Walking Through the Storm

Reading the Word of God from Matthew chapter 14, beginning at verse 22 and concluding with verse 33, another miracle event in the life of the Apostle Peter. Matthew 14, 22, And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a boat, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain privately to pray. And when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the boat was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with the waves, for the wind was contrary.

And in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a ghost. And they cried out for fear.

But straightway Jesus spoke unto them, saying, Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid. And Peter answered him, and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come.

And when Peter was come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the boat, the wind ceased. And they that were in the boat came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. And he can help us in all the storms of life.

It was a dark and stormy night, and twelve frightened men are in a boat, wishing they had never left the shore. The wind was contrary to them. Have you ever tried to go through life bucking the wind while you are rowing a boat, and while the waves are coming over the boat? So severe was this storm that even the four fishermen who were accustomed to the water were afraid.

It got darker and darker. And then, just before the dawn, Jesus appeared on the scene, and everything changed. And that's why Matthew included this miracle in the fourteenth chapter of his gospel, because he knew that you and I would be coming along, and we'd be facing some storms—storms in the home or storms in the job, storms of physical affliction in the body, storms of mental and emotional oppression, financial storms, family storms.

And the Holy Spirit said to Matthew, write down what happened that night, because those people in Chicago are going to need that. They're going through storms. And if right now you aren't going through a storm, just wait.

You will. And what do you do when you find yourself in the storms of life? What do you do? Do you run? Do you complain? What do we do when the wind is against us, and the waves are over us, and the deep is beneath us, and all that seems to separate us from destruction is just a simple little vessel? What do we do? Well, this particular passage of Scripture in Matthew 14 tells us what to do when we go through the storms of life. And I think that the Lord says to me, and I think he may be saying to you, when you find yourself in the storm of life, there are some encouragements that you can lay hold of that will keep you from sinking.

Now what are these encouragements? Well, there are five of them. Encouragement number one, when you find yourself in the storms of life, encourage yourself by saying, He brought me here. Now there are in the Bible two kinds of storms.

There are correcting storms and there are perfecting storms. In other words, there are storms that come because we are disobedient. And there are storms that come because we are obedient.

Jonah found himself in a storm because he was disobedient. And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it. And Jonah said, I think I feel called in the opposite direction.

And that's the way he went. And he walked right into a storm. There are storms that come because we disobey.

There are storms of discipline, storms of sorrow. David disobeyed God and found his family in a storm. But there are also the storms that come because we obey God.

Jesus said to his disciples, I'll meet you on the other side. Now get going. And they obeyed him.

They didn't want to leave him behind alone, but they did it. And I can just see them as they've been rowing and rowing, and they can't make any progress. And Peter perhaps says to Andrew, we obeyed him, and look what happened.

I always thought when you obeyed the Lord, you had peace. Oh, but there are some storms that come not because we disobey, but because we obey. You see, this particular storm had some very good purposes behind it.

When you find yourself in the storms of life, lay ahold of encouragement number one. He brought me here. Now he has a purpose behind it.

In this particular storm, the Lord Jesus put them into this storm because he wanted to keep them from sinning. When you read the previous verses, you discover that Jesus and his disciples had just fed 5,000 people with a few loaves and fishes. And when you read John's account of this in John chapter 6, he says all the people said, let's make him king.

He's the ideal king. He can feed us and he can take care of us. And the disciples heard that.

And the disciples always were looking for a job in the kingdom. One of their constant discussions was who is going to be the greatest in the kingdom. And Matthew would say, well, I'm going to be the scribe of the kingdom.

And Judas would say, I'm going to be the treasurer of the kingdom. And Peter would say, fine, I'm going to be the prime minister. They were forever fussing over who was greatest in the kingdom.

And had the Lord Jesus left them there, they would have sinned. That's why the scripture says he constrained them. He forced them to get into the boat and get out of there.

Sometimes the Lord puts you into a storm to prevent sin. He did this with Paul. Paul lived with a storm.

