Where Is God in the Storm?|05.10.26|Is That In the Bible? pt.5

A couple years ago, I had a major FAIL with the gift I got Megan for Mother’s Day. Two things you should know about my wife: she’s very fashionable, and she’s very frugal.

So, while she loves finding great new outfits and staying on top of trends, she usually does it by finding clothing at thrift stores.

And another thing you should know is that I am hopeless when it comes to understanding clothing and what colors match with other colors, and whether something is actually what Megan would like.

But a couple years ago, I found a really cute sweater on an online ad, and I thought that I would like to get it for her… without showing it to her, or running it by her, or checking to make sure the one I was choosing was the one that she would actually like.

I mean, I’m a grown man. And I make decisions all the time. And I’ve been married to her for a decade at that point. SURELY I’ll be able to pick the right one that she’ll LOVE… right?

So I ordered it, and got the shipping confirmation, and a week or so later it arrived. And I opened it… and THAT’S when my stomach dropped all the way out of my body. Because it looked NOTHING like what I saw online, and I KNEW that it wasn’t something Megan would like. And I started to sweat…

Have you ever been already in process with something when you have that sinking feeling? You’ve already set out confidently in one direction, and everything starts to go wrong? And it’s that specific moment that you start sinking midstep.

It was when you felt like your marriage was turning a corner…but then it didn’t.

It was the new job you started with excitement, but then it started unraveling.

It was the conversation that you finally worked up the courage to have… and it made things worse.

It was the prayer you prayed… and nothing changed.

In that moment, mid step, the bottom drops out, and you start to sink. And even more than the fear… you actually feel ALONE.

I’m sure most of us know what that feels like: to start sinking. But when that happens, what we’re NOT sure of is our next step. And what we tell ourselves in that moment… about God, about ourselves, about whether anyone else is coming to help us… that shapes everything for us in that moment.

[Scripture Ref] Matthew 14:22-33, New Testament p???

And there’s a moment with Jesus and his followers where this exact thing happens. And what Jesus does in that moment is amazing. And I think it’s going to reframe your connection with God in those moments when you feel like the bottom dropped out and you’re sinking down.

So open your Bibles with me to Matthew ch14 (p???). This story picks up right after the very famous time that Jesus performed a miracle and took one lunch and multiplied it to be able to feed thousands of people.

So Jesus dismisses the crowd, and tells his disciples to get in a boat and head back to the other side of the lake without him, because he’s going to spend the night alone, praying to his Father.

And as we walk through this passage, I want us to notice that Jesus was the one that commanded them to start paddling across the lake through the night. And so when the storm starts, that wasn’t a surprise to Jesus. They aren’t in chaos because he lost track of them. He actually SENT them into the storm.

And another thing to keep in mind is that half of the disciples are experienced fishermen. And so when they are terrified by this storm, it’s because it’s a genuinely dangerous place to be.

And so we’re going to watch a clip from the show, The Chosen, to see how they imagine the scene. And as we watch, pay attention to Simon Peter. Because he’s been feeling like Jesus is showing up for everyone else but him. And he’s been feeling like Jesus has been doing miracles for everyone else but him. And with that in mind, let’s watch this clip…

[VIDEO: Peter walks on Water]

[blank]

It’s a powerful scene, but we’ve been making sure that the screen sends us back to the Scripture so that we can be chewing on God’s Word for ourselves. Because we want to be people who are formed by God’s Word. So let’s RISE as we’re able for the reading of God’s Word…

[Matthew 14:22-33]

[Matthew 14:24-25]

So very early in the morning, (some of your Bible versions might say the fourth watch of the night), somewhere around 3am, the disciples are straining at the oars. They’ve been paddling all night long, and trying to keep from capsizing from the strong winds and waves that are threatening to fill their boat with water.

They are exhausted, scared, and outside of familiar territory. And even though they believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and they’ve seen him do incredible miracles… you’ve got to understand that they grew up in a superstitious culture that believed in spirits and gods that influenced nature.

And they are not on the Jewish side of the lake. They are on the Gentile side of the lake. And maybe there are spirits that are in this area that have sent the storm towards them. Maybe they’ve paddled the boat over the sunken hull of a different vessel, and the ghosts of those sailors are trying to pull them in.

