How to Find Peace in the Midst of Your Storm | Part 1

0:36 presented in the convicting messages of Adrian Rogers. John chapter 6 tells the story of Jesus walking on the water in the midst of a treacherous storm. Sooner or later, we will all find ourselves in a storm, perhaps not like the one depicted in this passage, but still one that's terrifying. Things could be going fine. Then suddenly you get a life-changing phone call or you face a shocking diagnosis. How can we find peace when the waters rise? If you have your Bible, turn now to John chapter 6, beginning in verse 16, as Adrian Rogers shares how to find peace in the midst of your storm. You take God's Word and be finding John chapter 6 in a few moments. We're going to begin reading in verse 16. But we're going to be talking a little bit about troubles, heartaches, tears, disappointments, what we would call the storms of life.

1:33 We go to the doctor and we get a bad report. We don't know what the next phone call will bring. For good or bad, we just don't know. There are storms that come to us. Now the Lord here in His ministry in Galilee was with His disciples and they were in a storm. And we're going to read about that and then we're going to learn some wonderful lessons about how to find peace. How you can find peace in the midst of your storm. Because we all have storms. Beginning in verse 16. And when Jesus was now come down, His disciples went down unto the sea and entered into a ship. and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. And the sea rose by reason of a great wind that blew. So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea and drawing nigh unto the ship, and they were afraid.

2:37 But he saith unto them, It is I, be not afraid. Now just underscore the last part of that phrase there. Be not afraid. Did you know some 365 times in the Bible, one time for every day in the year, God has told us not to be afraid. In one way or another, He said, be not afraid or fear not. 365 times He tells us not to be afraid. The devil is the sinister minister of fear. But our Lord tells us not to be afraid. Now remember, they are in a storm. He says, it is I, be not afraid. Then they willingly received him into the ship, and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went. In our journeys to Israel, and I've been to Israel many times, one of the most delightful times that I have is to sit at twilight on the shores of Galilee. It's almost mesmerizing.

3:39 It's almost like a dream, the tranquility. tranquility. You're almost intoxicated by the beauty as the sun sets over the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights across the sea from Tiberias turn a rosy color. You sit there, you can hear the birds nesting in the trees. I believe that the Sea of Galilee is one of the most beautiful bodies of water on this earth. The old rabbis used to say that when God created all the other seas. Then He created Galilee just for Himself. Now the background for this passage of Scripture, it had been a wonderful day. Jesus Christ had been with His disciples teaching them and He had performed miracles. He fed the 5,000. So the disciples were full. They were full of success. They were full of knowledge. They were full of self-confidence and they were full of a banquet of fish and bread. And it was a wonderful evening, perhaps like the evening that I just described when sometimes we sit there and bask in the beauty and perhaps the moon was there in the sky like a gardenia on the lapel of the night and a gentle breeze soft as a baby's breath kissed their cheeks. And so these disciples who are seasoned sailors get in their boat, take sail to go to the other side of the sea, rejoicing in such a wonderful day. And then it happen. Just like that, the wind begins to rise. The clouds darken the moon and the stars, and angry winds begin to beat the sea with its fists, and the water rises up and slaps these

5:45 disciples in the face. And the water that's on the outside of the boat begins to come on the inside of the boat and fill the boat. And they're now out in the middle of the sea. And it's dark. And the wind is contrary to them. They can't even see their hand before their face. And that Sea of Galilee that had been as quiet as a mill pond now has become a dangerous death trap. And these seasoned sailors are filled with fear. They bend their backs to the oars. It's too far from the shore to swim. The waves are too boisterous. They have an idea that they are going down and on top of all of this, where is Jesus? Why hasn't He come to them?

6:38 Why has He forsaken them? And then they see Him. He's walking on the water. That doesn't bring them joy. Now their fear has turned to raw terror. Who? What is that? Walking on the water. Is it a phantom? Is it a ghost? And then they recognize it's Jesus, the wave walker, walking on the water. And he speaks to them. And he says, don't be afraid. In another gospel he says, be of good cheer. hit his eye and they receive him into their boat. And when they do, watch this, immediately they're on the shore.

7:40 Immediately they are on the shore. Well, are you in a storm? You say, no, pastor, I'm not in a storm. Well, I'm glad for you. Enjoy the trip. Enjoy the trip. Have a good time. Really, I'm serious. We're fools if we don't enjoy the good times of life. If you are not in a storm right now, I am happy for you. Enjoy it. But wait a while. Just wait a while. Sooner or later, you are going to find yourself in a storm. The Spanish have a proverb, there is no home without its hush. That just simply means that sooner or later we have storms. And I've learned as a pastor that while there are many of us here, there's probably a heartache on every pew. Somewhere sitting next to you, there is a heartache. We have storms.

