With all the technology the media uses to broadcast today, we receive an abundance of news from all over the world. We can find ourselves constantly bombarded with bad news on a daily basis. News of unrest in other countries and how their conflict affects our nation, news of politicians that cannot figure out how to run our country, reports of earthquakes and tsunamis unlike any we have heard of with devastating results. We listen to weather reports that tell us of approaching storms that are going to wreak havoc on large areas. The economy worldwide is on such unstable ground that anything could shake it from its foundation. In the midst of all these negative reports once in a while, we hear a little good news, news that makes us feel compassion for others or news that draws us into someone else's life for a moment. But these reports are overshadowed quickly by more storms approaching us from all directions. The question we ask ourselves so many times is, what is this world coming to? Then there are our own personal storms that confront us bringing fear, anxiety, and unrest in our own private world.
No matter what type of storms are in our lives, whether they are weather-related, some form of financial storm, or storms of unrest in our personal lives, the one thing almost all of us will do at some point is to focus in on the storm. When we focus on the storms that surround us we accomplish one thing for sure, we allow fear to take over. When fear takes over our decisions become driven by that fear. It's interesting to read the scriptures and look into real-life situations we can all relate to and learn from. For instance, Jesus wanted to cross the Sea of Galilee with some of His disciples so he approached them by their boat and said: "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." Luke 8:22 In examining this verse we find that Jesus had a need to go to the other side, so He told His disciples they were going to take Him. Here we see some of Christ's closet friends and followers who said they put their trust in Him and made the decision to follow Him not only to the places His journey would take Him, but they said they believed in what He was saying about Himself as being the one they had been looking for, the Messiah.
Let's examine the scriptures that follow this statement from Christ. As these experienced fishermen got in their boat along with Christ, they set out to cross the Sea of Galilee. The disciples knew these waters well from their years of fishing to support themselves and their families. Now, these very same fishermen made the decision to follow Christ believing He was the long-awaited Messiah. They had no worries at this point and wanted to be good followers of their Lord. Somewhere before they reached the other side of the lake a fierce storm hit them. These fishermen more than likely battled many storms while out fishing and knew the dangers of a treacherous sea. This storm had created such waves that it was filling the boat with water and was about to swamp their fishing boat. Fear began to overtake their thinking because their experience told them that this was not going to get better. Now, you and I both know that if we were in that same situation we would be white-knuckling it the whole time and would be manning the lifeboats, provided there were any. We would be crying out to God with all intensity to save us.
As the disciples turn to Christ they find Him sleeping. The disciples were struggling to save their lives, they needed all the help they could get. Waking up the Master would, of course, be the next step, recruit His help. Christ, when awakened didn't seem to be bothered by the storm though, He just took control and rebuked the wind and waves. Let's read the account from the scriptures and draw a couple of conclusions from it. We will pick up the story as recorded by Luke, Chapter 8 verse 23; "As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. the disciples went and woke him up, shouting, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" When Jesus woke up, He rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm. Then He asked them, "Where is your faith?" The disciples were terrified and amazed. "Who is this man?" they asked each other. When He gives a command, even the wind and waves obey Him!"
I want us to notice three observations in this portion of scripture. 1. The word 'us' in the first encounter with His disciples by the boat. 2. The question Jesus asked the disciples. 3. The question the disciples ask each other. In these three observations, I believe we will find ourselves relating to the disciples in the way God speaks to "Us" in our storms of life. We all have faced something in our lives that caused fear to take hold of us. When Christ told His disciples "Let's go to the other side," He said they were all going to the other side. The word 'us' gives us this indication. The destination was the other side and it is indicated that all were going to reach that destination. The problem the disciples had, like so many of us, is that they focused on the storm forgetting who Christ was and did not catch what He said before they even started out. It would seem to me that the full impact of just who Christ was had not completely set into their hearts and minds yet. When we are in a crisis mode and fear has overcome us, we like the disciples are focusing on the storm. We forget who Christ is and fail continually to turn to Him and acknowledge who He really is.
