Matthew 14:22-33
HIDDEN BLESSINGS IN THE STORMS OF LIFE
Intro: In this passage of Scripture, we find the disciples
of our Lord trapped in the grip of a fierce storm. They
find themselves in that storm, because they have been
commanded by the Lord to cross the Sea of Galilee, v.
22. These men are in the will of the Lord and yet, we
see them struggling against the storm. Try as they
might, however, it appears that they are unable to make
any headway. The wind is in their faces, v. 24. These
12 men are stuck in a storm and are unable to get out.
Have you ever found yourself in that place? Have
you ever found yourself stuck in one of life's storms,
and no matter how hard you try, no matter what you do,
it seems that you cannot make any headway? Well, we
all have times like that! It may seem to you like the
storm will never end and that there is no possible good
that can come from what you are facing. Thankfully,
however, there is some good news for us tonight from
the word of God. While the storms of life are never
pleasant, they do produce certain benefits in our lives
that we would do well to make note of this evening.
"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be
joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it
yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto
them which are exercised thereby.: Heb 12:11.
I would like for us to join the disciples this evening in
their storm. As we do, I want to show you that the
storms of life contain some hidden blessings for the
children of God. I do not know what kind of storm you
are facing this evening, but I do know that the Lord has
a purpose in allowing that storm to rage in your life.
Perhaps that purpose will become clear this evening as
I preach for a while on The Hidden Blessings In The
Storms Of Life.
I. V. 25 STORMS ARE GOD'S
MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION
(Ill. The very thing the disciples feared. The sea, was
the very thing the Lord used as the vehicle to reveal
Himself unto them. He will do the same in your life and
mine. Notice how Jesus came to them that night.)
A. He Comes In The Face Of Darkness - The Bible
says that Jesus came to them in "the fourth
watch". Sometime between 3 AM and 6 AM,
during the darkest hours of the night, Jesus came
walking on the water!
(Ill. You may be walking in darkness this evening
and wondering where Jesus is. You may be
facing some of the darkest days of your life right
now. Let me remind you that our God is ever with
you, Heb. 13:5! Let me remind you that even in
the darkest hours of life God is still God and He is
still in control of your life. 1 Kings 8:12, "Then
spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would
dwell in the thick darkness."; Psalm 139:11-12,
"If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me;
even the night shall be light about me.Yea, the
darkness hideth not from thee; but the night
shineth as the day: the darkness and the light
are both alike to thee." Even the darkest hours
of life cannot hide you from the face of God. He
is there even when you cannot see Him.)
B. He Comes In The Face Of Disaster - The
disciples were in a fight for their lives. Mark 6:48
says that they were "toiling in rowing". That is,
they were struggling against the storm. I get the
impression that these men were afraid for their
lives. When they thought all hope was gone and
that they were doomed, Jesus came walking on
the waves!
(Ill. There are times when we all feel like we have
lost the battle with our storm, but may I remind
you that just as surely as the Lord is in control of
your blessings, He is also in charge of your
storms? When things look the bleakest, just look
around, Jesus is about to show up! Remember,
He may not keep you from going into the storm,
but He will keep you in the midst of the storm!
Think of the 3 Hebrews, Daniel, and Noah. God
did not prevent any of these from going into the
storm, but He saved them all in the midst of their
storm. What He did for them, He will do for you!)
C. He Comes On The Face Of The Deep - The
very thing the disciples feared, the raging sea,
was the very thing God used as His vehicle to
come to them. What a testimony this was! He
was not telling them that the storm was not fierce,
He was telling them that He was greater than the
storm!
(Ill. That is still His word to you this evening!
Regardless of what you are facing in life,
remember that Jesus is greater than that storm
you may be facing. If you will be patient and wait
for Him, He will show up right on time. You will
see that the storm was used by the Lord to make
Himself clear to you. The very thing you fear will
be the vehicle He uses to show up in your life!)
(Ill. The Apostle Paul - 2 Cor. 12:1-10. God used
Paul's storm, a thorn in the flesh, to show up in
and on Paul's life.)
(Ill. What I am trying to tell you is this: "Do not fear the
storms of Life! They have been designed by the Lord
as a means of bringing Him closer to you. He planned
them and they are for your good - Rom. 8:28")
II. V. 25-31 STORMS ARE GOD'S MEANS OF
TESTING
A. V. 25-27 They Reveal The Savior - When Jesus
did come walking on the water, the disciples did
not recognize Him. They thought He was a
ghost. They cried out in fear. But, thank God,
Jesus came with a message of peace and of
power. He came to them with a word of peace,
"be of good cheer." He came to them with a
word of power, "It is I". He came to them with a
word of potential, "be not afraid."
(Ill. The storms of life have the potential to reveal
the Savior to us in a way we may have never
considered before. When He comes to us,
walking on our storm, He gives us the same
message of hope that He gave to the disciples
that stormy night.