And then, through the flashes of the wind and the waves, they see a figure WALKING on top of the stormy water.

[Matthew 14:26-27]

And they FREAK. OUT. Because a shadowy figure walking on the water only confirms their deepest fears. They’ve angered some territorial spirit, and they are alone and running out of luck.

But IMMEDIATELY, Jesus speaks to them, “Take courage. It is I.” Or, literally, he says I AM. The Divine Name. He’s identifying himself for them… not only is he not some dark spirit of the deep, he’s the One who hovered over the deep at Creation and spoke the world into existence. “It is I; don’t be afraid.”

[Matthew 14:28-29]

And out of the 12 disciples in the boat, eleven stay seated and stay quiet. But Peter shouts out, “Lord, if it’s you, COMMAND me to come to you on the water.”

And that word for “command” means “Urge me, exhort me, bid me” to come to you. If you have authority over the wind and waves, you have authority over me. Command me to come to you on the water.

Think about it. This is a very brave and bold thing of Peter to do because the storm has quieted down yet. It’s still raging.

But Peter just has this desire to BE where Jesus is. Even though there is a storm that is raging all around him, he just wants to be close to Jesus.

I really respect that, and admire that. And I pray that I always have the same desire when I’m in a raging storm.

And then we see in v29, I just love Jesus’ answer: he just says, “Come.”

He doesn't reassure him. He doesn't give him a safety briefing. He doesn't tell him, "Here's exactly how you do it" or "Here are all the next steps." He just says one word, "Come."

And even though this passage is pretty familiar for many people and we just watched the clip, we can't skip the miracle that is described here. Peter gets out of the boat and walks on the water. We can't gloss over it, because it’s the only time in history that a human being has done this. Peter starts walking on the water… like, what?

He hears Jesus and he obeys him, and I want you to hear this: It's in the obedience that he experiences the miracle.

Because think about it: If Peter had stayed in the boat and Jesus said, "Well, yeah, if you want to come to me, you can," but then Peter never actually did it… He wouldn't have known if it would have worked or not.

No, Peter actually had to do it. He had to obey Jesus to start experiencing the miracle. It's in the moving forward, it's in taking the next step, that he experiences the miracle.

[Matthew 14:30]

But then look at this in verse 30: "When he saw the wind, he was afraid." Now it doesn't say that the wind changed, the storm didn't get worse. What changed was where Peter was focusing his vision.

He moved from keeping his eyes on Jesus to looking at the storm, and his footing followed his eyes. And he began to sink.

And I don't know about you, but I take reassurance in this because it helps me feel better about my own faltering faith. Peter started taking steps towards Jesus. He stepped out of the boat and experienced the miracle of being able to walk on water. He started even taking steps forward towards Jesus, but it's after that that he gets distracted and takes his eyes off Jesus. And therefore starts to listen to the fear.

He became frightened and began to sink. And so I just want to point out that when Peter kept his eyes on Jesus… And said, “tell me to come to you, and I will.” And Jesus said, “Come.” And Peter did. He heard and obeyed, and he started experiencing the miracle.

But it's when he took his eyes off Jesus… that's when his faith began to falter. He became frightened, and it began to sink.

He didn't sink because he had fake faith. He didn't sink because he was a coward. He sank because what he was looking at became bigger in his vision than the One who had called him to follow.

Have you ever been mid-step and started to sink? Have you ever set out confidently in one direction, and everything starts to go wrong?

When the bottom drops out in our lives, when we get that sinking feeling, it’s easy to feel alone. We start to tell ourselves that God isn’t anywhere to be found. He’s abandoned us.

Because maybe you’ve even cried out in prayer. But it seems like your voice is drowned out by the roaring storm. Because notice that the storm didn’t stop when Peter cried out!

We cry out, and the storm keeps going, and it feels like that confirms it: God didn’t hear me. Or he heard me, but didn’t answer. He knows what I’m going through, but he’s not fixing it.

I know what this feels like, because I’ve experienced it. Even though I’ve seen Jesus do incredible things before. Even though I’ve gotten out of the boat with him a few times. Even though I’ve been moving forward with Jesus… I know what it feels like to take my eyes off Jesus and see the storm and begin to become afraid and feel so alone in the storm.

