Getting Stuck in a Storm
“Following Jesus is not always easy. Following Jesus takes courage. Following Jesus might lead you right into a storm…. But He will carry you through it.” – Tony Walliser
Read Matthew 14:22-33
Getting Stuck in a Storm
There’s a common misconception that once someone commits their life to Jesus Christ, it will be smooth sailing from then on. After all, doesn’t the Bible teach that God is love, and that as believers we become His children – children of the King? Why wouldn’t He want us to enjoy a good life, right? There are those who say the safest place is to be in the will of God. So, following Jesus should be a walk in the park, shouldn’t it?
If we take a serious look at the Scriptures, however, we reach a very different conclusion.
Consider Job, whom the Bible describes as “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). And yet the Lord allowed Satan to strip him of all his flocks and herds, his servants, his sons and daughters, and even to afflict his entire body with excruciatingly painful sores.
There was Joseph, the favored son of Jacob. His own brothers sold him into slavery. With honesty and integrity, he served a prominent official of the Egyptian pharaoh’s staff – and got thrown into prison, where he was virtually forgotten for years.
Moses tried to defend an Israelite being beaten by an Egyptian soldier. But as a result, he had to flee for his life, spending 40 years in virtual exile before God called him to lead the people of Israel out of bondage and toward the Promised Land.
Then there’s David, who became king of Israel. He was said to be a man with a “heart after God,” and yet he faced murderous threats, betrayals, family strife, and adversity in many forms.
Daniel was dropped into the lions’ den; his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace. Doesn’t sound like any of these enjoyed “a walk in the park.”
There are many other examples we could cite, but you get the picture. Living in a broken, sin-infested world, we’ll inevitably encounter problems, challenges, and pain. Being in God’s will might be the safest place, but it doesn’t guarantee a life without trouble and hardship.
In Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus commanded His disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee ahead of Him. It had been a long, tiring day of assisting the Lord in His ministry, but they were doing as instructed. Suddenly a severe storm erupted and the disciples, seasoned seamen that they were, began to panic. “Where’s Jesus when we need Him?!” they were probably thinking. So much for a walk in the park – or a smooth sail across the sea.
But then we see a perfect illustration for what happens when Christ’s followers find themselves in a storm. They discover He’s there with them, poised to come to their aid.
There’s much to consider in this story, but perhaps the main point is that whenever we encounter storms in life, it’s a great time to exercise our faith in the Lord.
Whether it’s financial problems, an unexpected and troubling health diagnosis, difficulties in marriage or other family challenges, a lost job, serious business setbacks, or some other form of adversity, the Lord is there. He’s wanting us to look to Him and trust in Him even as waves crash all around us.
Faith is easy to talk about during the good times, when all seems to be going well. But it’s when life seems spinning out of control, difficulties beyond our capacity to fix or control, that our faith is tried, tested – and proven to be true. We discover the reality of Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
What storm – or storms – are surrounding you today? Let’s “fix our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).