Luke 8: 22- 25 One day He and His disciples got in a boat. “Let’s cross the lake,” He said. And off they went. It was smooth sailing, and He fell asleep. A terrific storm came up suddenly on the lake. Water poured in, and they were about to capsize.
They woke Jesus: “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
Getting to His feet, He told the wind, “Silence!” and the waves, “Quiet down!” They did it. The lake became smooth as glass.
Then He said to his disciples, “Why can’t you trust me?”
They were in absolute awe, staggered and stammering, “Who is this, anyway?
He calls out to the winds and sea, and they do what He tells them!”
Whether saved or unsaved, everyone encounters storms in life on this sin-cursed earth. No one is immune from storms.
The Question is – Is Jesus in Your Boat? Make sure He is!
What kind 0f Storms Do We Face in Life?
Stock market, property problems, in-law, tax problems; health issues, job loss, financial lack; children out of control; divorce…Perhaps your marriage is crashing. Or, you lost someone close to you, a health problem or addiction…
Just because we’re followers of Jesus doesn’t mean we Will Not have storms in lives.
“In this world you will have tribulation…
“Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble Job 14:1.
There is a miracle in the storm and beyond!
Jesus has a purpose and a strategy in every storm. He wants us to get into the boat where He is, to go to the other side.
If you don’t set sail, you’ll never know what treasures lie beyond on the other side.
It might look difficult nay impossible.
But there’s an answer awaiting you on the other side.
There is a miracle on the other side of the mess you are in.
The miracle happens when you turn the page and enter a new, unfamiliar chapter.
Believe that and push forward.
It may be that God has directed us right into the middle of the storm, which is right where He wants us along our life journey.
You holler! Where are You, God? You just don’t care – He does! He is in our boat! He says I am with you all the days of your life.
He is the Stiller of the Storm! He works in every storm for our good if we trust Him and praise Him Romans 8: 28! – Praise is accepting the present as part of His overall plan for us which is for good and not for evil, to give us the future we hope for.
The Question is – Is Jesus in Your Boat? Make sure He is!
Three specific places for us to ponder over – Before the Storm; During the Storm and After the Storm.
Before The Storm
Four Things to Remember:
- Make Sure Jesus Is in Your Boat The disciples survived because Jesus was in the boat with them. He will never leave you once He is in your boat.
- Make Sure 0f Your Calling and Election Are you saved, sins forgiven, possess eternal life; Is Jesus your Lord & Saviour?
- Make Sure to Call 0n Him Call on Me and I will answer you… He who calls on the Name of the Lord shall be Saved, Healed, Delivered.
- Make Sure You Have the God-kind 0f Faith – faith in your words Mark11: 22-23 When Jesus said, “Let us cross over to the other side,” – He believed His words. The disciples expected to go to the other side too.
Jesus slept peacefully without anxiety. He knew they were going to the other side no matter what.… So should we – As He is, so are we, in this world…We will go to the other side!
Unfortunately, the disciples expected to go to the other side without opposition. When the storm arose, they became fearful, don’t we? That is our plight too.
We can’t focus on Jesus thinking about waves and storms around us. That is what the devil wants. He comes to kill, steal and destroy us John 10: 10. The devil is the storm-maker, Lord Jesus is the storm-silencer. No matter how stormy the seas, rough the winds in our lives He will never leave us He does not jump out of our boat whenever we face a storm.
During the Storm
When we are in the midst of a storm, some of us look to family and friends, intellect, ability, money to discover that we are not equipped to handle these storms and change our situation. But there is 0ne and 0nly – Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit who is able to do exceeding, abundantly above … Ephesians 3: 20.
Four Lessons to Learn from Jesus Calming the Storm.
- Follow Jesus The Disciples Followed Jesus when He got into the boat. Followers 0f Jesus had problems so would we. But in the midst of problems we will have peace following Jesus. Following Jesus faithfully not only helps us stop worrying, but gets us to heaven!
- Focus 0n Jesus If we focus on the storm, we’ll empower doubt. If we focus on Jesus, we’ll empower our faith. We are given divine power to shift our focus. Ephesians 3: 20
- Fear Not! He was asleep in the boat, but in control of the situation. We are not to panic even If Jesus Is Silent or it seems He has deserted you. Fear not, He is right beside you!
- Cry Out for Help The disciples asked Jesus to help them. Worry is useless, prayer is always effective. We will get what we need. Don’t jump ship when the storm whips.
If you want to make it through the storm, then you need to take God at His Word.”
It takes a storm to know that God is healer, deliverer, refuge and strength.
It takes a storm to answer the question about who God really is.
You already have inside you what you need to handle any storm – the Greater One.
After The Storm
One Lesson to Learn.
Testify – Look What the Lord Has Done!
After Jesus calmed the storm, “the men marvelled” Matthew 8: 27
Recall the many times Jesus helped you.
That will increase your faith and help you deal with future problems.
Imitating the disciples at sea is a great idea.
Let us give it a try and see what happens!
SONG
He can turn the tides and calm the angry sea
He alone decides who writes a symphony
He lights every star that makes our darkness bright
He keeps watch all through each long and lonely night
He still finds the time to hear a child’s first prayer
Saint or sinner call and always find Him there
And though it makes Him sad to see the way we live
He’ll always say, “I forgive”.
He can grant a wish or make a dream come true.
He can paint the clouds and turn the grey to blue.
He alone knows where to find the rainbow’s end.
He alone can see what lies beyond the bend.
He can touch a tree and turn the leaves to gold.
He knows every lie that you and I have told.
Though it makes him sad to see the way we live.
He’ll always say, “I forgive.”
The McGuire Sisters / Richard Mullen / Jack Richard
Is Jesus in your boat – then fear not!
There is a miracle awaiting you on either sides of the other side.
May Christ within you now rebuke the winds and the waves and bring great calm.
In the matchless Name of Jesus Christ, the Storm-Stiller!
Eagle Vision School of Prophets International 