Faith to Wait IN the Storm

“And immediately, He made the disciples get into the boat, and go ahead of Him to the other side…” (Matt. 14:22)

It was the end of a wonderful day. The Master had just performed an amazing miracle, creating a feast for a multitude from a few morsels of a boy’s lunch. Imagine, watching the Teacher, taking the bread (as He always did) blessing it, breaking it, and passing it to His disciples to give to the people…but this time, He kept breaking it, and breaking it, and breaking it, and it continued to multiply until everyone present was fed and satisfied! What a glorious day! Talk about a spiritual high! Those disciples must have felt so “close to God,” especially after witnessing and participating in such an incredible event. And they were this Man’s CLOSE companions! They were His “right hand guys”! Now, the sun was setting, the crowds were leaving, and so, it was time for a new task – the Master said, “Go to the other side of the lake; I’ll catch up with you.” No problem!

Or so they thought…but as night fell, and the boat went further and further away from the shore, a storm emerged; the winds raged “against them” (vs.24)…and the Master was nowhere in sight…

We all enjoy those spiritual highs, don’t we? You remember that glorious feeling inside right after the conference? Summer camp? The church retreat? Or right after you were baptized? Oh! The world was such a beautiful place! Life was everywhere! God was in everything! The sun shone brighter; the colors of the trees and sky were more brilliant; everything seemed so fresh and clean! From now on, life was going to be different! You had just been in the presence of Jesus, and He changed your life! You and He are unstoppable! What can the enemy throw at you that you and God can’t handle?! And when He asks you to take another step of faith, you gladly accept His request and quickly obey! After all, He only has good in mind for you, right?

So you step out in obedience, and suddenly…storms. You leave your old job, but the new company doesn’t hire you, and your bills start to pile higher and higher; you place membership at the new church, but no one speaks to you; you ask the elders to pray over your illness, but your condition continues to decline; you seek counseling for your marriage, but your spouse insists on a divorce; you release your rebelling teen to the Lord, but his behavior goes from bad to worse.

What do you do when you obey God in full faith, and instead of things getting better they get worse? What happened?! You were so close to God! You just had a wonderful experience with Him! Everything was going to be different! He told you to step out in faith and expect Him to intervene in your situation, and so you do…and life’s messes become nightmarish! “Did I hear God right? Was I supposed to do this? What am I going to do? They’re going to turn off my electricity? Travis was arrested! The doctor says I have 3 months to live!!!”

Is this fair? Is this right? Your obedience “rewarded” with the “winds of life” turning against you? This is what the disciples were thinking when they were in the middle of the lake. They had just witnessed one of Christ’s most famous miracles, and actually participated in it, having been asked to distribute the miraculous food to the masses and pick up the leftovers. They were on “Cloud 9;” nothing could stop them now! And Jesus told them to cross the lake and He would catch up with them, no problem! “But wait a minute! He didn’t tell us about the storm? He didn’t tell us that the winds would be so harsh, the waves would climb so high, the thunder would boom so loud! Did we hear Him right? Did He want us to cross the lake? We’re not going to make it! This storm is too strong!!!”

No, Jesus didn’t tell them about the storm; He did tell them to “cross the lake.” That was all they needed to know…and guess what? He did what He promised. He “caught up with them,” and they crossed to the other side.

“And in the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea…and when (He) got into the boat, the wind stopped...and when they had crossed over, they came to the land…” (vs. 25, 32, 34)

When we step out in faith and obedience, we are not always ensured that we are going to have “smooth sailing” in the beginning. In fact, it is arguable to say that, more often times than not, we are going to experience “contrary winds” in our circumstances initially. Leaving one job to go to another requires a lot of transitions in finances, time, and effort; joining a new church means that you have to exert extra effort to “get plugged in.” And don’t forget the spiritual aspect of it:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood…but against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12)

Do you think the enemy is going to stand idly by and let you gain more ground of his territory? Absolutely not! If God wants you in this new church fellowship, the enemy will attempt to make it clear that “you don’t belong.” If the Lord wants to heal your body, the enemy will do everything he can to get you to believe He doesn’t. If God wants to deliver your son from his wayward life, the enemy will do everything possible to thwart His plans of deliverance by tempting you to act out in your emotions and not in obedience. We mustn’t forget that we have an enemy, whose plan is to destroy our faith and our relationship with the Father.

God is faithful. What He says He will do, He will do; what He says will happen, will happen. Jesus told His disciples to cross the lake, and though a storm emerged, His disciples did cross that lake. Whatever it is the Lord has promised you, He will do it. The storm may be raging, the winds may be contrary, but know that Christ will come and meet you, like He said He would.

You had the faith to get in the boat to cross the lake; do you have the faith to wait in the storm until you do?