I feel like I am drowning have you ever been in a situation in life where it seems like it is battering you wave after wave after wave after wave and you feel like you are dead in the water some of you are sinking and listen to the words that David wrote David was a poet in 2 Samuel 22 5-7 he says this the waves of death overwhelmed me the floods of Destruction swept over me the grave wrapped its ropes around me and death laid a trap in my path and so he takes his torment and
he turns it into poetry he turns it into a song and he says the waves of death they overwhelm me floods of Destruction they swept over me the grave wrapped its ropes around me death laid a trap in my path but in my distress I cried out to the Lord yes I cried out to God for help why because even the toughest Warrior fights battles he can't win My Cry reached his ears and he reached down from heaven and he rescued me and he drew me out of the deep Waters here's the good news no
matter how deep you are no matter how far you've sunk God can still reach you you got to cry out you got to call out you got to say God save me God save me God I need you if the waves are overwhelming you if the storm is too big I want to remind you what Psalms 899 says it says you rule the oceans it's not you it's God rules the oceans your God my God Is Bigger than our storms he's B bigger he's greater he is grander it says you rule the oceans you subdue
their storm tossed waves you do God you do maybe you're in a storm you didn't plan on it it was completely unexpected but you're in the middle of it and you're wondering if you'll survive could be a physical storm uh maybe it's a relational storm with your spouse your kids your parents or a friend maybe your financial boat is getting rocked by heavy waves you're sinking deeper and deeper in that and wondering if you'll ever be able to get your head above water again maybe it's an emotional storm for you the storm is internal you're
fighting a battle no one else can see with depression anxiety or fear you're in a storm in Matthew chapter 8 the disciples found found themselves in a literal storm on the Sea of Galilee we pick it up in verse 23 then he Jesus Jesus got into the boat and his disciples followed him without warning a furious storm came up on the lake so that the waves swept over the boat now before we even really start the story I have to share with you an important fact the disciples followed Jesus into that boat if you go
back to verse 18 you read this when Jesus saw the crowd around him he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake it was Jesus's plan it was Jesus's idea to be in that boat on that sea at that time this may be the most important thing you learn today Storms Come even when you're following Jesus if you're in in a storm and you're wondering where you went wrong I want to encourage you this storm doesn't necessarily mean you've Miss God some storms are of your own making but often Storms Come even
though you're following Jesus being a Christian never exempts you from a storm don't think that because you have a tough time it's you're disobeying God the disciples got in this storm because they obeyed God Jesus said get in the boat they got in the boat and sail right into a storm they were right in the center of God's will but in the middle of a storm so when you're going through a tough time do not automatically assume I must be out of the will of God because you might be exactly where God wants you to
be storms are impartial these disciples were not out of the will of God why were they in a storm they were in a storm don't miss this they were in a storm because they were in the will of God God it was Jesus that constrained them to get into that boat they were In This Storm because they were obeying Jesus why would Jesus want them to be in a storm because he wanted them to grow I want to ask you a question those of you who've been on the trail for a while when did you
grow the most when everything was fine when you were smoothly sailing or when the storm came and sometimes God allows very difficult situations in our life to do what to grow us up and I think that if God allows a storm in your life that his ultimate purpose is to bring you out stronger you will learn things in storms that you will never learn any other way a calm sea never produced a good sailor how would you like to go on the Seas with a sailor who had never been on troubled Seas if you're going
to have a good life it means you're going to go through stuff but the purpose of that stuff isn't to harm you God allows it or causes it to grow you up to grow me up and the lesson is that Jesus can be trusted in the storms of life and the only way you're ever going to prove that true is to go through them that's it if you've never had a problem you'd never know God could solve them it's God who is the master of the Winds and the waves and he's the one who causes
storms to come uh you know it is a a shallow theology a very shallow theology that says if we're in the will of God that we're just going to sail always smoothly on the sea of life but you know unfortunately what I've learned is I don't grow really well when my flight is smooth the times in my life that I have grown the most have been through the most violent turbulence things that I never would have picked things that I never would have selected things that I never would have asked for because when things were
