There is nothing more frightening than a storm

Storm Stories

There is nothing more frightening than a storm at sea.
Once again, we find ourselves tracking a storm working its way across the weather map, yes there are many storm stories in the Bible.
Psalm 107: 23 onwards
"Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of God, God's wondrous works in the deep. God commanded, and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken men, and were at their wits' end. They cried to God in their trouble, and God made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
 They were glad because, God brought them into to a safe harbor."
I suspect that Mark and the other gospel writers had these words of this Psalm in mind when they encountered the storm in the New Testament story of the perfect storm with Jesus.
 (Mark 4: 35-41) 

Jesus sails with his disciples onto the Sea of Galilee. It's early in the evening; everyone is tired after a long day, but before they know it, the little boat is overwhelmed by one of those seasonal storms famous in that part of the world. The crew is fighting desperately to keep it under control, but as the waves grow higher, the wind grows more intense, at every gust of wind the disciple’s huddle together saying,
"It can’t blow any harder!" But the gale seems to mock them, it’s driving their words back down their throats.
There is nothing more frightening than a storm at sea in the dark of night. Even when the winds wrench a hole in the clouds and reveal the high moon rushing backwards across the sky, it’s as if there is nothing but terror. When the darkness closes in the wind howls and screams like a demon. Mark depicts that moment of panic just as the light of dawn reveals the full height of the waves, the very moment when the disciples become fully aware of the danger they are in. They look back at the stern of the ship, where the helmsman is supposed to be, and there is Jesus, asleep!



You can imagine what a shock that discovery would have been, especially for the disciples. They are the ones who believed most deeply in Jesus power to heal and save all. To them Jesus is the all powerful Messiah; Jesus is the one who can defeat anyone, He is the cure for any disease, He can raise the dead from the grave if necessary. But now, at the very edge of survival, as the boat is about to be swamped, they find him asleep!
We remember that these disciples saw the stormy sea as the very image of chaos. They believed it was only through the continuing watchfulness of God that the creation did not at any moment return to its original state totally without form and void. In the storm, they thought time itself might turn backward, taking them back to that creative moment when the Spirit of God brooded over the face of the deep. Or back before that, when there was nothing but chaos. For the disciples, being in that storm was like being at the end of the world. And they cried out to their sleeping Messiah,
"Do you not care if we perish?

The Calming of Troubled Waters

Now in conventional interpretations of this passage, the sleep of Jesus is taken as evidence of his faith. Jesus had so much faith in God that he knew there was really no danger in the storm, a simple rebuke would quiet the wind and the waves, just like that. Naturally Jesus could sleep through that night of terror, and so could we, if we only had His faith.
I don't buy that. It's not true to my experience and it's not even true to the Scriptures. For all his faith, Jesus was not carefree before evil's power. His heart was torn apart by the conditions in his country; his feelings were wounded by the suffering of people around him and He knew that the contest between good and evil, truth, justice and terror, was not yet decided. If he were asleep at the wheel, it was only the sleep of exhaustion following a long night's watch. Why else would he be found in the place of the helmsman? He stood watch through the darkness of the storm as he would do later in the Garden of Gethsemane, suffering, while it was the disciples who slept. Going to sleep in the midst of a crisis was not his style.



Still, by morning's light he sensed that the back of the storm had been broken, that the ship would survive. And so for a moment, he let himself drift off to sleep, which even he desperately needed. As the early morning sun illuminated the water around the ship, the disciples were increasingly terrified. Now they could see the threatening waves and take a measure of their height. In their fear, they drew the most fateful conclusion. This storm must be a sign that God had turned against them, God had raised up that mighty wind to destroy them. The truly frightening thing here is the thought that God had brought down this storm upon them in his righteous anger.
Just then Jesus stands, He faces down the waves, saying: "Peace! Be still! Why are you afraid, O people of little faith?" His words seem to be addressed to the disciples as well as the wind. It’s as if he knew that their fear was the true danger, especially their fear of God. They were immobilized by the terror of the deep. They were frozen in fear and self-doubt. They even feared that God had brought this storm upon them.
Jesus knew better. "Why are you afraid, O people of little faith?"

Finding Safe Harbor

Normally we can find this story grouped in a class with all the other miracle stories. Jesus is depicted as a miracle worker, a man who has some special power to intercept the normal course of events: He can reverse the laws of gravity and walk on water. He can turn back the progress of disease and heal the sick. Yes He can even stop the inevitable decomposition of the human body after death and bring it back to life again.
I don't deny that miracles are possible. The problem is, miracles are by definition exceptional. Our faith cannot hinge upon the hope that God will step in and save us during every moment of crisis. In the mist of the storm and in the face of the disciples' deepest fears Jesus offered no more that a few words -- "Peace, be still!"
The same is needed at many points of crisis in our lives. Our situation may be full of trouble; emotions may be at war within us. One may strike out in anger at a friend who tries to help. One reaches a moment of paralysis or panic, but suddenly the right person says the right word at the right time. And everything else falls into place.


