Well…here we go again.
As a resident in Tallahassee, Florida I have just experienced another
hurricane. 18 million people in the southeast part of the United States were
officially under hurricane warning. Many
of these millions of people heeded the officials warning and evacuated to safe
havens.
It is so logical to evacuate when a storm is coming to your
area. However, when reading Scripture, I
noticed that Jesus not only referenced storms, but also frequently sent His
disciples into storms.
When did Jesus reference storms, and why did He send those
closest to Him into something that the majority of normal sane people try to
avoid? For Jesus, storms were not events
that just brought inconvenience or destruction, but were opportunities to
teach his disciples lessons about their commitment to God, their character,
their attitude and their faith.
For the last couple of days, as I have watched the Weather
Channel more than I ever imagined humanly possible, I have also read three of
my favorite passages of Scripture that involve Jesus and storms. Here is what I
have learned, and I hope it helps you appreciate the purpose of enduring
storms.
The first passage of Scripture is where Jesus referenced a
storm in Matthew 7:24-29. Let’s read: 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts
them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The
rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But
everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is
like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The
rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house, and it fell with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds
were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught
as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
In arguably what is His most famous and important sermon,
Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with a reference to storms. He teaches it is absolutely essential that we
build our lives on obedience to God’s words.
The storms come to reveal whether or not we have built as wise builders
or foolish ones. The lives of wise
builders are not destroyed when they face trials or tribulations. The foolish builders suffer a different fate. The storms of life crush them. As I hunkered down for Hurricane Irma, I was reminded that my main goal should be to build my life
on the truth of God’s words.
The second passage of Scripture tells us that Jesus sent His
disciples in a boat on a lake during windy conditions in Mark 6:45-56. Let’s
read: 45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the
boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the
crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a
mountainside to pray.
47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake,
and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples
straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn
he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but
when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They
cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were
terrified.
Immediately he spoke to them and
said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”51 Then
he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were
completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood
about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and
anchored there.54 As soon as they got out of the boat,
people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout
that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he
was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns
or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let
them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
Have you ever hosted an event or party where you had to feed
people? If so, I bet you were pretty
exhausted afterwards. How about feeding
five thousand people? To make matters
worse, all you possess to feed the five thousand is five loaves of bread and
two fish. It’s late in the day, no catering services are open, and the people
are really hungry. Wouldn’t it be easier
to cancel the event and send the people home?
This is exactly what the disciples tried to do. They wanted the people to go away and Jesus
wanted his disciples to feed the multitudes.
The disciple’s fatigue and negative attitudes caused them to only see
their lack. Jesus wanted them to
understand His ability to do a miracle when it comes to meeting people’s
needs. Jesus multiplied the five loves
of bread and two fish and ended up feeding all five thousand. There were even left overs!
I find it interesting that Jesus sent his already worn out
disciples on a boat ride to the middle of the lake when inclement weather was
approaching. Keep in mind the disciples
had spent the whole day ministering to a large amount of people. Jesus used rough weather to deal with hard
hearts and teach them a lesson they would never forget. People matter to God and they should matter
to us also no matter what the circumstance.
The last passage of Scripture we will look at is where Jesus
sent His disciples into a storm in Mark 4:35-41. Let’s read: 35 That day
when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other
side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him
along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with
him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves
broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus
was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to
him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the
waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was
completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do
you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even
the wind and the waves obey him!”
As many of you know, I have three sons. I am constantly trying to think of creative
ways to teach them important lessons of life.
I have never considered using a storm as a teaching lesson. However, Jesus had his disciples get into a
boat and go to the other side as a furious squall was approaching. As the squall intensified Jesus fell asleep
in the stern. After the disciples woke
Jesus, He rebuked them for their fear and lack of faith in trusting the
all-powerful God to keep them safe.
As Hurricane Irma makes it way through the southeast part of
the United States, I am reminded that storms serve a providential purpose in
God’s plan. Storms stop us from our
everyday routine, and make us think about important things we don’t normally
spend a lot of time thinking about. Storms force us to evaluate our current
situation, and make sure things are in order.
Most people retreat from storms, but Jesus sent His
disciples into storms. Why? He wanted to teach them the most important
lessons in life. What lessons can we
learn from storms? First, nothing is
more important than building on the truth of God’s words. Second, God expects us to care about people
in the same way we care about ourselves.
Lastly, no matter what the circumstance, we are not to fear, and we are never to lose faith in
God’s omnipotence.
I pray that all those who were in the path of Hurricane Irma are safe. I also pray that Hurricane Irma would remind us all that God uses the most powerful storms to teach us the most important lessons in life.
