The disciples got a glimpse of His majestic power, that “He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him.” The bigger the problem, the more our almighty Lord will be glorified when we trust Him. To think that God’s long-awaited Messianic kingdom could sink to the bottom of the Sea of Galilee was absurd! 1. But in their panic, the disciples had a distorted view of the problem. Paul does not disregard Timothy's health. Just as Jesus’ full humanity encourages us because He understands, so His full deity should encourage us because He is powerful to act on our behalf. Because Paul trusted God and bore witness to God’s promise of deliverance, the other 275 passengers on that ship heard about God. Even in a modern Coast Guard vessel, you realize very quickly that your control over the situation is minimal. When serious trials hit, I often hear people say, “The Lord didn’t cause this trial; He only allowed it.” Somehow they think that they are getting God off the hook. The angel’s word to Paul, “Do not be afraid” (27:24), implies that he was afraid. . Then the whole boat would shudder and we would start back in the other direction. Because of him, all 276 people on board the ship were saved from death. This storm did not take Him by surprise. I have often found that the most severe times of testing have come right after I have taken a new step of obedience. But fear is excessive and wrong when it causes us to panic so that we are not thinking carefully in light of God’s promises. In the beginning, Jesus spoke and created the universe. The tea cups jumped, and the tea spilled. 514-515). if you are interested in knowing God’s plan for your life, then you must learn to walk with God. The only thing that kept me from being scared to death was the thought, “You never read about Coast Guard vessels going down in bad storms.”. We all know that Jesus is Lord and we can repeat the phrase easily. It would be one thing if Jesus had said, “Men, a storm is coming. Love your enemy (so, don't be cruel or hateful) -- and so, keep your hopes alive. He and Aristarchus accompanied Paul (“we” resumes at 27:1, from 21:18) on this difficult journey to Rome. (Romans 10:13, NIV) But they won’t be there unless we labor through our prayers, our giving, and our sending some to go and tell them the gospel. Bible verses related to How We Should Live Our Lives from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance - Sort By Book Order Ephesians 4:29-32 - Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Read these top 10 Bible verses about the storms of life and see why God goes with you through the storm. Forty-foot waves caused our boat to tilt so far over that I was sure we would capsize. But even before the disciples called on Him, Jesus was there with them in the boat, going through the storm with them. This storm revealed the glory of Christ in a way that would have been hidden had it not happened. Situations change, and the sands of time shift. Learn more about how we make money.Last edited August 24, 2020. It is through scripture, where we can find meaning and principles discerning God's will. He merely had to speak the word and the howling winds ceased and the surging waves were instantly as smooth as glass.          The more we trust Him in this storm, the more we will know Him and be able to trust Him in the next storm. Such a storm not only tests and develops your character; it reveals it. Remember, these blows will bring out only what is in you.”. I’ll always remember the day that my crew mates and I saved that man and his daughter. “Who then is this?” is the crucial question. Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2002, All Rights Reserved. And He led them straight into a storm! Scholars have wondered why Luke goes to such lengths to describe the details of this event, since at first glance it does not seem to fit into his purpose. But we may be exactly where God wants us to be. Big storms are ominous. The Bible is replete with examples of God's personal touch on people's lives. Why is the doctrine of God’s sovereignty very practical in life’s storms? Everything under the sun happens for a reason, even the raging storms that often seem to wreak havoc in our lives. We might simply say that Satan equals instability. The miracle doesn’t come. That begs the question will suffering ever end? He did this to lead them away from the things that they are pursuing that will lead to destruction in their lives. This options states that while God can send storms, He usually doesn’t—not in our day or in biblical times. If we want to stand out in a time of trial from those who do not know the Lord, we’ve got to have a daily walk of seeking God before the trial hits. The prophets were individually called by God for a specific time and purpose. If God exercises such precise control over our lives, then praying to God would be the same as accusing him of making mistakes in his plans. Some think, “Yes, that’s true. We simply live in a world that has storms as a natural part of life. In the Bible the storm is a symbol of many different things. The biblical doctrine of God’s sovereignty over all things is one of the most practical truths for us to apply in times of trial. Since Jesus is Lord over all, we must trust Him in the storms of life. If it wasn’t in God’s plan, then God is at the mercy of some greater power that got the upper hand, which is a blasphemous thing to say about God! Wesley said he did, but later reflected, “I fear they were vain words.”. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” in Hebrews 10.25 Hebrews 10:25 reminds us to As Paul triumphantly affirms, no trial can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 13:5). No human has the right to take his own life or the life of another. Does debt affect giving in modern times in light of the Israelite tithe and slaves? Shortly after I began here I had to deal with some major problems in the church that resulted in a lot of turmoil. But no one had eaten anything for two weeks, due to seasickness and perhaps due to the difficulty of preparing food. call on Him and quote the Word. God is sovereign to save His elect, but He does it through the means that He has appointed. The better we know Him, the better we can trust Him in our trials. 3:24-25). We got to Dallas, finally found an apartment, and three days later got mugged at gunpoint. Should we fake that we are calm? Why ask God’s blessing on the food in front of such rough men?” But rather, he openly gave thanks to God in the presence of all (27:35). As the fires were lit, Latimer cried out, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. He asked experienced Mediterranean navigators what the mean drift of a ship of this kind would be in such a gale. But he noticed that the group of German Moravians, who were on their way to preach to American Indians, were not afraid at all. We all can fake it in calm waters. . The Bible teaches us that there are three kinds of storms in life: storms that we bring on ourselves (like Samson), storms that God causes (like Lake Galilee), and storms that other people cause (as when Paul and Silas were thrown into prison). Q. From 1977-1992 he was the pastor of Lake Gregory Community Church in Crestline, California. God knows about the storm before it ever comes. “…The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from … So it might not always be useful to ask questions like ‘What Does the Bible Say About Mental Illness?’. He will protect and help you endure. So we can assume that he was trusting God in verse 10 when he advised the men in charge not to continue with the trip due to the lateness in the year. They saved him while I made a steady path between my bunk and the toilet! Again, we must have faith in God that He is in control and will take care of us, no matter what. He knew that that storm was coming, but He wanted to teach them His power over storms by walking to them on the water. But if we daily seek God and His wisdom during normal times, when a storm hits, we will be different than those in the world, because we know and trust our God. We should not hesitate to be bold to tell them about the true and living God and the eternal life that He offers them through His Son, Jesus Christ. First, it's more then a book. : 1. This miracle shows us that …. When the trip ended, he asked the Moravian leader about his serenity, and the Moravian responded with a question: Did he, Wesley, have faith in Christ? And, it hardly gives comfort to the grieving to think that somehow God was momentarily overpowered just when our loved one needed protection! It is far more comforting to believe what the Bible teaches, that God is absolutely sovereign over everything that takes place, even over the most tragic events in history (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28). Suddenly, it’s every man for himself! Firstly, there are the situational storms. Jesus was in the boat with his disciples sleeping when ‘w ithout warning, a furious storm came up … We can also say the same thing about sin, whether the sin be great or small. The point is, God’s will for His children sometimes includes storms. Sometimes fear makes us spring into immediate action to save our own lives or the life of a loved one who is in danger. This storm hit those with Christ in their boat as well as those without Christ in their boat. Have you ever felt like that in the midst of a trial? Bible Verses About God's Will - Scripture Quotes on God's Plan God's will for our lives has reason and purpose. Bible Verses About Money: What Does The Bible Have To Say About Our Financial Lives? Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation, Related Topics: Christology, Faith, Suffering, Trials, Persecution, Steve served as the pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship from May, 1992 through his retirement in December, 2018. Jesus didn’t come to give me a comfortable life, he came to defeat death. the bible does not say that just because we are christians that we will not face storms in our lives. They weren’t saying, “Hey, guys, if we don’t get out of this storm, the Messiah will die!” First and foremost they were fearing for their own lives. That is wonderfully true, and I myself have been encouraged by that knowledge. