Calming the Storms of Life

by Mac Hammond The storms of life are no respecter of persons. They are equalopportunity destroyers. In other words, they come to everyonerich, poor, old, youngand yes, Christian and unsaved. Jesus made this clear in His parable of the two houses. ne was built upon sand, the other upon roc!. "torms came to both houses. The difference was whether or not the houses stood strong and came through the storm undamaged. #hen a storm comes in the form of adversity or trouble, many Christians tend to say, $#hy me, %od& I'm doing my best to serve (ou. #hy is this happening&$ The first thing you must !now is this) Trouble isn't %od punishing you or trying to teach you something. Trouble comes simply because we live in a world filled with tribulation. In John, chapter *+, Jesus says so) In the world ye shall have tribulation) but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. -John *+)../ 0ren't you glad Jesus added the last half of that statement& 1ven though storms come to everyone, the believer can rest in 2oy, !nowing that we have the ability to come through unscathed every time. 3ut there is even better news in the #ord regarding storms. (es, all storms can be weathered, but some can be calmed4 That's the truth we find in the eighth chapter of 5u!e) 6ow it came to pass on a certain day that He went into a ship with His disciples and He said unto them, let us go over unto the other side of the la!e. 0nd they launched forth. 3ut as they sailed, he fell asleep and there came down a storm of wind on the la!e and they were filled with water and were in 2eopardy. 0nd they came to him and wo!e him saying, 7aster, 7aster we perish. Then he arose and rebu!ed the wind and the raging of the water and they ceased and there was a calm. 0nd he said unto them, #here is your faith& 0nd they being afraid wondered saying, one to another, #hat manner of man is this for he commandeth even the winds and water and they obey him. -5u!e 8)999:/ It's great that %od's #ord promises us the ability to weather a storm of life and come out undamaged. 3ut I believe %od's highest and best isn't 2ust getting through a storm but rather to do what Jesus did to calm it4 What is a "Storm"? 5et me define a storm as the word is used as a metaphor for a spiritual truth in the 3ible. Throughout the #ord of %od, storms are used to e;emplify the !inds of circumstance that seem to have the capacity to sin! the ship of your life before we reali<e the will of %od. "torms are a confluence of negative circumstance that seem to carry the potential of !eeping you from achieving %od's best and greatest will for your life. In the passage of scripture we 2ust read, you see the will of the 5ord clearly e;pressed when Jesus says, $5et us go to the other side.$ The will of the 5ord was $go to the other side$ of the la!e. nce the disciples !new %od's will, they set out to achieve it. Ta!ing the boat to the other side was the ne;t step in their ministry. n the other side lay great deliverance victory over demonic hosts. #hile squarely in the middle of the will of %od, a ferocious storm comes. It is a storm which clearly has the capacity to !eep them from carrying out the plan of %od for their lives.

6ow when the disciples wo!e Jesus crying $7aster, we perish4$ it wasn't the product of the hysterical babblings of a few guys that got spoo!ed by some choppy water. These were professional fishermen. They had spent their entire lives on that la!e. They !new what their boat could handle. 0nd when they observed the conditions they faced, their professional opinion was, $#e're not going to ma!e it.$ That's really what a storm symboli<es in the "cripture, those !inds of negative circumstances. "torms are not imagined adversity. They are real and we will face them. It is a part of the e;perience of life. ur challenge is to learn how to at least navigate through them or at best, bring a calm to pass. How to Calm a Storm The first clue to !nowing how to do that is right there in this passage. 0s we read in verse 9=, $Then he arose and rebu!ed the wind and the raging of the water.$ 6ow if it was the will of %od for them to be in a storm, why would Jesus $rebu!e$ it& #ould He rebu!e the will of %od& 6o. The storms of life aren't sent by the 5ord. I've heard other people say, $(eah, but that was Jesus. He's the "on of %od.$ (et, in verse 9>, after He had demonstrated how to calm a storm, He loo!ed to the disciples and said, $#here is your faith&$ The very clear implication of Jesus' question was that the disciples had the capacity to calm the storm themselves. 0nd didn't Jesus say that we would do the same wor!s and even greater wor!s than Him& -John *=)*9/ 0lthough Jesus was the "on of %od, He didn't do any of His miracles in that capacity. If He had, He wouldn't have qualified as our substitutionary sacrifice. He did this as the first spiritually alive, "piritfilled human being to wal! this earth since 0dam. 0nd that's why you and I can calm the storms of life. 6otice that it wasn't 2ust literal storms that Jesus rebu!ed in His ministry. He rebu!ed $storms$ of infirmity, disease and lac! everywhere He went. Why Storms Come %od has made us freemoral agents. He so respects our freedom to choose, He will allow us to ma!e choices for death and cursing even though that is not what He wants. He says in ?eut. .@, $I have placed before you this day life and blessing, death and cursing, therefore choose life.$ It's His will that you e;perience life, but you have to choose it. #hen we ma!e wrong choices, it is often out of ignorance. #e simply don't !now enough about %od or what His #ord says. Instead, we're 2ust doing what the world says do. #ell, the world is corrupt. #hen we do it the world's way, we inadvertently choose death and cursing. Thus, we shouldn't marvel at the fact that we find ourselves in the midst of a big storm. (our umbrella of protection is obey the #ord. #hen you inadvertently or intentionally disobey, you've put yourself in the environment where storms are an everyday affair whether it's relational, financial or physical. ?isobedience is one ma2or reason we e;perience storms in this life. 3ut it isn't the only reason. Storms of Opposition 0s we saw in the passage from 5u!e, the disciples weren't in disobedience when that ferocious storm came. In fact, they were in the center of %od's will. The storm they encountered was an attac! by the enemy to !eep them from fulfilling the plan of %od. I !now I have personally e;perienced some storms that are direct opposition of the forces of dar!ness. This, however, is not the case most of the time. I believe most of the storms we e;perience are a result of the reasons we 2ust discussed. 6evertheless, you need to !now that some storms are demonically inspired, promoted and sustained. 0nd understanding this has

