We are only a few days into the new year. It’s early, but let me be the first to warn you: The storm is coming. Lest you have forgotten; may I remind you that, this time last year, a February ice story crippled the “Lone Star State.” A state that prided itself of being energy independent did not have enough energy to heat homes. People died. But also let me be the first to remind you that no storm is insurmountable when you know who is in charge of any storm, no matter what form they come.
You do acknowledge that storms come in many forms? There are the storms of life that can rock your boat with no wind or water, but with upheaval hard to imagine like January 6th, 2021. A year ago, “We the people” weathered a storm—a patriotism gone amuck that swept a crowd into storming the Capitol building. Those scenes of Capitol first-responders being beaten down with American flags wielded by first-responders of a different ilk is still a hard watch. But democracy prevailed because of who has unquestioned authority over all tempests tossed.
Then there are storms when bodies fail like the storm endured by mother and son who prevailed because they did not tell God how big their storm was, but told themselves how big their God was over it. Their names are held anonymously, but their story’s open for all to see. They stop telling God how big their storm was.
In Phoenix, Arizona, a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6-year-old son who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong faith. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill his dreams. Now that was no longer possible. But she still wanted her son's dreams to come true. She took her son's hand and asked, "Billy, did you ever dream what you would do with your life?" “Mommy, "I always wanted to be a fireman." Mom smiled back, "Let's see if we can make your wish come true."
Later that day she went to her local fire department where she met Fireman Bob. She explained her son's final wish to ride around the block on a fire engine. Fireman Bob said, "Look, we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fireman’s hat, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots.
Three days later, Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his fire uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven. There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy went on all three. He rode in the different fire engines, the paramedic's van, and even the fire chief's car. He was also videotaped for the local news program. Having his dream come true, Billy lived three months longer than predicted. The night his vital signs drop dramatically, hospice called the family members and the fire chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital.
The chief replied, "We can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes. When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It's just the fire department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. In five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor open window where 16 firefighters climbed up the ladder into his room. With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, "Chief, am I really a fireman now?" The chief replied, "Billy, you are, and the Head Chief, Jesus, is holding your hand. With those words, Billy smiled and said, "I know, He's been holding my hand all day, and the angels have been singing." He closed his eyes one last time.
Stop telling God how big your storm is. Instead tell your storm how big your GOD is.
Anybody here going into a storm? The question is: Who is in charge when the winds howl and the waters rage? The answer is found in three questions in Mark 4:35-41: (1) Who cares in a storm? (2) Who is the believer in the middle a storm? (3) Finally, who will obey the Captain when the storms of life are beating at your boat?
Ask who cares when you are in the time of a storm? The disciples asked Jesus if he cared about them in their storm.
37 Now a great windstorm developed and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?
Jesus responded to their rebuke by speaking a word to the storm?
39 So he got up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Be quiet! Calm down!” Then the wind stopped, and it was dead calm.
Go to the person in your storm who will speak the right words to your storms: Someone who fears (reveres God) and knows and believes His word.
Second, ask who believes in the time of a storm? Jesus rebuked his disciples for not believing in the One in charge of the storm.
40 And he said to them, “Why are you cowardly? Do you still not have faith?”
Believe in the Son of God who is in the storm with you....
…who parted the Red Sea?
…who made water flow from desert rocks?
…who rained down fire for Elijah on Mt. Carmel?
Finally, ask yourself: Am I willing to obey the sovereign, strong Son of God who storms obey? The disciples recognized that natural creation obeyed the Son of God.
41 They were overwhelmed by fear and said to one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and sea obey him!”
Implied in the text is the question: If creation obeys God, why not God’s highest creation—you—in the storms of life...
...when the x-ray forecasts cancer storm, believe and obey.
...when you have been abandoned by family and friends, believe and obey.
...when a landlord’s letter forecast an eviction storm, believe and obey.
Stop telling God how big your storm is. Instead, tell your storm how big your GOD is.
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