And lest I should be exalted above measure for the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. And God put Paul into a physical storm to keep him from sinning. The Lord Jesus sent them into that storm to help them grow, to perfect them.

You don't learn much wading in the shallow water by the shore. You learn more about yourself and the Lord Jesus Christ and other people when you're going through the storm. And the Lord said, I want you men to have some experience.

The only way you'll grow. Tribulation worketh patience. And patience, experience, which means character.

He said, I want to build some character into these men. I've got to balance the great success of feeding 5,000 people with the storm. God knows how to balance our lives.

Aren't you glad he does? Suppose that all the Lord did was fill your hands with blessing. If God never put any burdens on your back, you know what would happen to us? We'd fall flat on our faces. If all he does is fill our hands with blessing, we just fall right on our faces.

And so as he fills our hands with blessing, he balances it with some burdens on our back. And that keeps us standing. The third reason why he put them into that storm was to prepare them for their future ministry.

Well, you say, I don't read of them going through any storms. Oh, yes. After they fed 5,000 people, the storm came.

Over in the book of Acts, I read that when 5,000 people had been saved, a storm came. And the number came to be 5,000. And here come the guards.

And they arrest Peter and the apostles. And they put them into prison. And Thomas says, see what's happened? Peter said, wait just a minute.

5,000 people now know Jesus as their Savior. Remember what happened the last time we were with 5,000 people? That storm came. And what Jesus did for us? Well, it's a different kind of a storm now, but he's going to see us through.

You see, every storm prepares you for something God's going to do for you. When you find yourself in the storm, lay hold of encouragement number one. He brought me here.

You never have to be afraid of the will of God. Now, there's a second encouragement. When you find yourself in the storm, remind yourself, he is praying for me.

It's a beautiful picture. The storm over the Sea of Galilee, just sweeping around. A little ship with men in it, rowing against the wind.

And they're not making any progress. And the night is getting darker. And off on the mountaintop, a lone man is praying.

Kind of a picture of our lives today, isn't it? We're down here in our little rowboats. We're down here in our little vessels, and the storm is beating. And we say to ourselves, he brought me here, and he is praying for me.

There are in the Bible two beautiful pictures of intercession. One is in the Old Testament, and one is in the New. In the Old Testament, the Jews had been delivered from the land of Egypt.

And now they are moving into their journey. And here come the Amalekites. Here come their enemies to fight against them.

And God says to Moses, tell Joshua to get some soldiers and get out there and fight. And so here is the valley. And the two armies are meeting in the valley.

And if you and I had been watching this on closed circuit TV, we would have seen that one minute the Israelites chase the Amalekites. The next minute, it's just the opposite. It's like a football game.

And they're running down the other end of the valley. We'd say, what's going on? And then one of the anchor men would say, hey, I just noticed something. Up there on that mountain, there's an old man.

He's got his hands up. He's praying. It's Moses.

It's a beautiful picture of intercession. Moses standing up there in the mountain. As long as he held up his hands, Israel won.

When his arms came down, Israel lost. And so Aaron and Hur said, Moses, we're going to help you hold up your hands. Aren't you glad for people who help you in prayer? And as long as Moses was interceding, Israel won the battle.

Now, that's a picture of our high priest up in heaven, the Lord Jesus. You swing over to Matthew 14, and there he is on the mountain. And there are his disciples.

And as long as he's praying for them, Satan himself can't touch them. It's a good thing that the Lord Jesus prays for us. He's gone back to heaven to enter into his unfinished work.

He finished his work on earth, salvation. Now he's continuing a new work up in heaven, sanctification. The Lord Jesus Christ wants us to grow.

He wants us to develop Christian character. He wants us to serve and glorify him. And so he's praying for us.

When Mark wrote this account, he said, Jesus saw them. Isn't that beautiful? No storm can hide you from the eyes of the Lord Jesus. He saw them.

And as he saw them, he prayed for them. And you know, as I read my Bible, I notice something. God the Father always answered the prayers of his Son.

Jesus said outside the tomb of Lazarus, Father, I know that you always hear me. Now, I have prayed for people, and I didn't know what to pray. But he knows what to pray.