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. So much for expert opinion! Thus we often think that we’re trusting in the Lord until a storm hits. We need always to keep in mind that the chief end of man is not to use God for our own happiness, but to glorify God no matter what happens to us. He doesn’t even exist or you wouldn’t be in this trial.” Faith sometimes must go back to previous situations where God has shown Himself faithful and say, “I rest there.” Often we have to go back to the history recorded in Scripture, where we read of God’s faithfulness to His people in horribly difficult situations. If you want to know if the Bible is important don't ask a persons opinion. The sailors could not escape, and everyone needed the strength that came from eating. Although the disciples were veteran fishermen who knew this lake, they probably didn’t anticipate the storm. We need to face squarely the fact that sometimes Jesus doesn’t calm the storm. He graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M., 1976 in Bible exposition) and Califo... More. It was the same, at times, in the days of the Bible (see Judges 17:6, 21-15). But trusting God in a crisis is not useless advice! 4. Not all fear is wrong, but Jesus rebuked the disciples because their fear was excessive. By now the centurion had come to respect Paul’s wisdom, and so he ordered his soldiers to cut the lines to the ship’s boat, so the sailors could not escape by themselves. I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” (Dan. Storms come in many shapes and sizes. Even though the sailors did not know where they were and had no control over the situation, God knew exactly where they were. Christians are not exempt from trials. If we can’t determine God’s will by the absence of trials, how can we know that we are in His will? “We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. True, God may use Satan to bring trials, as He did in the case of Job. God knows when we are in a storm. Sometimes the Lord calms the storms that rage in our lives. Sometimes people imply that trusting in the Lord necessarily means casting reason to the wind and doing something absurd. Corrie Ten Boom, author of The Hiding Place and survivor of the German concentration camps, said that people often came up to her and said, “Corrie, my, what a great faith you have.” She would smile and respond, “No, it’s what a great God I have.” Our faith in trials should point people toward our great God. We may be, especially if we got into the storm because of sin in our lives. Prayer makes less sense if God has planned out what happens to us on a daily basis. Sometimes they will even say, “Satan, not God, caused this tragedy.” They think that by blaming Satan or by saying that God only allowed it, they preserve His love. The Bible says God makes it rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). After establishing such storms exist the … Paul’s experience teaches us that …. Sarah Walton is the co-author of Together through the Storms: Biblical Encouragement for Your Marriage When Life Hurts (The Good Book Company, 2020). Sometimes the storms of our lives sneak up on us like the tornado that hit Fort Smith and Van Buren a few years ago. So God’s sovereignty over everything that happens is a source of great comfort for the believer in the storms of life. Their fear of the storm was due to their lack of faith. Not a breath of wind or a drop of water can defy His sovereign will. So Paul stood up and reminded them of his earlier warning, not just to say, “I told you so,” but to establish his credibility. Self-pity is another sure sign that we have a distorted view of ourselves. The Lord uses it to reveal new areas where we need to learn to trust Him. The disciples excitedly cried, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” They thought they all were going to drown. Trust and obey God's law of love. . Mark 4:35-41 Lesson 6 Exploring Faith Bible Study Series Lesson Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to address the storms in our lives, not storms caused by the weather, but storms caused by hurts, choices, and the actions of others. The Bible says that God sent various storms in Biblical times, and I am not comfortable saying that the Bible is wrong. Does this mean that the Devil lives in a specific place on our planet? At first they probably thought, “No problem, we can handle it.” But this storm brought them to the end of themselves and showed them how they were trusting in themselves. To conclude that since God is sovereign, whatever will be will be, and thus to kick back and do nothing, is not biblical. (All Bible verses from the NIV. He had a body that got so exhausted that He could sleep in the midst of this storm. What the Bible actually says: “God . 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