In Mark 6:45-52, the disciples were left to face a storm alone on the Sea of Galilee. However, the greatest storm that night was not in the sky; it was in the disciples’ hearts.
Just like the disciples, Jesus sends us on a journey. Between where we are and where we will be is a storm. But Jesus is bigger than any storm you are going through. As a matter of fact, He knew the storm was there before you did.
What are you facing today that seems like a storm?
- A storm of addiction – trying to break free from a bondage you have had for years?
- A storm of sickness – praying believing God for healing?
- A storm of financial pressure – trying to get out of debt?
- A storm of relationship challenges – trying to restore a broken relationship?
- A storm of doubt and hopelessness?
Everyone who gets to the other side will go through storms. So since everyone experiences storms in their life how should we respond? I think we need to have three attitudes to successfully handle life’s storms:
Obedience. Sometimes we go through storms because we obey Jesus.
Ironically, the disciples were in this miserable trouble because they obeyed Jesus. Imagine what disobedience could have gotten those men that night: perhaps a full stomach, a warm be in someone’s home, an opportunity to tell stories about Jesus. But it was obedience that made them so uncomfortable.
If you submit your life to Christ in obedient commitment, you expose yourself to a variety of sorrows and storms. Your caring, your commitment to Biblical living, will make you vulnerable to things which the uncommitted heart will never experience.
Yet while obedience will bring contrary winds, it also brings joy. Never climb a mountain and you will won’t bruise your shins, but you will never reach the peak see the view. Never play baseball and you’ll never strike out, but you will never hit a home run either. Never obey Christ and you may miss some of life’s storms, but you will never know the breeze of the Holy Spirit in your sails moving you in service and power.
Trust. Sometimes in a storm, we know Jesus is with us. Other times we need to trust Him.
In a previous stormy trip across the Sea of Galilee (Mark 3:35-41), Jesus was with them in the storm (although they had to wake Him up to get any help). However, this second time He was alone on the land praying. The disciples were left to fend for themselves (or so they thought) against the raging storm. He was teaching them to live by faith.
Many times in difficult situations we feel a closeness to Jesus. However, other times we just feel like He has abandoned us. Like many of the Bible personalities, we feel forsaken. These are times we must trust in His presence. Feelings are great. But the fact is He will never leave us nor forsake us. He will take you to your intended destination in life.
Insight. Storms help us see our self and Jesus better.
Self. Sometimes God lets us come to the end of our human resources in order to get our attention. As long as we have a shred of our own strength or confidence, we hand onto it and hold off God. Those who quit relying on self and start to have confidence in God will discover storms to be more manageable.
Jesus. You can know very little about God until you go through a storm. It is the middle of the storm that you meet God. Jesus comes in our most desperate moments. If we know that He is personally present with us in the middle of the storm, the stilling of the sea and the stopping of the wind are incidental.
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