[Matthew 14:30-31]

But that’s not the end of the story, so watch this: Peter cries out, and Jesus IMMEDIATELY reaches out his hand and catches him.

Jesus doesn’t wait for Peter to get himself together and ask nicely. He doesn’t wait for Peter to figure out the proper theology on what he believes about the presence of storms and whether or not God caused it or is just working through it.

When Peter starts to sink and cries out to Jesus, he’s immediately caught because a hand was ALREADY REACHING for him!

And once he’s caught him, still in the middle of the storm that hasn’t stopped yet, Jesus pauses to ask Peter, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

We’ve got to slow down and sit in this for a second: Jesus didn’t say Peter had “no faith.” He didn’t say he had “fake faith.” He says you of “little faith.” It’s a term that Jesus only uses with his disciples… the ones he’s still helping to grow, still walking with, still holding safely.

Honestly, it doesn’t sound like a put-down to me. It sounds like the tender voice of a father who is calm and unafraid. “O little one, why did you doubt that I’d be there for you, when I’ve never failed you before?”

Jesus isn’t anxious about the storm. In fact, he’s so undisturbed by the storm that he’s having a conversation with Peter out in the middle of it, because his eyes haven’t been focused on the storm. His eyes had never been taken off Peter’s face.

[Matthew 14:32-33]

And once they get in the boat, the wind stops. And the other eleven disciples, who started our story screaming out in terror about a ghost, respond now by prostrating themselves in worship, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

The storm ends, and it’s not reason to celebrate… it’s reason to WORSHIP because they’ve just had an encounter with the Creator of the wind and the waves and the life that is coursing through their bodies.

Their fear gives way to worship because Jesus was WITH THEM in the storm and never let them go.

[Start sinking]

Here's what I want you to know from this passage today. Just one thing. Write it down or put it in your phone, however, you can remember it:

When you start sinking, Jesus is already reaching.

Not after you've gotten stronger faith, not after you've said the perfect prayer, not after the storm finally stops. Jesus is already reaching. His hand was already in motion before the cry for help left Peter's lips.

And so that means that when It felt like your marriage was turning a corner, but then it didn't… God hadn’t left you.

When the new job felt like it was unraveling, or when the hard conversation made things worse… God wasn't punishing you.

When you were mid-step and the bottom dropped out and you started to feel that sinking feeling… You weren't alone.You were exactly where Peter was.And Peter was exactly where Jesus was already reaching.

When you start sinking… and let's be honest, you will. We all do… Jesus is already reaching. Because that’s who he is.

And he doesn’t just do that when we’re in a storm season of our life. Jesus reached across everything… every storm, every sin, every moment of sinking and fear… when he stretched out his arms on the cross and refused to let go.

The thing that saved Peter wasn't his prayer. It was the God who has always been reaching out for us. The God who stepped into our existence to cross every barrier in order to pursue us out of his love for us.

He's the God who sought out the woman at the well. The God who stayed with Paul in his suffering.The God who walks on water towards terrified, sinking disciples at three in the morning, not because they earned it but because of who he is.

When you start sinking, Jesus is already reaching.

[Middle of your storm]

So here’s what I want you to do this week: In the middle of your storm, call out to Jesus. Because he’s already reaching for you.

That's it. There's not a complicated formula. There's not a certain place or stance that you need to adopt. Peter's entire prayer was three words: "Lord, save me." Jesus didn't need anything more. He just caught him.

So what storm are you in right now? Name it out loud to Jesus. Call out to him. Not because he doesn't know, but because you were made to call out to the one who made you. That’s not weakness, that’s just faith that is being honest.

And when you call out to him and get your eyes back on Jesus, you’ll see that he’s already reaching out to you. Because he’s been reaching out to you since before you knew you needed him.

His grace is always reaching out to those who need him, to those who are far from him, to those who are sinking under the weight of sin and sickness and storms and doubt.

He’s already reaching, because he is truly the Son of God, who came to seek and save the lost, who leaves the 99 in order to find and rescue the lost One and bring us home rejoicing.

Isn’t that good news?