When Christ was awakened by His disciples He was not stressed out and was not afraid of the storm, He simply rebuked the storm causing the waves to calm down. Christ knew His destination, He knew who He was, He knew the authority He had and He knew they were all going to reach the other side of the lake. He used that authority to take control of the situation. Jesus asked the disciples "where is your faith.?" In other words, did you forget who I am? Do you still not believe in me? The disciples still had a lot to learn and they just learned a valuable lesson, Christ has authority even over the wind and waves. Seeing this the disciples now asked the question "who is this man?" By asking this question we can see that they still were not aware of just who Christ really was. Like the disciples, when the storms approach our lives we focus not on Christ but on the storm. Christ is continually asking us, "Where is your faith?" And we are continually asking, "Who is this man?" Has not the very nature of Christ still not fully entered our hearts and minds yet? If we focus on the storms and allow fear to take over, I would have to say, we really do not know Christ in the way that we must know Him as the Son of God. The reason that Christ asked His disciples "Where is your faith?" is because they did not recognize His Word, "Let us...", meaning all of them, "... go to the other side," giving the clear direction of their destination. Here is a statement by Smith Wigglesworth that gives us some insight on how we should face our storms:
Peter Stone, in the same book as above, received an answer to his spiritual struggles when the Holy Spirit spoke this to him:
What are some of the storms you are facing right now? Are they financial? Could it be your family situation? Or maybe you are struggling with life itself and just don't know what to do. The solution to any storm in your life is to focus on Christ and His Word, not on the storm that faces you. Yes, the wind and waves before you can be scary, your boat may be about to capsize, you may find yourself struggling to keep your head above water, but realize this, as long as you focus on the trouble you will not be able to see through the storm, your focus is in the wrong place and your strength is in yourself. Don't let fear take over and make the decisions for you, put your faith in Christ and He will calm the wind and waves that are hitting you head-on. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27. No matter what kind of storm you are facing today, you can have full confidence that if you place your trust in Jesus Christ, He will not leave you in the storm, He will bring you to the other side of the troubled sea of life and place your feet on solid ground.
If you have not placed your trust in Jesus Christ yet, then you will have to face the storm alone. Why not at least get in the boat like the disciples did. Even though the storms of life are frightening and seem overwhelming you can be assured you are not alone and you can have the hope in Christ that you will get to the other side.
May the Lord bless and keep you safe in your journey through this life.
Let's examine the scriptures that follow this statement from Christ. As these experienced fishermen got in their boat along with Christ, they set out to cross the Sea of Galilee. The disciples knew these waters well from their years of fishing to support themselves and their families. Now, these very same fishermen made the decision to follow Christ believing He was the long-awaited Messiah. They had no worries at this point and wanted to be good followers of their Lord. Somewhere before they reached the other side of the lake a fierce storm hit them. These fishermen more than likely battled many storms while out fishing and knew the dangers of a treacherous sea. This storm had created such waves that it was filling the boat with water and was about to swamp their fishing boat. Fear began to overtake their thinking because their experience told them that this was not going to get better. Now, you and I both know that if we were in that same situation we would be white-knuckling it the whole time and would be manning the lifeboats, provided there were any. We would be crying out to God with all intensity to save us.
As the disciples turn to Christ they find Him sleeping. The disciples were struggling to save their lives, they needed all the help they could get. Waking up the Master would, of course, be the next step, recruit His help. Christ, when awakened didn't seem to be bothered by the storm though, He just took control and rebuked the wind and waves. Let's read the account from the scriptures and draw a couple of conclusions from it. We will pick up the story as recorded by Luke, Chapter 8 verse 23; "As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. the disciples went and woke him up, shouting, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" When Jesus woke up, He rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm. Then He asked them, "Where is your faith?" The disciples were terrified and amazed. "Who is this man?" they asked each other. When He gives a command, even the wind and waves obey Him!"
I want us to notice three observations in this portion of scripture. 1. The word 'us' in the first encounter with His disciples by the boat. 2. The question Jesus asked the disciples. 3. The question the disciples ask each other. In these three observations, I believe we will find ourselves relating to the disciples in the way God speaks to "Us" in our storms of life. We all have faced something in our lives that caused fear to take hold of us. When Christ told His disciples "Let's go to the other side," He said they were all going to the other side. The word 'us' gives us this indication. The destination was the other side and it is indicated that all were going to reach that destination. The problem the disciples had, like so many of us, is that they focused on the storm forgetting who Christ was and did not catch what He said before they even started out. It would seem to me that the full impact of just who Christ was had not completely set into their hearts and minds yet. When we are in a crisis mode and fear has overcome us, we like the disciples are focusing on the storm. We forget who Christ is and fail continually to turn to Him and acknowledge who He really is.