8:34 We all have difficulties. If not now, later. And so what I want to talk to you about is how to find peace in the midst of your storm. Because peace is not the subtraction of problems from life. Peace is the addition of power to meet those problems. That's God's peace. So I want to give you six principles. Will you write them down? Principle number one, here's what you can say when you're in a storm. Number one, I am governed by His providence. I am governed by His providence. What happened to these people that day was not happenstance. It was not a mistake. It was not something that should have been avoided. The storm did not take Jesus by surprise. Now folks, if Jesus Christ can walk upon water, Jesus Christ can certainly read and forecast the weather.

9:34 This thing was not incidental, it was providential. Put in your margin, Matthew chapter 14 and verse 22. The Bible says in straightway Jesus constrained His disciples to get into a ship. Now, he said, you must do it. It was Jesus who sent them into this storm. It may be that God has engineered your storm. I mean, God has engineered your storm. If he has not engineered it, listen, if he has not engineered it, he has certainly allowed it because our God is over everything. I was reading Psalm 107, verses 24 and following. These see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind which lifteth up the waves thereof. It's God who is the master of the winds and the waves. And he's the one who causes storms to come.

10:30 You know it is a shallow theology. A very shallow theology that says if we're in the will of God. That we're just going to sail always smoothly on the sea of life. will have no sickness, no sorrow, no disappointment, no separation. There'll be no death in our family. There'll be no problems. And the Joy Boys get on television and say, if you just get right with God and believe God and send me an offering, you'll never be sick. Everything will be fine. And this is the gospel of cash and Cadillacs, tranquility. Friend, there's a Greek word for that, and it's baloney.

11:05 Baloney. No, no, no, no. Listen, we are going to have difficulty. And the first thing that you can say when difficulty comes is that God's providence is over it all. I am governed by His providence. God's wonderful plan is in effect that we call the providence of God. Now remember, Jesus constrained them to get into a storm. They were in this storm because of the providence of God. Now here's the second thing that you can say. Number two, not only am I governed by His providence, but I am growing by His plan. I am growing by His plan. Now God's plan is not to indulge you. God's plan is to enlarge you. Put in your margin, Psalm 4 verse 1.

12:02 Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress. Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress. I want to ask you a question. Those of you who've been on the trail for a while, when did you grow the most? When everything was fine? When you were smoothly sailing? Or when the storm came? Did you not grow more in the storm, in distress, when you were crowded to Christ, and when you had to call upon him. You see, in the Bible, there are correcting storms and there are perfecting storms. Now, Jonah, who spent the night on a foam blubber mattress, was in one of those correcting storms. I mean, he was in a storm because he was out of the will of God. He was running from God, and God sent a correcting storm. But they're also perfecting storms.

12:59 These disciples were not out of the will of God. Why were they in a storm? They were in a storm. Don't miss this. They were in a storm because they were in the will of God. It was Jesus, Matthew tells us, that constrained them to get into that boat. They were in this storm because they were obeying Jesus. Why would Jesus want them to be in a storm? because he wanted them to grow. I've often shared these words with you that someone wrote. I don't know who wrote them. I walked a mile with pleasure. She chatted all the way, but left me none the wiser for all she had to say. I walked a mile with sorrow. Not a word, said she, but oh, the things I learned from sorrow when sorrow walked with me. Is that not true? Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.

13:54 Somebody said that faith is like film. that is developed in the dark. That's when we learn to trust the Lord. I was reading about the Israelites when they were headed into the promised land, into the land of Canaan. And in the land of Canaan, there were some demon-possessed giants. And they were called Anakim, not Anacin, but Anakim. They gave headaches. They didn't cure it. These were Anakim. And they were great giants. When the 12 spies went into the land to spy out the land, And ten of the spies came back and said, hey, we can't take this land. Why, it's full of milk and honey and corn and wine and oil and pomegranates and figs and grapes. It is hills and valleys. But there are giants in that land. And we can't take that land.

14:48 But two of the spies said in Numbers chapter 14 and verse 9, Only rebel not ye against the Lord. Neither fear the people of the land. Now listen to this. For they are bread for us. Not B-R-E-D, but B-R-E-A-D. Bread like your toast this morning. They are bread for us. Their defenses departed from them and the Lord is with us. Fear them not. They said, look, these people are a piece of cake. They're bread for us. Don't be afraid of them. Why do you eat bread? For strength. You grow on bread. It's bread that gives energy. It is the bread that is the staff of life. What was God saying?

