Mark 4:35-41
"That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, 'Let us go over to the other side.' Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, don't you care if we drown?' He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
This excerpt came from Stu's sermon at Waters Edge Church on 4/11/2010:
"Storms happen! Doesn't matter if you're good or bad, strong or weak, believer or unbeliever, Christ follower or not, going in the right direction or the wrong direction. Storms happen. And here's the thing, when storms happen, our senses scream, our emotions yell. I mean that's what happened for these disciples...everything around them says focus on the storm. Focus on the storm because you're all alone. Focus on the storm because nobody's ever had it this bad. Focus on the storm because the storm demands your attention. The storm says focus on me...The storm creates an illusion that says, focus on me! Give me your attention! Make me your priority! Put me front and center!"
Stu continued to make the point that though storms may come, they WILL end. No storm will last forever. There is an ending point to all storms. What is important is what you focus on during that storm. Do you focus on the storm and wallow in your sadness and depression? Or do you focus on the Savior? Stu referred back to the scripture in Mark which said Jesus was found sleeping on a cushion in the middle of this horrific storm. WHY WAS HE SLEEPING? Well, because His trust was in God the Father to protect Him and watch over Him. In the same way, we are called to trust in our Savior to calm our storms. Focus on Him and He will be your comfort when you feel burdened by the weight of the storm. Focus on Him because He will give you strength to endure the storm. Focus on Him because He will guide you through the steps to emerge from the storm. Focus on the Savior, not the storm. For the storm is an illusion telling you that you will not survive. The Savior is the reality, telling you He will get you through anything.
Stu continued to make the point that though storms may come, they WILL end. No storm will last forever. There is an ending point to all storms. What is important is what you focus on during that storm. Do you focus on the storm and wallow in your sadness and depression? Or do you focus on the Savior? Stu referred back to the scripture in Mark which said Jesus was found sleeping on a cushion in the middle of this horrific storm. WHY WAS HE SLEEPING? Well, because His trust was in God the Father to protect Him and watch over Him. In the same way, we are called to trust in our Savior to calm our storms. Focus on Him and He will be your comfort when you feel burdened by the weight of the storm. Focus on Him because He will give you strength to endure the storm. Focus on Him because He will guide you through the steps to emerge from the storm. Focus on the Savior, not the storm. For the storm is an illusion telling you that you will not survive. The Savior is the reality, telling you He will get you through anything.
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