When Christ was awakened by His disciples He was not stressed out and was not afraid of the storm, He simply rebuked the storm causing the waves to calm down. Christ knew His destination, He knew who He was, He knew the authority He had and He knew they were all going to reach the other side of the lake. He used that authority to take control of the situation. Jesus asked the disciples "where is your faith.?" In other words, did you forget who I am? Do you still not believe in me? The disciples still had a lot to learn and they just learned a valuable lesson, Christ has authority even over the wind and waves. Seeing this the disciples now asked the question "who is this man?" By asking this question we can see that they still were not aware of just who Christ really was. Like the disciples, when the storms approach our lives we focus not on Christ but on the storm. Christ is continually asking us, "Where is your faith?" And we are continually asking, "Who is this man?" Has not the very nature of Christ still not fully entered our hearts and minds yet? If we focus on the storms and allow fear to take over, I would have to say, we really do not know Christ in the way that we must know Him as the Son of God. The reason that Christ asked His disciples "Where is your faith?" is because they did not recognize His Word, "Let us...", meaning all of them, "... go to the other side," giving the clear direction of their destination. Here is a statement by Smith Wigglesworth that gives us some insight on how we should face our storms:
"I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved by what I believe!"In Peter Stones' book, "Purging your House, Pruning your Family Tree" offers three lessons he learned from a spiritual storm he found himself in. These three lessons we can all benefit from. Take a look at them.
(1). God is not moved by your feelings but by your faith. Hebrews 11:6. (2). God is not moved by your circumstances but by His Word. Jeremiah 1:12. (3). God will deliver you from the attack if you will remain steadfast. 1 Corinthians 10:13.When we are faced with the trials of life and we are not sure what to do, remember, God is faithful and will never let you down. He has overcome the world by His Word and His Word will not come back to Him until it accomplishes what it was sent to do.
Peter Stone, in the same book as above, received an answer to his spiritual struggles when the Holy Spirit spoke this to him:
"The Holy Spirit spoke to my spirit, saying, Son, as long as you live, satan will use what you see and what you hear against you. It is time that you stand on the only thing that can never be shaken or changed; stand upon My Word!"After hearing this from the Holy Spirit, Peter Stone found victory over the influence satan was having concerning his life and ministry. In our journey with Christ, we will encounter many trials that will offer us the opportunity to place our trust in the Lord and as we do we will have many victories along the way as long as we keep the Word of God in our hearts and minds. The problem most of us tend to have is we focus on the storm and look at the waves in front of us which results in fear, and very possibly defeat us. Keep in mind that Christ is with us at all times just like He was in the boat with His disciples, He was focused on the destination, the disciples focused on the storm. If we want to make it to our destination we like Christ must focus on His Word, not the storm. The writer of Hebrews left us with this quote from the Lord; "For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." So we can say with confidence, "the Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?" Hebrews 13:5b
What are some of the storms you are facing right now? Are they financial? Could it be your family situation? Or maybe you are struggling with life itself and just don't know what to do. The solution to any storm in your life is to focus on Christ and His Word, not on the storm that faces you. Yes, the wind and waves before you can be scary, your boat may be about to capsize, you may find yourself struggling to keep your head above water, but realize this, as long as you focus on the trouble you will not be able to see through the storm, your focus is in the wrong place and your strength is in yourself. Don't let fear take over and make the decisions for you, put your faith in Christ and He will calm the wind and waves that are hitting you head-on. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27. No matter what kind of storm you are facing today, you can have full confidence that if you place your trust in Jesus Christ, He will not leave you in the storm, He will bring you to the other side of the troubled sea of life and place your feet on solid ground.
If you have not placed your trust in Jesus Christ yet, then you will have to face the storm alone. Why not at least get in the boat like the disciples did. Even though the storms of life are frightening and seem overwhelming you can be assured you are not alone and you can have the hope in Christ that you will get to the other side.
May the Lord bless and keep you safe in your journey through this life.
