1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:00,960 Amen. Please have a seat. 2 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:13,750 Church going to ask you to open your Bibles to Luke chapter 8, 3 00:00:14,710 --> 00:00:18,430 verse 22. I'm also going to ask you to 4 00:00:18,430 --> 00:00:20,270 pull out your phone. That is those of you who aren't 5 00:00:20,270 --> 00:00:23,670 already secretly watching underneath, and I want you to 6 00:00:23,670 --> 00:00:27,710 turn off the game and put on your calendar app. 7 00:00:27,710 --> 00:00:33,470 OK, so pull out your phone, grab your calendar app and go to May 8 00:00:33,790 --> 00:00:38,120 30th. And on May 30th, I want you to 9 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:42,680 write this in there, the big surf, because that is going to 10 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:44,480 be our date for the big serve this year. 11 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:48,720 And we would love to have all of you engage in that as we go and 12 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:51,560 serve our community. And if you're looking and you 13 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:55,560 say Derek, May 30th, I've already got plans. 14 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:58,960 I've got good news for you. You can go to May 29th because 15 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:01,120 we're going to do it on May 29th as well. 16 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:05,080 So you can choose one of those two days to put it in, but I'm 17 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:09,520 hoping that all of you will choose to be a part of going out 18 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:12,400 and serving our community in the name of Jesus. 19 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:15,040 It was a great day when we did it last year. 20 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:17,280 It's going to be better this year, Lord willing, because 21 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:19,440 we've moved it later. And I'm hoping the weather is 22 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:21,440 going to be a lot nicer, especially if we're doing any 23 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:24,640 gardening or litter pickup or anything like that. 24 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:29,720 All right, let's read this passage together from Luke 25 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:34,280 chapter 8. Luke chapter 8, starting at 26 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:37,480 verse 22. Love this story. 27 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:39,360 We're going to dive into this today. 28 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:46,480 One day he and his disciples got into a boat and he told them, 29 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:49,720 let's cross over to the other side of the lake. 30 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:54,840 So they set out and as they were sailing, he fell asleep. 31 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:59,320 Then a fierce windstorm came down on the lake, and they were 32 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:01,600 being swamped and we're in danger. 33 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:06,600 They came and they woke him up, saying, Master, master, we're 34 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:11,160 going to die. Then he got up and rebuked the 35 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:15,480 wind and the raging waves. So they ceased. 36 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:18,240 And where? And there was a calm and he said 37 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:24,240 to them, where is your faith? They were fearful and amazed, 38 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:26,960 asking one another, who then is this? 39 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:33,160 He commands even the winds in the wave and they obey him. 40 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:36,480 The Lord bless the reading of his word. 41 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:40,760 Just want to confess. There's a lot of things that I 42 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:46,080 personally struggle with. Sometimes I care too much. 43 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:51,600 Sometimes I work too hard. Now there's a there's a whole 44 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:54,120 lot of real things that I struggle with. 45 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:59,440 I can be impatient. I can be selfish and 46 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:03,960 self-centered. I struggle with pride at times. 47 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:09,320 I want to be right, I don't. I hate to lose an argument, but 48 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:13,600 fear is not something that I regularly find myself struggling 49 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:18,080 with, probably to a fault. I'm going to throw a picture up 50 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:21,920 on the screen back here. It's a it's a picture of 51 00:03:21,920 --> 00:03:24,640 paragliding just outside of Beirut. 52 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:29,480 I've been to Beirut 4 times and every single time I have gone I 53 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:34,360 have pleaded with the people that I'm with to allow me to go 54 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,640 paragliding in Beirut. I want to run off of that 55 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:41,880 mountain and jump out into the air and just sail over the city 56 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:45,360 and out to the Mediterranean. And every time, for some reason 57 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:49,520 they tell me no. And I was there again in 58 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:52,000 October. So I pleaded again. 