What to do in the Storm.

What to do in the Storm. Read chapter 14 of Matthew. 

Jesus was real. 
He did not fake or hide who he was or how he felt. 
But in his ‘realness’ we see what he did with his heartache. 
Case in point—word comes to him that John the Baptist has been killed. Can you imagine Jesus’ grief? After all, not only was John his cousin, not only had he announced the coming of the Messiah and then baptized him, Jesus said of John, ‘of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist.’1 

When Jesus heard about John’s death, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.2 He got on a fishing boat to be alone—to do what he did regularly, but especially when in anguish—he went to the Father in prayer. Sometimes we run first to one person to tell of our fear, to another to lean on for strength, to cry out our sorrow or grief, often forgetting that we have a God who is not afar off. 
We have a God who is moved by our prayers to him, 
and willing to act on our behalf. 

Regularly, people look up and think, ‘God, are you there? Do you see what is happening? How could this happen if you love me, if you really care?’ 

The disciples had a similar thought when they feared for their lives, caught in a violent storm in the middle of the night on the Sea of Galilee. ‘Where is Jesus? We need him now! I mean, at Jesus’ instruction, we served folks all afternoon and evening, feeding them, walking up and down the grassy hillside, when Jesus told us to get on a boat and head for the other side, and now a storm? Where is Jesus now, when we so desperately need him? We are afraid, and this storm might just get the better of us—where is Jesus?! 

You have questioned too. Where is Jesus when I need him so desperately now? 

Matthew paints a clear picture of the exhausted disciples: 
“Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. 
Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” 
But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”3 
Some may think, ‘Come on, the men are on a lake—how big a storm can it be? Why even mention churning seas?’ Fact is, the Sea of Galilee is very large, and sits close to 700 feet below sea level; it is about 150 feet deep—and surrounded by hills. These physical features are conditions for the perfect storm, particularly when you take into account the first-century fishing boat. 

How do we know anything about the boat, particularly the boat that Jesus and the disciples might have used on the Sea of Galilee? Once again, archaeology, friend of the Bible, lends us most important details! In the mid 1980s that region experienced several years of drought, which caused a dramatic drop in the water level of the Sea of Galilee. In the winter of 1986, two young men were walking near the shore, and noticed the outline of a boat, which was subsequently 
very tediously excavated. Because of its construction design and two pottery vessels found near it, archeologists judged the boat to be from the Roman period; then carbon tests indeed confirmed the boat to have originated from between 100 BCE to 70 CE. Wow! This was a very significant find! The size of the boat—approximately 8 feet across by 26 feet long—large enough to carry 15 people,* small enough to be greatly affected by a tumultuous storm. 

So the disciples were in the midst of a stormy night’s crossing on the tempestuous Sea of Galilee, exhaustingly trying to row safely to shore, and wondering where the Lord was, and why he wasn’t there with them. Where was Jesus when they needed him?! 

Not far off, and not unaware, because in due time, Jesus came. He came quite unexpectedly to his disciples that night, walking right across the tops of the waves they were battling. As soon as they heard his voice, they calmed down, and so did the storm. 

Jesus knew what his men were up against; he knew they were in a storm . . . that they were worn out and worried, too. In one act, he showed them his power over nature, over that which he had created—by walking on water! In the same act, he showed them his power over the storm that assailed them, and he showed his faithfulness by showing up when they were looking for him. (What’s your storm—your teenaged young person who is acting out? Your husband is having an affair? Or are you crippled by things that have happened in the past? Read this paragraph again and personalize it—Jesus knows what you are up against, that you are in a storm. He can make sense where seems to be none.) 

When God’s children look for him, he shows up. When God’s children cry out to him, he quiets storms. Whether in the storm or quiet, he is never far off . . . and he is always watching. “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you”4 ~ his promise to us. 

Christine

PastorWoman.com

1 – Matthew 11.11, NLT 
2 - Matthew 14.13 
3 – Matthew 14.22-27 
4 – Hebrews 13.5