Posted on Thu, Mar 26, 2009
Braving the Storm
Speaker - Pastor Maduka ogbuonye(Summarised by Sis. Ayobola Akwarandu)
Key Text: Isaiah 43: 1 - 4
Braving the Storm – Isaiah 43 1-4
By Pastor Maduka Ogbounye
Friend, do you know that whatever your situation, God has committed Himself to taking care of you? There is an interesting story in Matt 14: 22 - 33, the same story is in Mark 6: 45 - 52 and John 6: 15 - 21. The story took place after Jesus fed the 5000.
Peter tried to walk on the sea like Jesus but when he saw the storm, he was scared and took his focus off Jesus. Immediately, he began to sink. In our daily lives, we will constantly meet with ‘storms’ but how do we deal with them? Peter would have sunk deep down had Jesus not come to lift him up. There are different kinds of storm e.g. physical storms such as Hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis and volcanoes. These are very serious situations that claim thousands of lives. There are also social and economic storms such as gangsterism, knife and gun crimes, racism, credit crunch etc. A careful analysis of our own society reveals social storms constantly destroying peoples’ lives.
There are also spiritual storms ranging from religious confrontations to proliferation of false prophets. Now that it has been established that there are so many different kinds of storms and they are real, how does one negotiate through these storms of life? Knowing the root cause is very important, for example, physical storms may be caused through imbalance in pressure, temperature etc. Also, imbalance in our compliance with the Word of God initiates spiritual storms. John’s account of the feeding of the 5000 revealed they wanted to make Jesus king, their minds shifted away from Jesus as Saviour, but Jesus dispersed the crowd and asked the disciples to go to the other side. The disciples left Jesus with a dissatisfied heart, their thoughts did not align with Jesus’. This imbalance led to the storm.
In the book of 1 Kings, the story was told of the Prophet from Judah who was sent to warn Jeroboam about his bad ways, God had instructed him not to eat or drink after delivering his message but another Prophet who meant harm, lied to him that God had sent him to ask him to eat. He disobeyed the instruction that God gave to him and was devoured by a lion afterwards. We cause imbalance and storms by not obeying God’s words or doing our own things. God expects much from us when He has given us much, so your knowledge and status in God must deter you from being disobedient.
Deuteronomy 28 - if you hearken to do God’s commandment, you will be blessed in all your ways. This means no storm will overpower you. God does not like us when we shift from obedience. God does not like the attitude of complaining, murmuring or disobedience. God wants us to hold onto HIM whatever the situation. He will keep His covenant when you call on His name.
Going back to the story of Peter, the disciples were on the sea during the 4th watch (about 3 - 6am) and the sea should have been calm at that time. Jesus had dispersed them by evening but because they delayed and complained before obeying the words of Jesus, they created an opportunity for a storm. However, Jesus came at the right time to save them from their struggles. As He was coming to them walking on the water, the disciples thought it must be a ghost, their fear increased and the storm increased. Jesus called out to them, “be not afraid, it is I…” to which Peter replied, “if it is you bid me to come to you”. He must have been gripped with so much fear that he needed to verify that it was Jesus. Today, Jesus is also calling to you in the midst of your storm, “come onto me all you are heavy laden and I will give you rest”. Jesus spoke to Peter, he believed and started walking towards Him until he lost his focus when he started to look at the waves. The waves came between him and Jesus, he became afraid, distracted by the waves and started to sink. What happened to Peter can happen to anyone of us, there are so many distractions that cause us to shift in position, away from Christ. We will not be distracted when we make our standard God’s standard. Distractions give the storm the opportunity. When we compromise we lose control.
As the other disciples continued to battle with the storm, and Peter began to sink, Jesus stepped in. Jesus is able to step in at the right time in your life. Our God will fight our war. We must believe that our God is able. He has even promised that He will give men in exchange for you; God will sacrifice what it takes to save our homes, our jobs, our souls, as long as our focus is stayed on Him. As we brave the storms of life, let us remember that we must remain focused. However strong the storm, stay focused and you will experience the Saviour calming the storms of your life. 
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