59 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:56,120 And one of my friends who is much wiser and smarter than me, 60 00:03:56,720 --> 00:04:00,240 he said to me, Derek, have you ever Googled paragliding in 61 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:03,200 Beirut? And I said, no, why would I do 62 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:04,800 that? He said, just how about you just 63 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:07,200 just do that? Just do a quick Google of 64 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:11,600 paragliding in Beirut. And then I saw that I was there 65 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:14,080 in October. Between May and August, they had 66 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:16,800 suspended all paragliding because they had, in a number of 67 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:22,280 weeks, three people die. That did not change the fact 68 00:04:22,280 --> 00:04:25,000 that I still wanted to go because I saw people up in the 69 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:26,760 sky and I thought, well, it must be OK. 70 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:31,960 Now they're going again because I amongst the other things I 71 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:37,680 struggle with, I am dumb. There are a couple times, 72 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:41,040 however, where I found myself legitimately scared and and 73 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:44,560 interestingly, a lot of those have involved water. 74 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:47,640 One time we were in the Backcountry of Algonquin. 75 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:53,240 I was a teenager, I was probably about 15 at the time and I was a 76 00:04:53,280 --> 00:04:57,000 male 15 year old teenager. So I was even Dumber than I am 77 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,600 now. And there was an island out in 78 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:03,880 the lake across from our campground and I thought, hey, 79 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:08,720 let's swim out to it. Now I am actually a pretty good 80 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:13,680 swimmer, but I am heavy and I think I am a good swimmer and a 81 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:16,880 even better sinker. And I got about halfway there 82 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:21,200 and I started to get very tired and I did not wear a life jacket 83 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:25,000 to do this. And I thought, I'm halfway 84 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:30,320 there's, I can't go back and I can't go forward either. 85 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:32,200 Is is going to be just as difficult. 86 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:35,800 And I did start to panic a little thinking this is my end 87 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:40,680 in Algonquin in the Backcountry, swimming out to an island. 10 88 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:45,920 years ago, we were out on Lake Erie doing a family get together 89 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:49,120 with my parents and my sister and her family, all of my my 90 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:50,680 niece and nephew, all of our kids. 91 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,880 We were on a pontoon boat and we were heading out. 92 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:57,920 We were in the Long Point area. We were going to head out to the 93 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:01,960 tip of Long Point, which is just an absolutely beautiful spot if 94 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:05,080 you can get out there by boat. And one of the things with Lake 95 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:07,680 Erie, if some of you are boaters, you know this, like 96 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:12,280 especially in the inner Bay, there is when it's still, it is 97 00:06:12,280 --> 00:06:15,320 just awesome. It's like glass, you're gliding 98 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:17,280 out there. But things can change quickly on 99 00:06:17,280 --> 00:06:19,640 the lake. And so we got out, we had a 100 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:22,360 wonderful time out at the tip by the lighthouse. 101 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:25,280 But on our way back, a storm started to roll in. 102 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,840 And pontoon boats are great, but they're not great in big waves. 103 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:35,080 And so the waves started coming over the Bower, the front of the 104 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:37,600 ship, and they were splashing on. 105 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:40,640 And, and I don't often get scared on a boat, but I was 106 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:44,840 starting to get a little legitimately worried about 107 00:06:44,840 --> 00:06:48,440 whether this boat was going to make it all the way back to 108 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:52,240 where we were going. And what, after what seemed like 109 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,520 a long couple of hours of waves splashing over the boat and 110 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:59,120 trying to keep everybody calm, we did make it back. 111 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:03,520 But I realized that when you're in a storm like that, that type 112 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:06,080 of situation, that type of fear reveals some things. 113 00:07:07,280 --> 00:07:09,520 It reveals some assumptions. I had to start it. 114 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:12,760 I had assumed that that the weather we had started with that 115 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:18,480 morning in the calm, lovely day was going to carry on all 116 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:21,800 throughout the rest of our day. I just thought, hey, we're out, 117 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:23,640 we're starting. It's going smoothly. 118 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:24,920 I assumed it would finish smoothly. 119 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:30,800 It revealed not just assumptions, but it revealed to 120 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:34,720 me what matters most. At no point while I was out 121 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:38,760 there and starting to fear, feel some fear build up did I start 122 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:40,680 to think about my To Do List at work. 123 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:45,480 I didn't think about any chores that needed to get done around 124 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:48,880 the home. Now all of my thought started go 125 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:52,240 to especially Amanda and my kids who are on the boat with me. 126 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:54,880 What matters most to me in that moment? 