15:41 These things that look like they are your problems are your food. Anakim is the breakfast of champions. Folks, it's when you feed on these problems that you grow. You see, what our Lord was looking for was not softies as disciples. He wanted them to grow and He enabled them to be in a storm that He might enlarge them. So remember that you're governed by His providence when you're in a storm. He rules over all. And remember that you are growing by His plans. And it's in the storm that you're going to grow and become more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, you say, but pastor, I just don't have what it takes to grow when I'm in the storm. True, you don't. But here's the third thing. I am graced by his prayers.

16:38 Look, if you will, in verse 17. And entering into a ship and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark. and Jesus was not come unto them. They're saying, where's Jesus? Where's Jesus? It's dark. He hasn't come. Why hasn't he come? Well, he's doing something else. What is he doing? He's praying. He's up on the mountaintop praying. Put in your margin Matthew 14 because this story is told in different ways in the different gospels. And the Bible says, And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray. Listen, don't think that he has forsaken you just because you cannot see him. When you're in the storm, he may not be with you in bodily form, but he is very much aware of you. I love that song.

17:35 His eyes on the sparrow and I know he watches me. Let me give you another verse from one of the other gospels. Put this one down in Mark chapter six. beginning in verse 47. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea and he alone on the land. There in the sea, Jesus is on the shore. Now watch this. And he saw them toiling in rowing. He saw them. Did you know that he sees you right now? You say, he, he doesn't know where I am. He doesn't know this difficulty. Why is he so far away? Why am I in the storm and he on the shore? Friend, he is there praying for you. He went apart to a mountain to pray. He's up there on the mountain looking down. He sees right through the dark. They can't see him. He sees us. And what's he doing?

18:32 He's praying. You want a blessed thought? Let me give you a blessed thought. You are on Jesus' prayer list. You are on Jesus' prayer list. There's nothing much more comforting to me than for somebody to tell me that they pray for me. I met a man in the airport here that I wasn't even sure that he knew my name. But I went up to meet him because he's a wonderful Bible teacher. He looked at me and embraced me. And he said, Adrian, I prayed for you this morning. I mean, it was just by happenstance. He said, Adrian, I prayed for you this morning. I said, that's wonderful. Then you know what he said to me? He said, I pray for you every day. Every day. That moved me greatly. Folks, some people have never been prayed for one time. If you're on anybody's prayer list, you're blessed.

19:30 You're blessed. But I can tell you you're on his prayer list. The Lord Jesus knows you by name and he calls you by name. And the Bible says that he ever lives to make intercession for us. Hebrews 7 verse 25. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him. Seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Did you come to God by Jesus? Then you're on his prayer list. And what is he doing? The finished work of Jesus is Calvary. The unfinished work of Jesus is his prayer ministry. Listen, I am governed by his providence. I am growing by his plan. I am graced by his prayers. He was praying for them in the midst of their storm. Do you have any reason to doubt that he is praying for you in the midst of your storm? How would you feel if you knew while you're in your bedroom that right out there in your living room, Jesus was on his knees praying for you?

20:33 Is it any less real that you're in the boat and he's on the shore? Are you here on this earth and he's in the glory praying for you? He ever lives to make intercession for you. Here's the fifth thing I want you to learn in the midst of your storm. Not only am I graced by his prayers, but I am gladdened by his presence. He will come. Look, if you will, in verse 20. And he saith unto them, it is I, be not afraid. And in Matthew, he tells them to be of good cheer. Matthew 14, verse 27. And straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, be of good cheer. It is I, be not afraid. I can see these disciples as their perspiration is on their brow and their face. is a network of fear.

21:28 Clammy hands hold to those oars and their backs are aching and they're pulling. Peter says, pull harder. We're going to sink. No doubting Thomas says, I don't believe we're going to make it. We're going down. And then they see Jesus.

21:51 Question, why didn't he come sooner? Why did he wait? You know, he had been there for a long time. If you read the story, you're going to find out that they had been out there on the sea for six agonizing hours. They're out there pulling. And now it's the darkest hour of the night. Mark tells us that Jesus came the fourth watch of the night. That's between 3 and 6 a.m., the darkest hour. for six long agonizing hours. They're out there and it seems that he has forgotten them. It wasn't Jesus who had forgotten. Really, it was the disciples that had forgotten. You know, Jesus had just done a miracle. If you read this story in the sixth chapter of John, you'll find out that Jesus had fed 5,000.