great I was all about myself but when I was overwhelmed it was an opportunity to call out to God find it very interesting that Jesus told him to get into a boat knowing the boat would go into a storm he's God he knew everything that would happen there's a reason in it there's something behind it Christians aren't exempt from storms but they are exempt from storms with no purpose so if you feel like you're in the middle of one right now I want you to know there's a purpose behind it there's some reason behind it
because I actually believe it is storms are really the fitness the spiritual Fitness strategy of the believer like like God's desire for your life is to make you strong in your faith those those Mountaintop moments oh they're good for us but they're not the thing that makes us stronger it's those dark kind of moments in the storm that'll strengthen us to be who God's called us to be Spurgeon says it this way storms help to make the sailors sturdy and trials help to make Christians strong in their faith I want you strong in your faith
you know what's cool in the middle of the storms of life you don't hear a lot of stories about the disciples crossing the the Galilee sea with uh you know it was a sunny day the water was great they were skiing you know you don't hear about that story too often you only hear about the storms right because in the storms in those hard moments are the moments where you get to grow a little bit closer grow a little bit deeper and learn a little bit more about the Lord he does things in the valley
that can only be explained through him he creates Mountaintop moments in the middle of the valley you with me and some of you I'm not saying you should go chasing storms I'm just telling you there is great joy and great reward even in the middle of the struggle just want to encourage you I tell you today I know the Wilderness is a long way the Wilderness is hard I'm just telling you the Lord has great plans on the other side the disciples didn't expect the storm but now this group several of them by the way
expert fishermen were fighting for the lives as the waves threatened to sink their boat the disciples thought they weren't going to make it Jesus was so disturbed by the storm that he was taking a nap well the disciples panicked Jesus slept here's why that's so encouraging it lets you know Jesus isn't intimidated by your storm to you it seems impossible unending devastating Jesus on the other hand isn't frightened by in the least so I wrote it down this way okay when it comes to your life when it comes to the storm ready you can freak
out only if Jesus is freaking out you can stress if Jesus is stressed about your issue you can Panic all you want as long as Jesus is panicking but if he's staying calm and restful and at peace in this moment then I want you to know that's what we're called to live as as Believers also they shifted their attention from the winds and the waves and the storm to Jesus they recognized we can't handle this by ourselves there's nothing we can do we better wake up Jesus When Storms Come never forget Jesus is in the
boat with you Jesus is in your boat I'm praying that as the storm rages around you that there's peace within your soul because Jesus is on your boat verse 25 look what it says so the disciples went and woke him and said Lord save us and haven't we all done the same thing haven't we all had this moment where we go I'm going to solve this problem I'm going to fix it I'm going to make it better and God's saying the storm's raging around you just turn to me and ask me for some help I
can help get you through this you need to learn how to always locate where Jesus is in the storm they didn't start looking for Jesus until they realized that they couldn't bail out enough water it's human nature when a storm starts to rage to instantly try to fix it I have to learn instantly when I feel that storm coming in where where is Jesus in this well friend maybe you're in a storm right now like the disciples in this boat here's my question who's in the boat with you it's Jesus he's in our boat he's
in our life and we would do well to remember who he is and what he can do he's still quiet storms and he can quiet the heart of his child in the middle of a storm if you're going through a storm the first lesson you got to learn is God is always with you if you're a Believer there will be nothing I will face or you the rest of our life alone Jesus is in my boat he's he's in there he's in my life and in my boat and if you're a Believer he's in your
boat too God promises every believer lo I am with you always I will never leave you or forsake you Isaiah 43 Verse 1 and two fear not for I have redeemed you I have called you by name you are mine when you pass through the waters I'll be with you when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you what a promise if your boat's rocking don't worry if you're a Believer Jesus is in your boat so remember God's closeness he's still with you God's answer for every problem the world has ever faced
has always been his presence I understand you're in a storm but you don't have to face that storm alone Jesus said in this world you will you will have trouble but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world the one who created this world and the one who overcame death is in your boat you don't have to fear the storm because Jesus is in your boat I don't know how people face the storms of life without Jesus Mark in his telling the story gives us Jesus's words Jesus stood up in the boat he
