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How Do You React to the Storms In Your Life?

In the storms of life, do you look at the waves, or do you look into the eyes of Jesus? When something unexpected happens in your life or you are in a scary situation, what do you do? Do you react by trying to solve the problem yourself? Do you look to someone else for strength? Do you call out to Jesus?

In this text, in Matthew 14:22-32, Jesus had just finished feeding the 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. Jesus dismissed the crowd (kind of like when a Pastor dismisses church) and told the disciples (his church staff), to go on ahead of him in the boat. He went to go to be alone with His Father on the mountain top. I love this; later he comes down from the mountain and goes to reunite with the disciples. They were experienced sailors, as they were fisherman – James, his brother John, Peter and Andrew were Jesus’s first disciples that he called to work with Him (Matt 4:18-22). They were used to storms, and they were well aware that a storm or choppy waters could occur out of nowhere. I want to be careful here, because this isn’t the same passage that talks of a squall or a sudden storm, but it does speak of wind and waves.

I’ve always thought of this more as Peter coming to Jesus. But really, Jesus first came to the disciples who were in the boat. God is always looking to commune with us, to have a relationship with us. If we haven’t met Him yet, we can be assured, He is highly interested in us, and wants us to know Him. He woos us through his Holy Spirit. He speaks to us through other people at times, and He longs to speak to us through His written Word. If we do know Him, He still comes to us wanting to have fellowship. In our quiet moments, in our stormy moments, and even in our mundane moments, He is Emmanuel, God with us. He is with us and for us and an ever-present help in times of trouble.

I almost wonder if Jesus was chuckling to himself when he began approaching the boat on the water… This was not calm water; it wasn’t smooth as glass; it says the boat was “already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.” So, you have the boat being tossed up and down, the wind pushing the boat, it’s probably rocking side to side, and here comes Jesus, just walking on the water, trying to re-commune with the disciples. He didn’t have a boat himself, and if He wanted to, He could’ve just spoke one into existence, but He chose to just walk out to them on the water. The fact that He can do this, of course, proves and speaks volumes about the fact that He is supreme over all creation. No storm, no situation, no power from Hell is greater than His. He is the living God!

Of the disciples in the boat, Peter is the one who had enough faith to call out to Jesus and to try to walk on the water. With the waves rolling up and down, the wind spurring the boat onward, Peter steps out onto the waves. As long as his eyes were on Jesus, Peter was fine, but as soon as Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and onto his circumstances, he began to sink. Peter cried out to Jesus, and of course, Jesus saved him and helped him into the boat. But he questioned Peter’s little faith.

In the storms of our life, we can either choose to keep our eyes on Jesus and trust that He will help us though this time, or we can flail around in the choppy water and try to get through it on our own. Do you turn to Jesus?

Rev. Mike Finn, Outreach Coordinator and Worship Pastor of Total Life Church in KC

Published: 06/21/2021

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