When The Storm Becomes Fearful

Luke 8:23-25 "But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him."

How are you handling life lately? Have you been a little nervous at least about world affairs and where our country stands in security? Do you have other problems (storms) looming over your life? Are you having fearful moments as the storm rages in the world and especially with our own country? Maybe you are facing cancer or other disease of some sort that is overwhelming you, threatening your future. Storms of life are often more than a hurricane, tornado or tropical storm. Sometimes it is much more personal…so personal that it seems to dwarf the rest of the world's problems.

It got real personal with the disciples in our Bible account on a day in their's and Jesus' life. They sailed away in a calm weather, nice day, but it was after they were out in the Sea of Galilee that it got real serious. Suddenly there was a storm that came up that overtook any other problems any of them might have been having in life. They were facing death in a storm. It didn't take them long to recognize that this was something that was way beyond their capability to resolve. They were facing drowning and not seeing their families on earth again. They called upon Jesus and He stepped to the front of the boat and stopped the winds immediately and they were saved. The storm in their life was handled by Jesus.

The last phrase of the last paragraph is the answer to your storm. "The storm in their life was handled by Jesus."

Are you running out of doctors? Are you running out of counselors? Have you been told by the medical profession or legal profession there is nothing that can be done, we've done all we can? That leaves you in your storm, feeling threatened, because you still feel in danger, Maybe life-threatening danger.

In the New Testament you see Jesus summoned at different times for different crises. It was always something that they nor anyone else could resolve. So they summoned Jesus to come to the bow of their boat of life and calm the storm. It is a popular saying, "Jesus is the answer." Most certainly He is.

Acts 4:12 says, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." This remains true today. Here, it is speaking specifically of being saved in soul from sin and hell. But I feel safe in saying that He is available to all who have called upon Him, believing He is their personal Savior, to call upon for all else to be saved from in their life. This has been my experience as a believer. When I was nineteen years of age, I believed upon Him as my personal Savior from sin and hell and have relied upon Him for everything else since then, calling upon Him many, many more times for so much more in life to be saved from. His final thing to save me from in life is death, and He promised that when death comes it will not touch me.

Through life from financial storms to health storms, and then there are the "children" storms, and you name it that I have called upon Him and He first gave me peace, then He resolved the storm. 

He gives me peace first, because I come to Him literally trusting Him to calm the storm, meet the need. He has delivered me from cancer before, and more recently two stage 4 cancers. He has delivered me and so many more from hurricanes and tropical storms, as well. I have been threatened by man, disease and finance storms. He has never quit riding in and sleeping in the bottom of my boat of life from that first day I invited Him into my life by faith as my Savior and, listen to me….THE LORD OF MY LIFE. He is the Lord (Master) of my life and is always ready to administer His expertise in my deliverance. He has promised to deliver me at every beckoning call right through the veil of death. Paul declares in I Corinthians 15 our victory over death in Christ, as He has conquered death and the grave in His resurrection. Washed my sins away on the cross and destroyed, yea, claimed power and victory over death and the grave. He has given every true believer that. I have entrusted Him with my family, finances and health and anything else that becomes a storm in my life. I call upon Him and He gives me peace and then the victory. 

May I say, also, He hasn't always calmed the storm in the way I thought He would nor in the time I thought He should. All He has asked of me is to trust Him as He brings the calm to it and my boat of life to dock in peace.

True story…I heard about a tug boat that was ushering coal barges down a river. He looked ahead and saw the water up to the bottom of the bridge. He released the barges and suddenly was caught up in the current and was swept toward the bridge. At the bridge he and his tug went completely under the water and bridge and out the other side. Spectators said that they thought he was a gonner. But out the other side the tug popped up upright and the Captain still at the helm and his two 1800 horse power engines still running. The baluster of a tug boat, the cement in the bottom of the boat keeps it balanced to always remain or return immediately upright. Our faith in our personal "storm chaser", Jesus, is always well spent in the midst of our storms of life. He will keep you upright in it all. Just call upon Him, give Him the details and ask Him to resolve it, trusting Him to do it perfectly…maybe not what you think is perfect, but what is His holy perfection. We can live in peace in the midst of a crazy world and when on top of that our personal world goes crazy.

Charles Empey is the Pastor of Cove Baptist Church, Orange, TX. Come see us.