybe with the snow; maybe with the ice, – as many of us experienced in the Ice Storm of 1998. Maybe your storms have been with the rain or the wind, with typhoons or with hurricanes. And some of you, I’m sure, have stories to tell . . . stories of survival, since you are here today, alive and well!
Some of you, I’m sure, have stories about being in ‘figurative’ storms as well, some of which you may not want to share or tell. Stories of mental or spiritual storms that you’ve passed through. Related to your work. Related to your livelihood. Related to your colleagues, your relationships, at home, perhaps, with family members. Related to your body, your health, your strength, and your mind.
I don’t know what storms you’ve been through but I do know that all of us at some time or another have had an experience in which we have felt our life to be so tiny, tossed around like that little cargo ship in the middle of the wide ocean. Tossed around as if in the middle of a storm that would not go away, with our lives in danger, with chaos threatening at any moment to undo us, to rip life away. Thrown in every direction.
Today if you have ever been in a storm, or are in a storm, I want you to think through a storm that the disciples and Jesus went through together.
Luke 8.22-25- read.
First, we have: I. The Crisis.
Verse 23 “…there came down a storm of wind…and they were filled with water.”
This was no ordinary breeze blowing-this was hurricane Andrew all over again! Luke writes here that the storm was so bad that the ship was full of water. Mark wrote in his account of this story that the waves were beating the ship that it was full of water. Matthew in his account said that the waves covered the ship. So, you see that this was one serious storm that was going on. They had a crisis on their hands. The ship was full of water, the waves were as high as the boat and they were headed for the bottom of the sea unless the storm ceased.
Have you ever felt like this? The storms of life are blowing so hard, that you are about to sink because you can’t handle the winds and rain anymore. The disciples knew what you are going through. They didn’t think they were going to make it. This was one serious crisis confronting them.
Of late, we’ve all seen, on the news, pictures of the flooding that is taking place because some areas have been getting rain, and more rain, and more rain in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Now, I don’t know a whole lot about being in a boat while the storm was on, but I can talk a little bit about being in the storm and not knowing when the winds were going to cease.
I remember being in the storm, in 1994, when I got a call from Dad, when he lived in Kelowna and we lived in Peterborough, that I ought to come because Mom was not doing well. She had surgery and hadn’t come through it well, and it appeared she wouldn’t make it. That was one of the longest flights across the country that I’ve ever had, with a sense of foreboding in it. I arrived, she was still alive, but died several days later. Losing a mother is a storm. Losing a spouse, or a child, a job, a church and belief system, relocating camp- all of these are storms. Facing further change, in location, purpose and mission, meeting day, even arrangement of a worship service- these are storms we face.
All of you have been through some storms as well. Some of you may even be facing the crisis of a storm right now and you are not sure how or if you will ever get out of it.
The disciples were facing a crisis. But notice secondly . . .II. Their Cry.
Verse 24 “…and awoke him, saying, ‘Master, Master we perish.”
If there is one thing the disciples did right during this storm, it is that they went to the only person who could handle it-they went to Jesus. They cried out to Him and said, ‘We are all going to die if you don’t help us out.’
Are any of you deep sleepers? Well, if you are one of those people who can sleep through a tornado, you are like Jesus in at least one way. Jesus was sacked out. Here the disciples are, fighting off a storm and trying to bail water for all they were worth and Jesus is just a sleeping away.
Have you ever wondered how Jesus could still be sleeping while all of this was going on? The boat is full of water but he is still sawing logs. The rain was falling, the thunder booming-yet Jesus slept on.
Have you ever felt like the Savior was sleeping while the storm was on? Have you felt like Job who said, “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him.” (Job 23:8,9)
You know, there will always be times when we may not feel like God is near, but it is in those times when we can’t feel God’s presence that we need to trust Him. Jesus later asked the disciples where their faith was. God wants us to trust Him no matter what. If we only trusted Him in the good times, we wouldn’t really be trusting Him. He wants us to rely on Him. For example: I love my wife’s cooking, but if I am not careful, after awhile it becomes easy to begin to take it for granted how hard she works to cook my meals. If God took care of all of our problems for us before we ever faced them, than we would take Him for granted. He wants us to rely on Him day by day.