I have prayed for people, and God didn't answer. But Jesus always gets answers to his prayer. He is the great high priest entering into the feeling of our infirmities.

He knows what you are going through right now, and he's praying for you. Now, he's not praying for the unsaved. He says in John chapter 17, I pray not for the world.

He's not praying for the world. He did that on the cross. Father, forgive them.

They know not what they do. But today he is in heaven ever living to make intercession for you and me. And so when you find yourself in the storms of life, and it's dark, and you can't see the stars, and you feel the wind contrary to you, encourage your heart.

He brought me here. Therefore, I don't have to be afraid. He is praying for me.

Therefore, I don't have to be afraid. To know that we have in heaven a great high priest, one who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, is an encouragement when you're going through the storm. If no one else remembers to pray for you, Jesus is praying for you.

He knows what to pray. He knows what's best to pray for. And his prayers are always answered.

There's a third encouragement. When you are going through the storms of life, and you're tempted to give up, remind yourself that he brought me here. Remind yourself that he is praying for me.

And encourage yourself with this encouragement. He will come to me. Now, one of the difficult things about going through the storm is you feel all alone.

You ever notice that? You're the only patient in the hospital. You're the only person in the office having difficulty. You're the only one weeping.

You're the only one rowing against the wind. You ever notice that? When we're going through difficulty, we're the only one going through it. Of course, that's not true, but we feel that way.

And the worst part of it is we feel that sometimes God doesn't care. Let me go back to Israel once again. When God delivered the Jewish people on Passover night from Egypt, and he led them down to the Red Sea, and he looked behind them, and here came the Egyptian soldiers.

And so here is that impossible situation. And many people don't realize that in Exodus chapter 14, God did something difficult for them. Now, he could have immediately opened up the Red Sea and said, Get moving.

He didn't do that. I read in the word of God in Exodus chapter 14 and verse 21 that all that night the wind blew. Remember that? All that night the wind blew, and God put darkness between Israel and Egypt.

And I can just see these precious little Jewish children, and they're saying, Mother, what's going on? I hear the wind blowing. There's a storm, and I hear the soldiers are coming. And Mother and Dad say, Now, don't you be afraid.

God's going to take care of us. Now, God didn't do it right away. God permitted Israel to go through a night of storm.

The wind blew, and it was dark. But the same wind that was frightening some of the people was just opening up the way for them. They felt that God had deserted them.

And then when God did come, what a tremendous victory it was. The waters were opened. They passed through on dry ground.

And then as the Egyptian army attempted to follow, the waters came back and drowned them. And Exodus 15 opens with Israel praising God and singing a hymn to his glory. Now, the next time you feel like God's not there, just wait.

He will come to you. This was true of David. Psalm 22 was written by David when he was going through a difficult experience.

Jesus quotes it when he's on the cross. But David initially wrote that psalm coming through a difficult experience. What does he say? My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? I'm the anointed king.

I'm the one you chose. Why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from the words of my roaring? I call unto you in the daytime, and you're not there. In the night season, you're not there.

God, where are you? Jeremiah felt like that. Ready to give up. And then God came and met David's need.

I think of those apostles after the crucifixion of Christ. Imagine how discouraged and despondent they were. Why doesn't he do something? But he did.

You see, there are times when we go through the storm, we feel like God has deserted us, but he'll never desert you. He never will. You'd better mark in your Bible one of the great promises from the book of Isaiah, chapter 43, verses 1 and 2. Regardless of how you feel, regardless of what circumstances may look like, Jesus Christ will come to you when you're going through the storm, Isaiah 43.

But now, thus saith the Lord who created thee, O Jacob, and he who formed thee, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine.

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee, for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior. When you're going through the storm of life, remind yourself with this encouragement, He will come to me.

Would you notice something interesting? The same waves that were frightening the apostles were the stairway on which Jesus walked. The very thing that's frightening you today is the very thing that God will use to bring Jesus closer to you. You say, I don't want to go through surgery.