127 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:59,760 And then the question of who or what do you trust that It 128 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:04,560 revealed that because there were three of us on that boat with 129 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:07,920 pleasure craft operator licenses. 130 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:15,000 And I thought, who do I trust to take this boat back to shore 131 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:17,080 safely? I realized it wasn't me. 132 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:22,440 I only boated like a few times. I had my license, but I am not 133 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:25,400 the guy my dad was boating. And I thought to myself, 134 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:28,640 actually, I kind of wish my brother-in-law was sailing the 135 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:33,280 ship right now because he has the most experience out on the 136 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:34,960 water. He had the most experience 137 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:37,520 guiding a boat. Dad, I'm sorry if you listen to 138 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:40,000 this. Never told him that before. 139 00:08:41,799 --> 00:08:44,760 But that's what storms do. That's what crises do. 140 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:47,760 They reveal things. They they unmask our 141 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:51,960 assumptions. They reveal our priorities. 142 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:58,440 They show in what or in whom do we actually place our trust? 143 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:04,760 And in today's passage, Jesus disciples, as we saw, they find 144 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:09,720 themselves in the midst of a storm and it's going to reveal 145 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:15,480 some things about them. But also and more importantly, 146 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:19,600 this passage is going to reveal some things about Jesus and the 147 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:21,160 Jesus who is in the boat with them. 148 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:27,640 And so I just want to say, if you're here today or you're 149 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:31,760 watching online or you're listening at some other time and 150 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:35,800 you're in the midst of a storm right now, here's what I've been 151 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:40,480 praying for you this week. I've been praying that this 152 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:44,840 message will do some of that revealing work in your hearts 153 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:47,280 and lives, that you'll be able to see where there's some things 154 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:52,160 that are being exposed. But I'm also praying that you 155 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:57,760 will be deeply encouraged and strengthened as we reveal some 156 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:00,400 things about the Jesus who can be in the boat with you. 157 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:07,400 And if you're here today and some of you, I'm praying many of 158 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:12,880 you are in a spot where it's clear skies, sunny skies, blue 159 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:19,040 skies, water is calm, that I pray that this message would act 160 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:23,960 as preparatory work for you to prepare you for the times and 161 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:26,320 the realities that will inevitably come where you're 162 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:28,280 going to find yourself in the middle of a storm. 163 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:33,840 So let's just walk through this passage together and see what 164 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:37,520 God wants to reveal to us about our hearts and what he wants to 165 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:45,120 reveal to us about who Jesus is. One day Jesus and his disciples 166 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:48,680 get into a boat and he told them, let's cross over to the 167 00:10:48,680 --> 00:10:51,920 other side of the lake. So that's what they did. 168 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:55,520 They set out and as they were sailing, he fell asleep. 169 00:10:57,240 --> 00:10:59,800 Then a fierce windstorm came down on the lake and they were 170 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:02,440 being swamped and were in danger. 171 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:08,000 So Jesus and his disciples, it says we're out on a lake. 172 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:10,160 What lake were down? They were on the Sea of Galilee. 173 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:12,560 I'm going to throw a picture up there on the screen behind us 174 00:11:12,560 --> 00:11:16,000 just so you can kind of get a picture of the Sea of Galilee. 175 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:21,000 It's a geography. It's 21 kilometers longish. 176 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:25,440 It's about 13 kilometers wide. So it's a Big Lake. 177 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,000 But for those of us who live in southwestern Ontario, not a Big 178 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:30,240 Lake, right? We're used to much, much bigger 179 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:31,840 lakes. But this is still a large lake. 180 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:34,000 It's surrounded, as you can see here. 181 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:37,560 It's kind of a bowl. If you can see on the map around 182 00:11:37,560 --> 00:11:42,800 it, the topography that the the sides of the lake go up steeply 183 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:44,960 and quickly around it. Some of you have been blessed 184 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:48,720 enough to be in Israel to see it and to see how the lake kind of 185 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:52,200 sits down in this bowl. And so they're up in kind of the 186 00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:55,760 northern part, just north, northwest and Capernaum. 