‘Through the Storm’
- Jan 17, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 7, 2025
Text for today - Matthew 14 :23-24: "Later that night, he was there alone and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it."
Let me ask you, has God allowed a storm into your life lately? Perhaps it’s a personal failure or a great disappointment. Maybe it’s the storm of a sudden and drastic loss or an unwelcome health issue. How can we get through this?
This story tells me, look for God in the storm. Maybe He’s wanting to remind you that He’s there for you and it is impossible to escape His love, even through a storm.
Tim Keller says: "Storms can wake us up to truths we would otherwise never see. Storms can develop faith, hope, love, patience, humility, and self-control in us that nothing else can…as hard as it is to discern God’s loving and wise purposes behind many of our trials and difficulties, it would be even more hopeless to imagine that God has no control over them or that our sufferings are random and meaningless.”
Jesus had made the disciples get into the boat and go across to the ‘other side’; the crowds are told to go back home; and Jesus goes up a mountain to pray.
The crowds sent away. Jesus walked away. The disciples were struggling to make way through a storm.
"The boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it" (v24).
The storm came because they were in the will of God. You may ask, did Jesus know that the storm was coming? Certainly!
Take comfort from Psalm 121 – especially note verses 5-8.
I wonder if the disciples said, "but when He told us to go to the other side we expected ‘plain sailing,’ we expected the wind to work with us."
It’s a bit like: I can't understand how God could be with me and the wind or storm of life could be so against me. Well, Jesus knows about the disciple’s hearts and lives, and He will take them where they haven’t intended to go in order to produce in them what they could not achieve on their own.
Have you experienced His grace like this? It's not always the grace of release or relief. Oh, that does happen, but often, it's the grace of radical transformation; it’s the grace of heart refinement, it's grace unlimited for the unlimited!
God uses the storms in our lives to deepen our trust in Him, to get us through to the other side. The night was dark, the sea was rough, and the ‘wind was against’ them! Matthew tells us that the boat was being buffeted by the waves, literally, ‘tormented’ in the Greek.
Perhaps we need to remind ourselves that the disciples didn’t discover who Jesus was from a book, or a story, or church gathering; they discovered his true identity through relationship and in the context of real life experiences, especially in life’s storms of illness, of poverty, fear and doubts.
Perhaps the greatest storm that night wasn’t with the sea or wind; it was in the disciples’ hearts. Probably, the worst part came from no longer seeing their leader and they are now left to face their long storm-filled night alone.
From verse 24, no doubt a thousand questions are asked! Questions you’ve probably asked too. Perhaps you’ve known the worry/battle of being between verse 24 being buffeted by waves, and verse 25 when Jesus finally appears.
Maybe right now you’re riding a storm, searching the horizon for a light, that glimmer of hope. You know that Jesus knows what you are going through. You know that He’s aware of your storm. But as hard as you look to find Him, you can’t see Him. Maybe, like the disciples, our hearts are now being shaken by unmet expectations. We go from a glorious day of miracles to a night of darkness, doubt and distress.
Storms are a fact of life. Over the course of our lives, we will experience many different types of storms. Some will be more severe than others, but each will have its own unique feature and purpose.
Charles Stanley says that, “All people are either going into a storm, in the midst of a storm, or coming out of a storm.”
Stop fighting your storm; allow the Holy Spirit to take control, to accomplish God’s purpose in and through you. You might even have to allow yourself to be put back on course to get to God’s ‘other side’.
Remember Jesus’ words in John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
There are things that you and I can learn in a storm that we cannot learn anywhere else.
Storms can bring restoration when God has to wake us up to what’s going on in our lives, when He has to get our attention. Storms can be about reproduction, when God builds character, and deepens our faith.
The disciples had to learn to trust Him in all aspects of life…even when He was not physically present with them.
Remember what Paul said in Romans 5:3&4, "We rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; and perseverance produces character; and character produces hope."
James wrote this:"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance" (James 1:2-5).
I’m reminded of Golf Balls – they were originally manufactured with a smooth surface. However, they found that if you put dents in the surface of the balls they travel further.
I know we may have had a few dents and knocks along the journey of life, those times when we’re struggling to make any headway – just think!
It’s just possible we find ourselves in the storm because we have obeyed the Lord, if so, remember that He called us here and He will take us through.
Pause for a moment
Perhaps Matthew 14 is an example of a refining storm, because Jesus allowed His disciples to go through the storm to bring transformation and to increase their understanding of who He is!
I accept, that some of you may say, “It’s difficult being in the will of God if it means going through a storm.” You may even ask, is there anything more difficult? Yes! It’s being out of the will of God!
God’s goal is to continue to transform us into the image of His Son. God’s plans may be puzzling and often include problems. But they also come, as this story reminds us, with His prayers, presence, power and His peace, for the simple reason they always have a purpose.
What storm are you going through? Is it a storm of sickness or of financial pressures? Is there a storm in a relationship? Maybe it’s a storm of doubt, worry and hopelessness?
Every Storm Has an Expiry Date
Charlie Mackesy in his book The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse writes:"'What’s the best thing you’ve learned about storms?’ ‘That they end,’ said the horse.
'What is the bravest thing you’ve ever said,' asked the boy. 'Help!' said the horse."
Let me remind you, every storm must come to pass.
Palms 57:1,TLB: “O God, have pity, for I am trusting you! I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until this storm is past.”
Psalm 107:29, NLT: “He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves.”
With your faith in God’s unfailing words, those storms will pass away. I’m reminded how God through Moses assured His people: “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exod 14:13).
You are the voice of hope. The anchor of my soul.
Where there seems to be no way. You make it possible. You are the prince of peace.
Amidst adversity. My lips will shout for joy.
To you the most high.
We’ve so often been on the wrong side of fear, hopelessness, grief and doubt. Please don’t forget the invitation remains, for you to go over to the other side of the sea, which means you get through to the other side of the storm and have that divine encounter in the process. An encounter that will change us!
Listen to what Isaiah says -
Isaiah 61:3: “He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair.”
May it be so!
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