"Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. {16} Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, {17} got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. {18} Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. {19} So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. {20} But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." {21} Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going."
Getting caught in a storm can be a terrifying experience. Sometime back the cit of Houston pummeled by Hurricane Alicia - the first hurricane to hit that far up the coast in 30 years. 100-mile-an-hour winds slammed into the city and more than 100 tornadoes were spawned from the thunderous clouds. In spite of this, many residents ignored the warnings to flee, and endured the entire storm from home. However, most of those people now say they will never do that again!
Few of us have experienced that kind of storm - the kind that gets national attention. But most everyone in this room has experienced inner storms which are as intense and destructive as any hurricane. The difference is this kind of storm is never declared a national emergency, and there are no disaster relief teams showing up on your doorstep to help you get through it. It is just you against the elements of the storms of life.
The gospel of John records a story that teaches us that Jesus is Lord over the storms that we face. You're probably familiar with the story - it's the one in which the disciples cross the Sea of Galilee and encounter a fierce storm. Suddenly, in the night, they see Jesus walking across the water to meet them. He calms the storm and takes away their fear. He wants to do the same for you today. Let's examine this story a bit closer, and we'll learn what to do when the rowing gets tough. First of all, we discover...
1. The rowing gets tough when the darkness hides the presence of God.
We might as well admit it. No matter how great one's faith in God is, there are times when it seems impossible to see him, to hear him, or to experience his presence. Darkness fell on the disciples and Jesus was nowhere to be found. The rowing always gets tough when it seems that no matter what you try to do, you cannot find God, and you cannot shut off the awesome destruction of the storm. The rowing gets tough in the midst of darkness when it seems God is deaf to your cries.
On April 14, 1912, the ocean liner Californian was about 1,500 miles out of Boston Harbor. At midnight, watchman Herbert Stone and his apprentice noticed flashing lights which appeared to be coming from another ship. They tried to communicate thru Morse Code but were unsuccessful. Thru binoculars, it appeared as if the steamer were sailing away from them. Not once did it occur to them that the flashing lights might be cause for concern.
Unknowingly, they witnessed the sinking of the Titanic - less than 9 miles away. The tragedy is that hundreds of lives could have been saved that night. The Titanic sent dozens of distress signals across the radio that night, but the Californian never received them - the radio operator had fallen asleep.
It may seem that way for us sometimes, but that's not the case. In fact, Mark's version of this story tells us that Jesus was watching them throughout the night. (Mark 6:48) That's a comforting thought. They couldn't see him during the storm, but he could see them.
2. The rowing gets tough whenever the storm intensifies the darkness of the night.
I don't know what it is about the darkness of night, but it seems that's when children are most ill; when a crisis is at its worst; when despair at its peak. It must have seemed that way for the disciples on that terrible night.
It is easy to lose your perspective about the reality of life in the midst of the storm. Some of the worst decisions people make are made in the midst of a storm. Please hear this word of loving advice. Never make life changing decisions in the midst of a crisis. Wait until you have time to gain perspective on the situation.
People often ask me, "Can a Christian commit suicide and go to heaven?" The answer is yes. Suicide is not the unpardonable sin; the Bible doesn't teach that. Many people who commit suicide experience a kind of temporary insanity brought on by the raging storms of life. Everything seems out of control, and they make the mistake of thinking that things will never change. But the Bible promises that it will! Storms don't last forever. David wrote...
Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. (Psalm 30:5)
If people in the midst of despair will hang on just a little longer, they will eventually see the storm clouds roll away. Storms have the ability to warp our perspective, though, and we must remember that. Even the great men of the Bible experienced this kind of despair. Moses, Elijah and Jonah accomplished great things for God, yet all 3 grew so dejected with life that they contemplated suicide. Storms destroy your perspective, so remember: in the midst of the storm, hang on! It will pass.
There's a story about a little boy who woke his parents in the middle of the night. He was afraid of the dark, and wanted to get in bed with them. His Dad said, "Son, go back to your bed. You are not alone in there. God is there with you." The little boy said, "I've got an idea. Let's trade rooms. You go sleep in there with God and I'll stay in here with Mom."
The rowing gets tough when the storm intensifies the blackness of the night, but we must remember: Joy comes in the morning!