1. A Message Of Peace - Note: They were still
in the storm when He told them to cheer up.
By His power, the Son of God can give us
peace in the midst of our storms. That is the
peace He refers to in Phil. 4:6-7.
2. A Message Of Power - When Jesus showed
up, He came declaring His identity. "It is I", is
an emphatic personal pronoun. It is the same
statement Jesus used when He said, "I am
the door"; "I am the way, the truth and the
life."; "I am the bread of life"; "I am the good
shepherd". Do you get the picture? Jesus is
telling His Disciples to "cheer up, God is here!"
If we can ever grasp the truth that Jesus is the
great I AM. That He has all power in Heaven
and in earth, Matt. 28:18, then we can enjoy
peace in the midst of trials.
3. A Message Of Potential - Jesus also issue a
command to His disciples: "be not afraid."
This statement literally reads, "You stop
fearing and don't you ever fear again." You
see, if we can ever get hold of the fact that
Jesus is in control of every area of our lives,
that He is God, and that He possesses all
power, then we can come to that place where
we can trust Him fully through all the storms of
life.
(Ill. The storms of life are a blessing because they
reveal the Savior in a brand new way.)
B. V. 28-29 They Refine The Saint - When Peter
heard that it was the Lord, Peter wanted to join
Jesus in walking on the water. Jesus simply told
Peter to come. Peter obeyed and he too walked
on the water. Jesus used the storm as a means
of helping Peter grow in the faith.
(Ill. When the storms of life are howling all about
us, if we can get hold of the truth that Jesus is the
Master of the Storm, then we too can rise above
our circumstances and walk on the waves with
the Lord. I realize that Peter's walk didn't last
long. In just a moment he took his eyes off the
Lord and he began to sink. However, Peter had
a story that none of the other disciples had! Peter
was the only one who could say, "I walked on my
storm!" The storms of life will focus our faith if
we will allow them to. God van use the difficult
days to teach us more about Himself and to help
us grow in the Lord. He will use the storms to
make you more like Him. Remember, there were
12 men in that boat, but only one could say he
walked on the storm like Jesus.)
C. V. 30-31 They Remind The Saint - Peter wanted
to walk on water like Jesus. He put the Lord to
the test and stepped onto the waves. However,
he soon took his eyes off the Lord and when he
did, he found himself in trouble. He remembered
Who was in control and he called on the Lord and
found the help he needed.
(Ill. The storms of life also serve to remind us of
Who is in control. Like Peter, there are times
when we get our eyes off the Lord during our
storms. When we do, we are doomed to fail. We
need to remember Who is in charge of this whole
thing. You see, if we successfully navigate the
stormy waters of life, we deserve no credit for our
abilities or our success. If we are successful, it is
because there is One Who is greater than we are
holding our hand! Our success in the storms of
life hinges upon our being willing to acknowledge
Jesus as the Master of the storm.)
III. V. 32-33 STORMS ARE GOD'S MEANS OF
TESTIMONY
A. They Testify Of His Power - Jesus calmed the
storm! He didn't say a thing, He just got into the
boat with the disciples and the sea was calmed.
(Ill. One day, he'll do the same in your life! The
storm will rage until it has accomplished His
purpose and then He will cause the winds to
cease for you. All He is trying to get us to see
this evening is that He is in control of the storms
of life. It isn't me and it isn't you. Jesus is the
Master of the Sea and He is the Master of the
Storm as well.)
B. They Testify Of His Person - When Jesus stilled
the storm, the disciples knew that they were in the
presence of God. They confessed Him and they
bowed before Him in worship. His power in the
storms and over the storms of life testify of His
person. They tell us that He is God and that He
is in control of all the affairs of life. When the
storms come, they are designed to bring us to the
place the disciples found themselves in at the
end: on our knees in worship before Him.
(Ill. Here is a secret to make the storm much
more bearable for you: Don't wait until the storm
is over to bow before Him. Bow now, while the
waves are still threatening your boat. Bow now,
while the winds are still contrary to you. Don't
wait until blue skies are seen to humble yourself
before the Lord. Nothing reveals your faith in the
Lord more than you being willing to accept His will
and love Him, even when things look the worse
for you. Bow before Him, it honor the Lord!)
Conc: Sometimes, it is hard to see the blessings for the
storm, isn't it? Sometimes it is hard to imagine the Lord
bringing any good out of what you are going through.
I don't know the nature of the storm you are facing this
evening, but I know the One Who still walks on the
waves. I know that is you will bring your need to Him,
He will hear you and He will help you tonight. Who
knows, He might just show up this evening striding on
your storm. If you need help from the wave walker,
then this alter is open. Bring your need to Jesus and let
Him have His way in your life. Will you do that right
now?