arose and rebuked the wind and said to the Sea peace be still and the wind ceased and there was a great calm there are a lot of wind and waves around us none of that knocks Jesus out of the boat none of that intimidates him in the middle of it all in spite of it all you can turn to Jesus and with just three words peace be still Jesus can calm your storm Jesus is not intimidated he's not afraid he's with you he's in the boat he can and will speak peace to you even then
in the middle of your most terrifying storm Jesus expects you to trust him in the storm regardless of your storm Jesus Is Your solution Jesus promises to bring You Through Your Storm look at verse 35 on that day when evening came he said to them let us go to the other side the disciples should have really believed Jesus when he said let's cross over over to the other side Jesus didn't say let's hop in the boat and see what happens he said let's cross over to the other side and if he said let's cross over
to the other side guess where Jesus was planning on going to the other side the only problem is when the storm came up the disciples were so struck with fear that it wiped their memory of what he actually said and they thought he must not have seen this cancer coming he must not have seen this contention coming he may not have seen this no no no no no this is what the Bible says in numbers chap 23: 19 God is not a man that he should lie nor a son of man that he should repent
as he said he will he not do or as he spoken will he not make it good you can take it to the bank if he said it he's going to do it and in the midst of a storm is the most important time for us to remember wait what did he actually say about this you will make it to the other side because what guarantees your success is not your tenacity not your strength not your culture it's who's in the boat with you Jesus didn't tell them it'd be an easy trip he didn't say
they wouldn't get wet he didn't say they would wouldn't have an attack or be scared he just says we are going to the other side and they did you're going to make it we're going to make it and notice what Jesus said to the disciples in verse 26 you of little faith why are you so afraid now that tells me two things the root of their problem was fear and the solution to their problem is Faith the greatest threat to the lives of the disciples was not the storm it was their unbelief The Secret of
victory over fear is Faith and even if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you can move a mountain so you don't have to have super super super Faith you just have to have that little bit of faith in a great big God that's the issue see everybody's got faith but you don't have to have a bunch you can put a little faith in a big God and get big results Jesus can use our little faith some of y'all are waiting to get great faith to do great things from God and I want
you to know little big Miracles are the result of little faith in your life Jesus says it this way in Matthew chapter 17 very truly I tell you if you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can say to this mountain move from here to there and it will move because nothing will be impossible to you that's for us as Believers nothing is impossible so I want you to know you don't have to have great faith to experience great things from God it starts with little faith to just say in the middle of
this trial and the middle of this battle in the middle of the storm God I'm going to turn to you God can handle it God's bigger than your storm with God his way is rarely the easy way but he's got you and that means you've got this if God is for you no storm can stand against you I don't have to have the answer I just know who does I don't know I know enough history to know he'll bring me through I don't know how I can't see it but I know he'll bring me through
be through and so there's only one thing that can calm your storm and that's Jesus but you got to get him in your boat you got to get him in your life you got to have Jesus in your life to make it through the storms of life but listen to me carefully whenever you are in a storm Jesus knows about it he's close by and he's waiting for you to ask for help I'll never leave you nor forsake you is his promise think about that Jesus has said to every one of us who are his
children I will never leave you nor forsake you you aren't alone you aren't alone we do not walk this road alone that's why we can say with confidence you'll survive this storm you will because you're not alone you belong to God God has never promised a life with no problems but God has promised to be there when we Face them but storms are temporary they don't last there are no Eternal storms Mark Twain and a friend walked outside one day in a rain storm the friend said you think it'll stop Mark Twain said always does
always does that's true with any storm you got to go through it but it won't last forever you know uh morning's coming maybe dark right now but morning and the sun will shine again cuz some of you are in a major storm right now and God's word to you is the sun will shine again there is hope God is with you
