The God Who Is Bigger Than Our Storms

The God Who Is Bigger Than Our Storms (TRUST AND OBEY)
Luke 8:22-26
The disciples find themselves in a terrible storm. Now many times

storms catch us when we’re not expecting them. This was probably m
in the ship!
But in this story, Jesus reveals Himself as the God who is bigger than
our storms. And I think our view of God is very important, because
how we view God will determine how we view ourselves. And this
morning I’m sure that all of us know that God is bigger than our
storms, but if you’re like me, you just sometimes need to be
reminded.
One thing is for sure in this story: The storm was not as big to Jesus
as it was to the disciples! And even though the storm was above their
head, it was still under His feet!
But wait a minute. In what way is God bigger than our storms? There
are five principles in our message that answer this:
I. His Intention Is Bigger Than Our Storm (Luke 8:22) Now it came
to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples:
and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the
lake. And they launched forth.
Jesus had a plan. And what was that plan? It was for Him and His
disciples to make it to the other side of the lake. That was God’s plan!
We as human beings have failed in our intentions, haven’t we? Have
you ever determined to help someone one day, but when all was said
and done, you didn’t help at all?
Have you ever set out to do a good deed, only to end up not doing it?
We have all failed in our intentions, but God has never failed in His
intentions!
God’s plan cannot be thwarted! (prevented) Phil. 1:6 says, “Being
confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work
in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”
Now we may never go through a literal storm on the Sea of Galilee,

but we do go through various “storms of life.” Your storm may be
when someone you love dearly dies unexpectedly, and you don’t
understand it.
It may be when your job is not going the way you need it to go. It
could be when you feel betrayed by those you love and no one
understands your heartache.
Our storm can be when life has us so confused, we don’t know where
to turn or what to do. It may even be when Satan whispers in your ear,
“It’s no use, it will never work. You may as well give up.”
What can we do when heartache comes knocking on our door and we

feel overcome by despair or bound by a feeling of hopelessness?
We start by realizing that God has a plan, and His plan is greater than
our feelings! And His intention is bigger than any storm!
I don’t understand it all. I don’t fully understand why I’ve got a

speech impediment. ( a defect in a person” speech ) But I’m glad for
one thing. I’m glad that I know that God has a plan for me, and that
His plan for me is bigger than any storm I’ll ever experience! Do you
believe that?
II. His Interpretation Is Bigger Than Our Storm (Luke 8:23)

V 23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of
wind on the lake: and they were filled with water, and were in
jeopardy. (danger of loss).
Jesus is asleep in the storm and evidently has been asleep for a good
while. Isn’t that strange? How could Jesus sleep through a storm? The
disciples literally thought they were dying! Obviously the storm was
not as big to Jesus as it was to the disciples!
I wonder: Do we sleep good when problems are consuming us? I

don’t!
When problems consume me, I have a hard time sleeping . . . So do

you know what I do? I just lay awake and help God “run the world!”
( the bible says He neither sleep or slumber ).
 The disciples interpreted this storm as something terrible! The

fact is – They could not change their circumstances!
 There was absolutely nothing they could do about the storm!
 And that’s hard to deal with sometimes, isn’t it?
 Do you ever wish you could change your circumstances?
 I do! But we can’t.
 We may as well accept that!
 We need to realize that God doesn’t see the storm the way we
see the storm.
 His interpretation is bigger than our storm.
Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor
are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. For as the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and
My thoughts than your thoughts.”
 God sees the storm as a means of advancement.

 He uses storms of life to test us to help us get closer to Him.
 God uses the dark, scary, uncertain times of life as an
opportunity for Him to demonstrate His power not ours, and for
God to get the glory, not us.
 God wants to use our trials to get us a little closer to Him.
1. I wonder: When our “storm” starts to devastate us, do we want

to take God’s interpretation of our storm?
2. Or, do we want to just develop our own interpretation?
3. When trouble comes down on us, do we carelessly say like
some, “God doesn’t care – or He’d do something for me!”
4. But problems are sometimes just opportunities in “work
clothes.” He’s testing our faith.
5. We must not forget:
6. Faith is taking God at His Word despite the circumstances. Just
trust and obey for there is no any other way.
7. And faith is often claiming God’s promise in the midst of bad
circumstances.
 Like the disciples, we may be in a terrible “storm.”

 We may be so scared that we’re biting our nails off.
 But it’s good to know that God’s not biting His nails off . . .
because His interpretation is bigger than our storm!
III. His Inclination Is Bigger Than Our Storm (Luke 8:23-24)
V 23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of
wind on the lake: and they were filled with water, and were in
jeopardy. (danger of loss).
V 24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master,
we perish. Then he arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the
water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
 When the Bible says the ship was “filled” with water it means
they were losing “control” of the ship, and the water was
controlling the ship.
 Rather than the boat controlling the boat, the storm was
controlling the boat.
 The word “jeopardy” indicates that they feared death!
 They thought, “It’s over!”
 But they did the right thing – They went to Jesus!
 And while they were literally going down, Jesus was rising up!
 Jesus “arose,” but not the way I would have arose!