"Peace, be still!" Suddenly there is a mysterious peace, a peace that comes with healing in its wings, even the peace of God. Such moments do not come often. But when they do, they remind us that beneath the raging turmoil of even the perfect storm, there are the still waters of the ocean's depths.
When you think about it, you can see the storms we face are normally of the surface. Even in a time of crisis, if you'll stop what you're doing, let go the thoughts of whatever it is that's troubling you, and center upon God, you can sense that the seas of life are peaceful in their depth. The winds may howl and the waves may crash all around, but in the depths of God's green sea there is a profound quietude. Not far beneath the surface of any storm, the waters are still.
This Jesus knew. So when the wild winds blow; when the storms rage; what we need most of all is the capability to plunge into the depths of God, to reach down and feel the peace within. So the winds shall cease, and the waves recede, and there shall rise within us a peace that comes with healing in its wings.
“And they were glad for God had brought them into a safe harbor.”

WE might ask SURVIVING LIFE’S STORMS where do we start

So how do we go about surviving these storms

Psalm 91 tell us

1.) How can we PREVENT some of the storms of life.

A.) The Storm’s Advisory says “It is better to AVOID a storm than it is to endure

One”. (Prov. 15:31-33)

B.) The Soul’s Advertency is we must WATCH be aware of what is taking place around us. The Bible is the believer’s RADAR screen. If we can see

the storm coming we should hide from it. (Prov. 27:12)

C.) The Self’s Adversity is we often suffer self-WOE. If we will not learn from the COMMANDS of God we will learn from his CORRECTION. (Prov. 6:23)

We might ask How do we get out of a self-made storm? (Prov. 28:13-14) Tell us that we need to CONFESS and FORSAKE the SIN that brought the storm. Otherwise, the storm will CONTINUE.

We must always remember

1.) Fools Never GRADUATED from the school of EXPERIENCE.

2.) We can PREPARE for the storms of life by building our house upon a rock. (Matt. 7:21-29)

It is not the desire to Know, Nor the DEVOTION to Seek,

But the DECISION to Obey That DELIVERS us Today,

And always will from the Angry Storms of Life.

A.) We begin to prepare for the storms of life by LEARNING God’s Word. Jesus began His teaching concerning life’s storms by comparing HEARERS and DOERS. Hearing without doing makes one a FOOL, hearing and doing makes one WISE.

B.) We continue to prepare for the storms of life by LOVING God’s Word. (Psa. 1:1-3; 39:3; 119:47,97;

Luke 24:32)

We must DELLIGHT in God’s Word and MEDITATE upon it.

The truth that begins to enter our lives by way of our MINDS must make it in to our HEARTS.

C.) We are not fully prepared to face the storms of life until we are LIVING in God’s Word. What we have learned and have grown to love must start to be lived in our lives.

When the rains come and the winds blow, the house (life) built by

OBEDIENCE to the Word of God is the house that will stand!

What does the FORECAST say to you is there a Storm on Your Horizon.

There are three types of storms which we encounter.

First storm) this is a Physiological storm - because we have a BODY.

Second storm) is an Emotional storm- because we have a SOUL.

Third storm ) is a Spiritual storm- because we have a SPIRIT.

Also there are four sources of which storms generate from:

1) Satan creates a storm in which we can be ATTACKED.

2) Self can inflict a storm- we can AFFLICT storms in ourselves.

3) Somebody can create a storm if we allow our selves to be AFFECTED by others we can encounter a storm.

4) Sovereign - we are ATTENDED by God.

We can seek PROTECTION from the storms of life. (PSALM 91)

God’s protection is like a SHADOW. (vs. 1)

Those who walk with God are never alone and always reach their final destination safely.

B.) God’s protection is like a SHIELD. (vs. 2-8)

Those who walk with God find Him to be a REFUGE and a FORTRESS. (vs. 2)

Their deliverance is SURE. (vs. 3)

They need not FEAR, for their Lord is their SHIELD. (vs. 4-8)

C.) God’s protection is like a SHELTER. (vs. 9-16)

God PROMISES to protect those that trust in Him. (vs. 9-13)

God promises to deliver those that LOVE Him. (vs. 14)

To be with them in times of TROUBLE, to deliver and HONOR them. (vs. 15)

Those that trust God shall be satisfied and God will show them His salvation. (vs. 16)

Faith in the Promises of God is the anchor of the soul. (Heb. 6:10-20)

3. We can secure PROVISION to use during the storms of life.

(Matt. 14:22-33)

A.) The Forcing of the DISCIPLES.

Jesus compelled the disciples to get into a boat that He knew would lead them into a STORM.

B.) The Foreseeing of the DANGER.

Peter got into trouble when he focused his attention upon the STORM instead of the Savior.

C.) The Foiling of the DISASTER.

The WINDS stopped when Jesus reached the boat! Jesus walked right on top of their problem and calmed the waves. God is BIGGER than any problem that we have. He knows all about our STORMS. He can walk right on top of the waves of my worried heart and command His PEACE!

We don’t have to worry over the Waves,

We Worship the One who Walks on the Waves!

So when your Boat is Full of Water,

And you’re far away from Land,

You can have peace within your heart

Our Savior is at hand.

Thank you