Article

 Rick Ferrell - October, 2024

Have you experienced storms in your life?

Times when things just did not make sense.

Times when your problems seemed big and faith seemed so small.

Times when you feel scared that you’re going to be taken over by the storms, insecure, afraid, and uncertain.

We all have gone through such storms in life and some are going through them right now. It may be in your marriage, relationship, job, school, health, finances or whatever.

Jesus & his disciples were no different. They went through storms. I want to talk to you about how the disciples dealt with the storm.

Mark 4:35-41 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Jesus and His disciples spent a long day teaching by the lakeside of Galilee. People crowded around Him and he got into a boat, went a little distance from the shore, and started teaching. When it was evening and the sun was beginning to set Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” Jesus and his disciples left and other people and boats followed them. As they were travelling they were caught up in a great wind.

Mark 4: 37-39 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Now the Sea of Galilee is notorious for its storms. It is a small sea and sudden and violent storms are very common. That’s because of the geography of the Sea. The Jordan valley makes a deep cleft into the Sea of Galilee where it is 680 feet below sea level.

There are hills with deep valleys and gullies which look like funnels. The wind coming from the Great Sea compresses upon these funnels and rushes upon the lake. It happens very sudden and violently because of the pressure of the wind created by the funnels. One moment can be calm and the very next moment can be a raging storm. 

Matthew 8:24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

Now Jesus was sleeping because it was a tough day. He was exhausted from teaching and he took a cushion and slept at the stern of the boat. The disciples were left alone to manage the storm. You must understand they have experience in managing the storms. This wasn’t their first time on a boat in Galilee. But this day they couldn’t control the boat. They felt as if they were going to drown and die. Suddenly their faith became weak. They asked Jesus if he cared that they were going to die.

We must understand storms will definitely come for a child of God. The disciples were following Christ and they directly went into the storm. We like the disciples face physical storms but we also will at times a spiritual storm. 

Just because we have been saved and are following Christ doesn’t mean that we will have no problems or storms in life. Now everything maybe going great but storms can come anytime, it just takes a split second. 

Maybe you lose your job, the phone rings and some bad news comes. You have a routine doctor visit and he tells you that you have a sickness that you have to battle with the rest of your life and you find you are in a storm. In seconds your life is changed. Just like sunshine can be followed by thunder and then rain, problems may come to any one of us. 

Why do we go through storms in life?

1. Storms of disobedience. 

Sometimes our disobedience is the cause of our storms. Look at Jonah. He decided not to do God’s will. He went to Tarshish instead of going to Nineveh. 

Jonah 1:1-4 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.4 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

The Bible says he directly went into a storm. This storm was brought on by Jonah himself because of his stubborn will. Jonah ended up from failure to failure and finally as you know he went deep down into the belly of a great fish. He repented and came back to God. God used the storm in Jonah’s life to bring him back and restore him. Sometimes our storms are because of our disobedience.

2. Godly Storms. 

Some storms are from God to keep us focused on him. In John 6 Jesus fed 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. People wanted to make Jesus a king as he was very popular. The disciples were tempted by the popularity Jesus got. 

John 6:14-15 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

Jesus asked them to get into the boat and go to Capernaum. They directly ran into the middle of another storm, why? Jesus wanted to divert their attention and make them focus back on him. That day they saw a great miracle and they got carried away by the popularity and the pride. Jesus sent a storm to refocus their faith on him.

A little boy was playing with his sailboat at the edge of a lake…it got away from him and he couldn’t reach it. He didn’t want to lose it, and ingeniously he thought of a plan. He started picking up rocks and tossing them on the other side, past the boat. The waves brought the boat back to him, and his outstretched arms. And when we drift away from the Lord He sometimes does the same, and the storm drives us right back into the arms of Jesus!

3. Satanic Storms.

Some storms are from the devil and the storm comes to attempt to destroy the child of God. Many scholars believe that the storm in Mark 4 is devil driven. 

Mark 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Jesus often rebuked demons, here Jesus is rebuking the storm and commands the waves to be still which is the same term used for rebuking the devil. Probably this storm was satanic in origin. Satan wanted to destroy Jesus while he slept. But understand Satan has no power over the power of Christ. The storms of evil cannot defeat the child of God; we have power and victory in Jesus!

What you do during the storm reveals who you are. Where do you run for solving a problem? Is it a friend, neighbor, or do you seek godly counsel? The disciples went straight to Jesus. They woke him up, they never gave up.

How do you respond when storms come?

• Put your trust in God. 

We must have a never give up attitude with God. In your storms never give up your faith and never give up your hope. Some people, when problems come, give up their faith in God. 

They stop their prayer, going to church, reading the word and hang their hands in despair. Some people hold on to God and come out better and victorious. Storms will either draw you closer or draw you away from God. You will never be the same as you went in. Either you will be bitter with God or better with God after a storm, it depends on your attitude.

• Keep your focus on God. 

In times of problems, it is easy to lose track of our goals and focus on our problems instead. Satan wants you to do that. He makes us lose sight of our goals and the will of God for our lives. That is why we need to be focused on God.

Storms will come and storms will go, but understand: Jesus remains the same. When following Christ you may face a storm, you may be in discomfort, fear, anger, or anxiety but do not abandon your ship because he is with you. 

In winter it snows and it is cold and miserable, but in the morning the sun rises and the temperature rises, the snow starts to melt and you are comfortable again. No matter what the problem is it will pass one day. Have faith in God.

Mk 4:40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

Have faith in Jesus. Do you have faith in God? 

God desires to continually be there with outstretched hands holding on to us through the storm.  All we have to do is hold on to him. 

God is holding each and every one of our hands. So, do not be afraid. 

Isaiah 49:16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands…

Trust in him, God will lead us out of our storms. Let us put our trust in God and keep focused on him alone.  Amen!