 Have you ever been awaken suddenly and unexpectantly from a
deep sleep?
 Our normal response is to be startled, bewildered, confused and
to rub the sand out of our eyes, right?
 However, Jesus didn’t do that.
 He arose and immediately He inclined Himself to them.
A. His Inclination Is To Hear Us!
That’s His nature! Immediately Jesus inclined Himself to them! God

is never in such a deep sleep that He doesn’t hear our faintest whisper.
Aren’t you glad for that?
Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me, and I will answer you, and show
you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” God wants
us to call on Him!
One amazing thing that doctors have verified is that a mother

often has a special “ear” for her baby’s cry. Mothers can often
distinguish their own baby’s cry in a room of crying babies. What
in the world? For me, and most men, one child’s cry is the same
as another. If you’ve heard one, you’ve heard them all. But not to
a mother.
Why? Because God made her with a special “ear” for her baby. She is
inclined to hear her baby.
But that pales in comparison with God’s ear for the cry of His
children.
Psalms 34:17-18 says, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those
who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.” In
your trouble, cry out to God – He’s waiting for you.
B. His Inclination Is To Help Us!
Although Jesus was sleeping, I think the disciples misunderstood the

nature of His sleep.
They evidently thought that “sleeping” meant that He was unaware of
their present danger, or that He was unconcerned for their personal
lives, or maybe He was unable to make the difference that they
needed.
But Jesus was no less God when He was asleep than when He’s
awake. Jesus was no less God when He was lying down than when He
was standing up. He rebuked the wind and storm and produced a
calm!
Psalms 34:19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but
the Lord delivers him out of them all.” No matter how dark our
life may seem, we must believe the truth that His inclination is
bigger than our storm!
IV. His Intervention Is Bigger Than Our Storm (Luke 8:25)
V25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being
afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this !
for he commandeith even the winds and water, and they obey him.
These disciples had seen other miracles before, but notice what they
said: “What manner of man is this?” The way He intervened was
unreal. They were saying, “It’s not human!”
 Let me ask you something: If God can control the wind and the
waves, don’t you think He can control your storm?
 If God can alter the very laws of nature, I believe He can help
me with my problems! . . . Don’t you?
 There is no storm too big for God to handle!
 Do you believe that?
 Even the wind recognized His authority and the storm was just a
platform for Him to do His work on.
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His
purpose.”
 I don’t understand how He does it, but God can even use the
junk in my life to bring glory to Him.
 God desires to use everything that happens to us for our good
and God’s glory.
 Do you believe that He can do that in your life?
 Thank God that His intervention is bigger than our storm!
V. His Instruction Is Bigger Than Our Storm
The disciples learned some things through the storm that they might
not have learned any other way.
A. They learned something about their faith (Luke 8:25)
 When Jesus asked, “Where is your faith?”

 He asked a good question.
 I don’t know where their faith was, but I know where it wasn’t.
 Their faith may have been in the size of the boat, to withstand
the storm.
 Their faith may have been in their ability to out-row the storm.
 Their faith may have been in the strength of their anchor.
 I don’t know where their faith was, but I know where it wasn’t:
 It wasn’t in Christ.
 They learned something about their faith from the storm, and we
do too!
 When God sends a storm my way, I see how many different
things I’ve been leaning on!
What if Jesus asked us this morning, “Where is your faith?” Some

would have to answer,
Others would confess that their faith is in people responding just so.
But they rarely do! Some people’s faith is only in the pleasures that
this life can offer. But they’re short-lived. Many only have faith in
their finances and in the thi\ngs money can buy. But they don’t
satisfy.

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The God Who Is Bigger Than Our Storms (TRUST AND OBEY)

The disciples find themselves in a terrible storm. Now many times

Now we may never go through a literal storm on the Sea of Galilee,

What can we do when heartache comes knocking on our door and we

I don’t understand it all. I don’t fully understand why I’ve got a

II. His Interpretation Is Bigger Than Our Storm (Luke 8:23)

I wonder: Do we sleep good when problems are consuming us? I

When problems consume me, I have a hard time sleeping . . . So do

 The disciples interpreted this storm as something terrible! The

 God sees the storm as a means of advancement.

1. I wonder: When our “storm” starts to devastate us, do we want

 Like the disciples, we may be in a terrible “storm.”

III. His Inclination Is Bigger Than Our Storm (Luke 8:23-24)

 Jesus “arose,” but not the way I would have arose!

A. His Inclination Is To Hear Us!

That’s His nature! Immediately Jesus inclined Himself to them! God

One amazing thing that doctors have verified is that a mother

Although Jesus was sleeping, I think the disciples misunderstood the

IV. His Intervention Is Bigger Than Our Storm (Luke 8:25)

V. His Instruction Is Bigger Than Our Storm

A. They learned something about their faith (Luke 8:25)

 When Jesus asked, “Where is your faith?”

What if Jesus asked us this morning, “Where is your faith?” Some

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