an impact on how you deal with the storms that come. If you don't understand the different !inds of storms that we see in the #ord, you won't !now how to calm them. Calming the Storm of Disobedience Aor the !ey to calming the storms that come from stepping out of the will of %od, we need loo! no further than the e;ample of Jonah. (ou get in a storm li!e Jonah did because of disobedience. Jonah disobeyed a direct command from the 5ord to go to 6inevah. 0s a result, he found himself in a powerful storm and then later in a whale's belly. The good news is, this probably is the easiest type of storm to calm, once you have identified it. 0ll you need to do is repent4 That got Jonah out of his storm. #hen he repented, the great fish deposited him on the shores of 6inevah and he continued right on with the plan of %od. Though this is the easiest storm to bring calm, I would say it is probably the most prevalent !ind of storm that Christians li!e us e;perience. 0nd we get ourselves into these storms in two ways through both intentional and unintentional disobedience. In either case, the cure is the same. Bealign your life with %od's will and direction. Calm will always come as you step bac! under %od's umbrella of protection. The problem is, many of us are 2ust too !notheaded to ac!nowledge we've missed %od, or that we've ta!en the wrong step. ur pride !eeps us from bringing change to bear on our behavior. In other cases, we ma!e an outward show of repenting, but we don't do it from the heart. #e'll mouth the words $0ll right, 5ord, I'm sorry,$ but deep down we !now if we were in the same situation, we'd do it the same way. Bepentance means you have changed your attitude. (our heart perception of the matter is now different and, as a result, you're going to do things differently. It also means trusting in the Holy "pirit's enabling power to help you change. 6o matter what the change may be, you can do it in the power of the Holy %host. That's great news, but it begins with your ma!ing a quality decision. #hy is this important& 3ecause, the flesh has a mind of its own. #hen we !now %od has told us something, yet we don't obey, we have usually constructed a really good rationale for it. #e have what feels li!e a solid reason. I thin! one of the most widely used phrases in the Christian vocabulary is $I'll do it later, 5ord.$ r, $I'll start tomorrow.$ It's a tendency that we have. ur flesh doesn't gravitate toward change. #hen %od deals with us about something perhaps it's quitting smo!ing or giving some money or forgiving an enemy the temptation is to say, $ !ay, I'll do that 5ord. Tomorrow.$ 3ut tomorrow never comes. Then we wonder why the storm comes. Consecration Calms the Storm 0ctually, this whole process begins with a little word called, $consecration.$ #hen you finally get to the place where you say, $ !ay, no matter what the 3ible says, no matter what the Holy "pirit tells me to do, I am going to obey. 0nd I'm going to do it now.$ That's consecration. This is the only attitude you can have if you're going to avoid a great deal of pain, difficulty and heartache in this life. 3e advised, it's not an easy thing. Jesus sweat blood doing this in the garden of %ethsemane. He had to battle to get His will submitted to the will of %od. 3ut when you lay down your life in that manner, when you're willing to lose your life li!e that, then you can gain it. (ou gain the blessing of %od which lasts for an eternity. 3ut the first step in dealing with these !inds of storms is to come to that place. 0 willingness

to die to the demands of your flesh, a willingness to put self behind the #ord of %od written or spo!en by the Holy %host. 0nd until you do that, you will always encounter these !inds of storms and hardships, because there will always be an area of disobedience in your life. Calmer Waters Ahead The second !ind of a storm we see is li!e the one in 5u!e 8. It comes because you have obeyed. The !ind of storm that comes because of your obedience to the #ord of %od usually involves demonic opposition to the plan of %od for your life. The ?evil sees you ma!ing progress in a certain area, and he ma!es an effort to interfere. 0t this point you may be thin!ing, $6ot fair4 I'm getting clobbered coming and going. I get in a storm if I disobey and I get in one if I obey4$ That's true. 3ut I would definitely rather be in the second type the one that comes from obedience. That way I have the anointing wor!ing for me to get me out of it. In the other type of storm, you're pretty much on your own. I'll have to save a discussion of dealing with this type of storm for another article. Aor now, you can eliminate the ma2ority of life's storms by simply consecrating yourself to stay in the will of %od. 0nd when you find yourself in a storm of disobedience, remember that calmer waters are only a sincere act of repentance away4