Peace in the Storm
Pastors Rodney & Adonica Howard-BrownePublish date: 10/20/2024
Foundation Scriptures:
Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters, 24 They see the works of the Lord, And His wonders in the deep. 25 For He commands and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up the waves of the sea. 26 They mount up to the heavens, They go down again to the depths; Their soul melts because of trouble. 27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits’ end. 28 Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. 29 He calms the storm, So that its waves are still. 30 Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven. 31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Psalms 107:23-31 NKJV
1. Storms Come.
a. In life, storms come.
b. Jesus spoke of a storm of rain and floods and wind coming and beating on a person’s house.
c. Matthew 7:24-27 KJV — Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
d. The house represents your life.
e. Jesus never promised that there would not be any storms that come against us in this life.
f. But He did tell us how to prepare for, and survive, the storms that may come.
g. The key is to know the Word of God and to be a doer of the Word of God.
h. It is not enough to merely hear God’s Word; we must commit our life to the Word and put into practice everything it teaches.
i. Before the storm comes, we prepare by being doers of the Word.
j. In the middle of the storm, we look to the wisdom of God’s Word, and we apply it to our situation.
k. This is the only way to make it through the storm.
2. Calming the Storm.
a. Storms will come, unexpectedly and uninvited.
b. If you must go through a storm, you want to know that Jesus is with you in your ship.
c. You can cry out to Him—He is Lord over the storm.
d. Jesus calms the storm and brings us out of our distress and guides us into a safe harbor (Ps. 107:28-30).
e. Matthew 8:23-27 KJV — And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
f. They were in a ship on the sea and a great tempest arose that swamped the ship with water, threatening to sink it.
g. In describing this great storm, Matthew uses the word “tempest,” and Mark uses the word translated “storm” (Mark 4:37-41).
h. The word “tempest” (Greek seismos) is a shaking; a commotion; a tempest; an earthquake.
i. The storm must have felt as violent as an earthquake on the sea.
j. This word “storm” (Greek lailaps) is a whirlwind; a tempestuous wind; a violent attack of wind; a squall.
k. It is the type of storm that is never a single gust nor a steady blowing wind, however violent, but breaking forth from black thunderclouds in furious gusts, with floods of rain, and throwing everything topsy-turvy.
l. In either account, it was a sudden and violent storm that threatened their vessel and their lives, and they were afraid.
m. Jesus was not afraid—He was asleep in the back part of the ship.
n. When they woke Him, He chided them for their lack of faith and then rebuked the storm and it instantly abated.
o. If Jesus is in the boat of your life, you need have no fear.
p. You can take authority over the devil and the storm, in the Name of Jesus; and speak peace into every situation, commanding the wind and the waves to be still.
3. Jesus is Lord Over the Storm.
a. Isaiah 25:3-4 AMPC — Therefore [many] a strong people will glorify You, [many] a city of terrible and ruthless nations will [reverently] fear You. 4 For You have been a stronghold for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the blast of the ruthless ones is like a rainstorm against a wall.
b. Jesus is a shelter from the stormy blasts of the enemy.
c. Psalms 89:9 AMPC — You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves arise, You still them.
d. Jesus triumphs over the storm and pacifies it.
e. Psalms 107:29 AMPC — He hushes the storm to a calm and to a gentle whisper, so that the waves of the sea are still.
f. He calms the storm to a gentle whisper.
g. Peace, be still!