I quoted verses 8 and 9 of Job 23, but verse 10 is the verse I really like, Job said, “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
What an attitude! What a way to look at the storms in our lives. In a sense, Job was saying, ‘come whatever, I’m still going to trust God.’
Well, the disciples cried out to God, and that is what we need to do before we get in trouble, when we get in trouble, and after we are out of trouble. So this morning if you are going through a storm, cry out to God-He will answer.
The disciples were in a Crisis, they Cried out to Jesus, and notice next . . .III. The Command.
Verse 24b, “…and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.”
I don’t know about you, but I like that song that says, “Our God is an awesome God!” Did you know we serve an Awesome God?! We do!
Whatever your problems may be this morning, what you need to do is sit still and listen to God’s voice. Jesus spoke and commanded the winds to cease, and I believe that Jesus will speak to our problems, if we will sit still long enough and listen. People say, “God doesn’t care about me, he doesn’t care that I am going through such a hard time, he doesn’t care.” Well, I believe that God is still speaking, if we will stop and listen.
Once there was a man who dared God to speak.
Burn the bush like you did for Moses, God. And I will follow.
Collapse the walls like you did for Joshua, God. And I will fight.
Still the waves like you did on Galilee, God. And I will listen.
And so the man sat by a bush, near a wall, close to the sea and waited for God to speak.
And God heard the man, so God answered.
He sent fire, not for a bush, but for a church.
He brought down a wall, not of brick, but of sin.
He stilled the storm, not of the sea, but of a soul.
And God waited for man to respond.
And he waited. . .
And he waited. . .
And waited.
But because the man was looking at bushes, not hearts; bricks and not lives, seas and not souls, he decided that God had done nothing.
Finally he looked to God and asked, ‘Have you lost your power?’
And God looked at him and said, ‘Have you lost your hearing?’ (Max Lucado, “A Gentle Thunder”)
We notice the Command that Jesus made, but them last notice . . .IV. Conclusion - The Calm.
Verse 24c, “...and they ceased, and there was calm.”
Jesus came through for the disciples. He calmed the storm and spared their lives. I believe that here this morning there are some people who are going through some storms in their life. You are facing some difficulties that you can’t handle on your own. I want to encourage you to look to the One that can bring calm to the troubled sea of your life. He can take the darkest life and turn it into the brightest life one could ever live. He wants to take care of our problems for us, but we must rely on Him. He asked the disciples a simple question that I want to ask you this morning, and that is “where is your faith?”
Is your faith in what you can do? Is your faith in the lies that the devil has convinced you of- like the lie that ‘Jesus doesn’t care about you’? Where is your faith? If you will rely on Jesus, he will calm the troubled storm of your life. No, it doesn’t mean that you won’t ever have to face another storm; it just means that you will have someone on board who can take care of the winds. That’s the kind of person that I want to take with me, don’t you?
This morning I ask you this question once again in closing, “where is your faith?” If your faith is not in Jesus Christ, than the storms of life are going to sink you, but if your faith is in Jesus Christ-he will calm the storms of your life.
Notice, the disciples’ final response- v.25- ‘who then is this?’ This is the one we submit to, in the storms of life. This is the one in the storms with us.
An unknown author wrote:
“Lord, I’ve never moved a mountain and I guess I never will. All the faith that I could muster wouldn’t move a small anthill. Yet I’ll tell you, Lord, I’m grateful for the joy of knowing Thee, and for all the mountain moving down through life You’ve done for me. When I needed some help you lifted me from the depths of great despair. And when burdens, pain and sorrow have been more than I can bear, you have always been my courage to restore life’s troubled sea, and to move these little mountains that have looked so big to me.
Many times when I’ve had problems and when bills I’ve had to pay, and the worries and the heartaches just kept mounting every day, Lord, I don’t know how you did it. Can’t explain the where’s or why. All I know, I’ve seen these mountains turn to blessings in disguise.
No, I’ve never moved a mountain, for my faith is far too small.
Yet, I thank you, Lord of Heaven; you have always heard my call.
And as long as there are mountains in my life, I’ll have no fear,
For the mountain-moving Jesus is my strength and always near.”
