Matthew 14:22-33
The Storms of Life
I can empathize with the disciples in the story from today’s Sabbath reading. The wind is blowing violently! Waves are in danger of swamping the boat! And then, a ghost-like figure walked on the water toward them – that is enough to make any heart pound faster in fear.
The Sea of Galilee, 13 miles long and 8 miles wide, is prone to sudden and violent storms. What causes that? Experts tell us that it is because of two things: (1) It is 689 feet below sea level, and (2) the wall of mountainous hills surrounding the Sea of Galilee act as a funnel so that winds begin to blow in a swirling motion, much like a tornado.
E. Dean Windhorn, tells the following story: “Some years ago, I had the frightening experience of being in a boat wreck on Lake Superior. Three of us were on a daylong fishing trip in a 21-foot cabin cruiser. Late that morning, we encountered a sudden and violent squall, something that Lake Superior is known for. We turned the boat to face into the storm but the main motor conked out. We put on our life jackets and were bailing water as fast as we could, but to no avail. The wind pushed us rapidly toward the rocky shore, where the boat disintegrated on the rocks. We swam toward the shore in the icy water. However, we couldn’t get ashore because of the steep rocky cliffs. Miraculously, we discovered a huge rock jutting out of the water about 50 feet from shore. We huddled together on the rock, and as a bedraggled and depressed trio of fishermen, we concluded that we would probably have to spend a cold, wet night on this rock. Fortunately, the sheriff of Baraga County (who was the brother of the church member I was fishing with) noted that we were overdue and came out looking for us. At about 7:00 pm, after 7 hours on the rock, we were relieved and happy to see his patrol boat coming toward us. He was relieved too, because he saw the pieces of boat wreckage floating on the water and was not at all optimistic that we were alive. Thank God for the miraculous way that we were spared from death!”
Now we who were at conference were not on Lake Superior. We were beside Lake Michigan on the western edge and we only had a few moments of storms. For the most part, we experienced beautiful weather and wonderful views – especially the many sail boats headed in various directions on the lake. Now, there were some disagreements in the committee and business meetings; however on the whole there were no major storms that seemed to really inconvenience the orderly completion of reports and business. There was also some wonderful choir and men’s choral music. I may share this because Yvonne and I have found out that we are now known as “embedded operatives!”
Getting back to our gospel story, why did the disciples get in the boat and begin the journey across the Sea of Galilee? Why were they taking unnecessary risks? Peter was certainly familiar with the fickle nature of this body of water, having fished there as a professional many times. They did it because Jesus asked them to! After the “feeding of the five thousand,” one of the gospel writers notes that there was a movement to make Jesus their king, not wanting to serve him, but rather, that he might serve them. What a deal! What a Man! Here is a man who can provide them with something to eat whenever they need it. With his great powers, he could lead an army that would drive the hated Romans out of their country! Here was the warrior-king, in the mold of mighty King David whom they had been hoping and praying for!
Jesus had heard all this before. He felt an urgency to leave this place so the crowds could not put their plan into action. This portion of Scripture begins with the words: “Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray” (14:22-23).
While Jesus was praying, a violent storm came upon the disciples as they were making their way across the Sea of Galilee. Their experience in this storm provides the imagery for thought on dealing with the “storms of life.” We all experience trials and tribulations. God’s word makes no promises that Christians will be issued a special insurance policy that will spare us from pain and suffering.
Why then do storms of life come? Why do bad things happen to good people? I do not have any definitive answer for that. But I do know this:
1) Some storms come because of our own stupidity. We make bad choices, and as a result, we must pay the consequences.
2) Some come through the sins of others against us.
3) Still others come, I am certain, because God want to shake us out of our complacency. He wants to get our attention.
For example, Jesus says: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit” (John 15:1-2).
On the surface, to cut off (prune) healthy vines or branches seems like a foolish and harmful thing to do. But what often happens is that the moisture and nutrients can now feed even more abundantly into the vines or branches that remain. As a result, they become stronger and bear even larger and more abundant fruit.
Relating this to life, I believe that Jesus is telling us that sometimes “storms of life” are like the pruning process. We experience hurt and discomfort. But like the plant that is pruned, the potential is there to become stronger. Nobody wants storms to come, but, these hurtful things in life can make us stronger, because they direct us back to the Lord.
The Bible tells us that early in the morning, Jesus began to walk toward the disciples on the sea. Their first reaction, adding to their already terrified state of mind, was to scream: “It’s a ghost!” But once he spoke to them, they surmised that it just might be Jesus. Peter does not hesitate! He calls out to the ghostly figure: “Lord if it is you, command me to come to you on the water” (vs. 28). I am thinking: “Oh, no, here we go again! Chill out, Peter! Don’t be so impulsive!” But Jesus didn’t say that. He said: “Come” (vs. 29).
Now it is true that, after walking on the water for a little way, Peter lost his focus and began to sink. But I have got to hand it to him! He was willing to take some risks. Peter risked appearing foolish and perhaps even death, to walk toward Jesus.
Someone has said that too many Christians are “balcony types.” I have heard the expression and have used it sometimes: “back row Baptists.” We love to discuss religion and keep our faith at an intellectual distance. We dabble in this and we dabble in that, but are fearful of actually “walking the talk” of our Christian faith. I submit that Peter’s boldness challenges us not to sit in the boat all of our lives. Quit procrastinating about being bolder for the Lord! I believe that one of the lessons for the children at Bible School was “being bold for the Lord.” We have heard all the excuses, such as “I need more information” or “we might be too far ahead of our time” or conclude that someone else is much more qualified to do something in the name of the Lord. To put it bluntly, too many of us are afraid to take some risks in sharing Christ or taking a stand against that which is blatantly not Christian!
One of my favorite stories is about a man who, one night, stumbled and fell down a cliff. He fell some distance before he caught hold of a bush. Looking down, he realized that he might be killed if he let go of that bush and fell to the ground below. Yet, there was no way that he could crawl back up the side of the cliff either. So, he began to yell for help. “Is anyone up there who can help me?”
Finally he heard a calm voice answer: “Yes, I am here.” He was surprised but then asked: “Can you help me?” The voice replied: “Yes, I can help you.” The man called out: “Who are you?” The voice said: “I am God!” There was a pause and then the man said: “What do you want me to do?” God answered: “Let go of the bush and I will save you!” There was a very long pause. The man called out again: “Is there anyone else up there?”
Essentially that man was calling out a prayer, and we want to share that our conference theme for the current year 2008-2009 is “PRAY!” 1 Thessalonians 5:17, and we ought to and need to be in much prayer as we prepare for General Conference in Lancaster, PA, July 26 through August 2, 2009. Incidentally this morning’s Sabbath School Lesson is on Prayer and it is powerful.
It is scary and risky, at times, to go with God, to let go and let him take control of our lives. As we face the storms of life we may not be able to walk on water, but what a comfort to know that Christ, our Lord, walks upon the water to us.