Nobody does. But Jesus can come walking to you on that surgery. I don't want to go through bereavement.

One more funeral. But Jesus can come walking to you during the storm of your tears. The very thing that frightened them was the means of bringing Jesus to them.

The tragedy is He comes to us, and we don't recognize Him. Oh, how many times the Lord has come to us in the storms of life, and we've said it's a ghost. The thing that helped them to recognize the Lord Jesus was His word.

He spoke to them and said, don't be afraid. It is I. Be of good cheer. Take courage.

Which says to me, the more we spend in His word, the more He speaks to us through His word, the sooner He can come to us in the storm. Here then are three encouragements. When you find yourself going through the storms of life, encourage yourself by saying, He brought me here.

I'm not going to be afraid. He's praying for me. I'll not be afraid.

He will come to me. I will not be afraid. There's a fourth encouragement, though.

He will help me grow. This is, after all, why He had them go through the storm. He wanted them to grow in their knowledge of Him.

He wanted them to grow in their faith, in their courage. I've pointed out to you in previous messages how Peter was going through the school of faith. First was the kindergarten course, Luke chapter 5. Peter said, Jesus, let me use your boat for a pulpit and just thrust out a little from the land.

And he did that. That's the kindergarten course. Then he said, Peter, let's move into the grade school course.

Launch out into the deep. And so he did and caught a great many fish. And Peter learned he could trust the Lord Jesus on a sunny day when the water is calm and Jesus is in the boat.

That's a good lesson. The next lesson was it was night and it was stormy and Jesus was in the boat asleep. And they came and woke him up and said, don't you care that we're perishing? He said, why are you afraid? This is the high school course.

You can trust the Lord in the boat when the night is dark and stormy and He seems to be asleep. Now we're moving into the college course. Trusting the Lord Jesus Christ in the nighttime when it's stormy and He's not in the boat.

But Peter wasn't satisfied with just the college course. Peter wanted the postgraduate course. He said, Jesus, let's do it without the boat.

You know, people criticize Peter. Shame on them. Some Christians are going to have to apologize, I think, to Peter at the judgment.

Don't you criticize Peter for what he did. He's the only one that did it. I admire somebody who has the courage to be different.

Anybody can sit in the boat and tremble. Peter said, I want to walk on the water. God, give us more people with the courage to get out of the boat, get their feet wet.

I admire Peter because he did something nobody else had ever done. I admire Peter because he had learned his previous lessons. He learned that Jesus could do anything.

You remember when Jesus told him how to catch that fish to pay his taxes. The Lord said to Peter, take this for me and thee. And Peter said, hey, that's good.

That's wonderful. For me and thee. We are united.

He and I are in this thing together. If he can walk on the water, I can walk on the water. That's a good lesson.

Here is a man who has the faith to say, through Jesus Christ, I can do all things. Now, you and I love to stay in the shoreline when the weather is beautiful, dangle our feet in the water, and we think we're such good Christians. And some people have the courage when the weather is right to launch out into the deep.

But how many Christians do you find who have got the courage to step out of the boat and walk on the water? This is one of the greatest pictures of the Christian life, walking on the water. Anybody can row against the wind. Unsafe people can do this.

It takes a real believer to walk on the water. And don't criticize Peter for sinking. At least he knew he was sinking.

I know some Christians who are drowning and don't know it. He knew he was sinking. And the minute he started to sink, he cried out and said, Lord, save me! No wonder years later Peter wrote these words, The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

He'd experienced that. You see, the Lord was teaching Peter that you don't need the boat. All you need is Jesus Christ.

Come! One word. We have a whole Bible and stumble around on the sidewalk. He had one word and walked on the water.

And he almost got to Jesus. He was just an arm's length away before he began to sink. By the way, some of your greatest temptations may come when you're closer to Jesus.

Of course, you know what Peter did that was wrong. We've all done it. He got his eyes off the Lord.

Instead of looking at Jesus, he saw the wind. He saw the waves. And obviously he was walking on those waves, and he felt them.