3. The rowing gets tough when God is disguised by the storm.
A few years ago a friend of mine and his wife went skiing in Breckenridge, Colorado. They shared a condo with another couple from the church. Late that night my friend woke up thirsty. He was disoriented when he stood up, but after a moment he remembered where he was. As he walked to the kitchen, he suddenly noticed a stranger standing about 4 feet away from him! He was paralyzed with fear. He wanted to cry out but he couldn't open my mouth.
Since it was so dark, he thought he might slip out of the room unnoticed. But, as he began to move, so did he. Finally, he said timidly, "Phil, is that you?" (Phil was the name of the friend sharing the lodging with him) The figure didn't respond, and he didn't move. He didn't know what else to do, so he lunged at him with all his strength. There was a loud crashing noise and he woke the entire house with his laughter. The "stranger" in the dark who had silently stared him down was his own reflection in a hallway mirror! For a few moments in the dark, he had no idea what was about to happen- but he was sure it would be bad.
The lightning and thunder of a storm can certainly cause one to have a difficult time determining who and where God is. And yet, this story reveals that it is the storm that brings Jesus to the disciples' rescue.
There is a wonderful truth about God we discover during storms, a truth that we might not discover any other way: the storms of life often teach us how deep God's love is for his children. There's a hymn that goes:
When darkness seems to hide his face
I rest on his unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the vale
On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand.
What in the world can you do to help yourself find God in the midst of a storm? The psalmist has the perfect solution;
Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)
There was a time in the life of Elijah, the Old Testament prophet, when he reached rock bottom.
The storms of life got to be too much for him, and he ran away, begging God to let him die. Alone in the wilderness, he finally discovered God, but it didn't happen as you would expect. While Elijah was alone on the mountain he witnessed a great and powerful wind, and then an earthquake, and then a blazing fire. But God wasn't found in any of those. Then Elijah heard a gentle whisper, a still small voice. In that voice, he experienced the presence of God. It is still that way for us today. In the midst of the storm God's presence may seem to be hidden from us, he can be found in the stillness of listening for his voice.
Donald Grey Barnhouse, a wonderful preacher of another era, told a story which illustrates this truth. A man owned an icehouse. One day, he lost his expensive pocket watch in the sawdust. He offered a reward to anyone who could find it. Many searched thru the sawdust with rakes, looking for the valuable time piece, but no one had any luck. Finally, an elderly gentleman asked to be left alone in the icehouse for a few minutes. He went inside, and 10 minutes later came out with the watch.
The grateful owner asked, "How could you accomplish in that short time what none of the others could do in an hour?" The man responded, "I laid down in the sawdust and was very still. I just stayed there until I heard the watch ticking.
Really, it was the watch that found me."
Don't be deceived into thinking that because you are going through a storm that God is uncaring, unwilling or unable to help you. The opposite is true, This story teaches that it was the storm that drove Jesus into the presence of the disciples that night. It's the same for us today. The storms of life did not drive Jesus away from you, the storms of life bring him closer than ever before. Jesus said...
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me is greater than all: no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the father are one." (John 10:27)
This passage teaches that the disciples were never in as much danger as they thought. I say that for 2 reasons:
1. Jesus had his eye on them every moment they were in the boat. They could not see him or feel his presence, but he was there watching over them. That is true for each of us.
2. The disciples were much closer to shore than they realized. It is only about 4 miles from one side of the sea to the other; verse 19 says they had rowed 3.5 miles. They were closer than they realized.
Some of you are in a howling gale and can't see your hand in front of your face - but you've almost reached the other side. The enemy will attempt to convince you that the storm will never end - but he is lying to you.
In The Screwtape Letters, senior devil Screwtape is training his young protégé Wormwood on the tricks of the trade. He says about the Christian, "We must cause them to be convinced that all of their problems and suffering will never end, but will be eternal in nature."
That is what the enemy would have you to believe. Know this: you are never out of the care of the savior and you are very close to the other side. The storm that you're facing hasn't driven him away. He sees you, and he's ready to help you thru the storm. His words to you are the same that he spoke to the disciples that stormy night...
"I am here. Do not be afraid." (John 6:20)
