Of Storms and Calms

**Fenny West** Mon 02 Jun 2008, 9:38 am

Jesus Calms the Storm

23Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"

26He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

27The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"

What can we learn from this small Passage of scripture?

Storms of life are part of life

Jesus did not suddenly decide that He was going to commit suicide with His disciples. He told them they were going to the other side and the other side they would reach, regardless of what happens in between. So the first thing is to make sure we have heard from Him regarding our spiritual journey.

The moment we give our life to Him, He is in charge. We belong to Him. Our future is in His hands and so long as we are yielded to Him we will reach our desired and His desired haven. No foe can pluck us out of His hands. Everything that happens to us will work together for our good because we love Him and are called according to His purpose; and this includes storms of life.

Storms can come in any form or shape.

It could be financial, marital, spiritual, relational, mental, political, demonic, economic or religious; you name it, it can come. It can orchestrated by the enemy, designed to derail you, cause you to doubt God’s love, integrity, goodness and grace. But God can also allow storms to take us to another level of faith. We may have experienced His goodness, greatness and grace at a level and gloating about it, not moving forward whilst He may want us to move higher. Why? His mercies are new every morning and great is His faithfulness.

Storms could rage in different parts of our lives at the same time

Just as storms are a part of life they can manifest in different areas of our lives at the same time. Hence you may have your finances in tatters and just as you’re grappling with that, your wife files a divorce. The scenarios are endless. But God remains the same and is still in charge and we need to acknowledge Him at such times. This is not a time to cry wolf or throw in the towel or jump off a bridge. Our God is good, all the time.

Storms often come suddenly without a warning, so we must be prepared

Notice that the storm Jesus and His disciples faced came suddenly, without warning. That is life and that is the way of storms. In a twinkling of an eye you are in the thick of it. It was all calm before; there was partying, sing and dancing but all of a sudden the sky is black, the sun sets in the middle of day.

This is why we need to be ever-ready. And as someone said if you have quaked before God you will not quake before man or storm. If you have had a time of fellowship with God he can either show you things to come or give you sufficient word of assurance that when you see the storm you will remain calm.

You can sleep during a storm if you have been with the Lord.

Does it not surprise you that Jesus was able to sleep during the storm?

He was teaching us a lesson, giving us a picture of how to handle storms. You can be relaxed in a storm; sleep like a baby because you know that in His hands He holds the whole wide world. That was why Peter was able sleep in the prison even though he was going to he executed the following day; Paul was able to sing in prison; Joseph was able to encourage other prisoners; Daniel was calm in the lions’ den.

Often when storms hit our lives it can seem as if God is asleep or does not care.
Why?

Yes, the picture of Jesus sleeping during a storm could be our experience when we go through storms. It may seem as if the Lord does not care or has abandoned us. But we need to encourage ourselves at such times that He is the ever-present Lord, Jehovah Shammah, and also that He not only ever-present but very present, in other words, actively involved, interested, doing something we may not be aware of. We need to affirm His presence at such times. We also need to acknowledge at such times that He is our peace- Jehovah Shalom, Who gives us peace that transcends all understanding and so se can have peace in the storm. Again we need to remind ourselves that the battle is not ours but the Lord’s. He is our victorious banner- Jehovah Nissi. Our God is not dead or asleep.

At such times confess with Jehosephath, ‘My eyes are on You’; declare with the psalmist, ‘I will lift up my eyes unto the hills. Where does my help come from My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth He will not allow my foot to stumble. He who keeps me does not sleep. Yes He who keeps me neither slumbers nor sleeps. The Lord is my keep. He will not allow the heat of the sun or the ferocity of the storm to destroy me rather He will be my shade in the heat and my canopy.’

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

Ps121:1-3

He wants us to exercise authority, dominion; imitate Him.

We are here in training for reigning with Him, and when He calmed the storm, He gave not only His disciples an example but for us too. And so when the storms of life come as they surely will god is looking at us to see if we will imitate Him, because He gave us authority as believers and He wants us to exercise that authority and dominion over storms of life. And when we do we must do it believing. If we do it doubting, the storm will not obey us. If we command the storms in our life when we have sin in our lives we will also be wasting our time. We would not have submitted to God and so if we resist the devil, he will not flee. We would have given him dominion over us.
19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

Luke 10:19

Why do storms come?

Storms come to test our faith; to strength our faith, take us to a higher level of believing; another threshold, or band of faith. Storms are good as it is for an eagle, enabling it to mount up. And you were born an eagle-saint so expect storms, cherish storms, use storms to rise higher and enter your promised land or make further in-roads into your destiny; See storms as another opportunity to prove God’s faithfulness and goodness and love and unlimited resources.

7That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:1 Pet 1:7

Storms are essential tools or schools for our spiritual growth

God wants us to grow in grace. He wants us to leave our spiritual toys behind. He wants us to develop from babyhood to adolescence to adulthood in Christ and this takes time and process. Storms are part of the tools God may use to mature us to show forth His glory in our lives. Job said, ‘When He has tested me, I shall come forth like gold.’

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;Heb.5:8

Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.Heb11:33

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.2Pet 3:18

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:1Pet.2:2

You can be calm in a storm

Learn to be calm in a storm. Know that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. Know and acknowledge that He loves you with an everlasting love; you are the apple of His eyes. His angels are round about you; the storm has come to lift you up higher and higher to a new realm and domain of faith and glory. Harness the storm like an eagle; use it to mount up to the glory of God.

You can calm any storm by the power of the Spirit

You too can calm any storm, not by your might nor by your power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. Use the power within you. Greater is He in you that He who is in the world. If God be for you who can be against you? Whoever is born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that over comes the world, even your faith. The righteous are as bold as the lion; No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors. Therefore neither death nor life, nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor anything in all creation shall be able to separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Yes your present affliction will work for you an eternal weight of glory. The outward man may perish but the inward-man is growing and glowing from glory to glory. You may go through the water but your will not drown. You may g through the fire but you will but burn. Rather God will burn off the dross, so that the gold in you will be revealed.

For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.Isa66:12

What storms are you facing today?

See them through the eyes of God. Rise up in the name of the Lord. Speak to the storm in Jesus Name. Keep calm and the Lord will give you super-abundant victory!