Unbelief. Doubt. Jesus said, Why did you waver back and forth, Peter? You forgot my word.

I told you to come. If I tell you to come, you can come. What is faith? Faith is just acting upon the word of God.

Faith is just believing that what God says is true and acting upon it. And that's what Peter did. And when he got his eyes off of Jesus Christ, he began to sink.

But this is the reason for the storm. He wanted to help Peter grow. That's why you and I go through storms.

He wants us to grow. He starts us off in the shallow water, but then out into the deep. He starts us off in the sunshine, then into the storm.

He starts us off with a boat, and then he says, No more boat. And there are no such things as evangelical water wings. You either walk or you sink.

You say, Well, I can't walk on the water. Yes, you can. Sure you can.

Just keep your eyes on Jesus Christ and do what he wants you to do. That's our fourth encouragement. When you find yourself in the storms of life, he will help me grow.

I want you to know, my friend, you'll come out of that storm a lot stronger and a lot cleaner and a lot more mature than you went into it. The fifth encouragement is this. He will see me through.

He will see me through. When you put the gospel accounts together, you discover that when Jesus got into that boat, the storm stopped, and instantly the boat was on the other shore. They didn't even have to row.

When Jesus got into that boat with Peter, instantly the storm stopped, and the boat was automatically on the other shore. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ promises to see us through. The disciples should have known that.

He said to them in verse 22, I want you to go before me on the other side. Men, you're going to make it. When God says to you, here's what I want you to do, just believe it.

He keeps his promises. The Lord Jesus Christ never starts something he can't finish. I don't care what kind of a storm you may be going through just now.

You may think you're sinking. But if Jesus Christ sent you into that storm, he is going to see that you get through that storm because his glory is at stake. I read in my Bible that he is the author and the finisher of my faith.

He started it. He'll finish it. He is the Alpha and the Omega.

He's the beginning of the alphabet of life, and he's the ending of the alphabet of life, and he never deserts us. Being confident of this very thing, that he that hath begun the good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. And so when you find yourself in that storm, you lay hold of encouragement number five, he will see me through.

But he'll not see you through until he finishes the work he wants to accomplish. He didn't come instantly. He permitted them to grow.

He permitted them to go through experiences of character building and faith. And then he came to them, and they found themselves on the other shore. Do you see what happens when the miracle finishes? They come to him, and they worship him.

That's what it's all about. That's what it's all about. He brings us through the storm, and we come to his feet, and we worship him.

They knew him better. They knew themselves better. They knew each other better, and they loved him more.

Do I have to remind this congregation that Jesus Christ went through a tremendous storm for us? All thy waves and thy billows have come over me. Jesus said, one day, I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how I am constrained until I am baptized. How will it be accomplished? What baptism was this? His baptism of suffering on the cross.

The Lord Jesus Christ went through the storm of Calvary for you. He suffered the judgment we should suffer. And oh, if you don't know him, trust him.

Come to trust him. Because one of these days, you'll have to go through a storm of judgment, and that storm never ends. Oh, my friend, if you don't know Christ as your Savior, may I warn you, you will be facing an eternal storm with the waves and the billows of God's judgment.

How much better it would be to come and give your heart to Jesus Christ and let him save you. And then you'll never face that judgment. And then whatever storms you face in this life, you don't have to be discouraged.

You can say, he brought me here. He's praying for me. He will come to me.

He will help me grow. And he will see me through. For this God is our God, forever and ever.

And he will be our guide, even unto death. When you go into the storm, my friend, you'd better not go alone. Go there with Jesus.

Gracious Father, we confess there have been times when we've run away from the storm. We've complained about it. And now we've come to realize that storms have a purpose in our lives just as much as sunshine.

I pray for those without the Lord Jesus who don't know the Savior. Oh, Lord, that they might come and trust Christ who died for them and rose again. I pray for your people who are experiencing the contrary winds and the frightening waves.

Encourage them from your word. And may all of us worship you and love you because of what you do for us. Thank you, Father, for this word of encouragement.

Now help people to respond to your invitation, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.