187 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:59,760 And they're going to head across the lake east to the story part 188 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:01,520 that we're going to be in the area that we're going to be in 189 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:04,080 next week in our story. But they're heading towards the 190 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:07,760 Gargessa, which is right there on the right hand side on the 191 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:11,920 border of modern day Syria. That's where that sits, just so 192 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:16,200 you can kind of place yourself there because of the topography, 193 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:19,760 because of the way in the geography, that of the Sea of 194 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:21,440 Galilee and the way that it sets. 195 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:25,880 Storms can come up really quickly because wind can come 196 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:30,320 down through the River Valley, through that Upper Jordan River 197 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:34,200 and come and it brings cool air down and it just stirs 198 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:37,920 everything up as the cool air hits the water. 199 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:42,800 And actually, in 1992, I was reading this this week, there 200 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:47,200 was a storm, maybe like the storm that the disciples 201 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:50,800 experienced, where all of a sudden out of the blue, the sea 202 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:57,480 generated 10 foot waves that just crashed into the port in in 203 00:12:57,600 --> 00:13:00,760 the city of Tiberius, causing a huge amount of damage. 204 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:06,400 And so this is a reality on that lake when it says a fierce 205 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:10,320 windstorm came down on the lake and all of a sudden they're in 206 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:16,720 this boat and it is being swamped and they're in huge 207 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:21,840 danger. Now, think back, we've just read 208 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:27,400 through the passage. How did the Israelites there, 209 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:30,120 how did the disciples, they were Israelites, by the way. 210 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:34,440 How did the disciples find themselves in this danger? 211 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:38,360 How did they end up in this situation where they were on a 212 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:46,120 boat that was about to go down anybody because Jesus told him 213 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:50,000 to go there? They ended up in the storm 214 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:53,520 because of Jesus. And I think this is really 215 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:56,200 important. It was actually by following 216 00:13:56,200 --> 00:14:00,040 Jesus's lead in instructions that these guys find themselves 217 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:04,360 in this predicament. It says Jesus told them, let's 218 00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:06,480 crossover to the other side of the lake. 219 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:10,240 Great, let's go do that. And they say, yes, Jesus. 220 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:14,960 So they set out. The first thing that we need to 221 00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:18,360 see when we look at this passage, when we look at this 222 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:21,960 story is obeying Jesus won't keep you from experiencing 223 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:26,120 storms. I just think this is so 224 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:31,320 important that following Jesus is is not going to keep storms 225 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:37,400 from hitting your life. If you think, well, as long as 226 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:42,280 I'm following Jesus, as long as I'm doing what Jesus asked me to 227 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:47,560 do, life should be calm seas and blue skies. 228 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:51,320 You're going to find yourself in a spot where you're going to be 229 00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:59,040 so disillusion, so disappointed, because that's just not what 230 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:06,240 life with Jesus looks like. Now, Are there times where we 231 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:09,800 find ourselves in the storms of our own making? 232 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:15,800 100%, absolutely. We do a lot of really dumb 233 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:18,840 things that bring storms on us. All of us do. 234 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:22,600 We do it where there's a lot of times where we find ourselves in 235 00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:27,000 a storm because we ignore the words of Jesus, because we 236 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:32,520 ignore his commands, because we refuse the leading of the Holy 237 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:37,880 Spirit in our life. It it's never wrong when you're 238 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:42,560 in a storm to to take the moment to do a little introspection and 239 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:46,040 say, how did I end up in this storm? 240 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:50,080 Was this a me ignoring Jesus or is this a me following Jesus 241 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:56,240 storm? But you can't assume that 242 00:15:56,240 --> 00:16:02,240 because life got hard or things got difficult because you find 243 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:08,560 yourself in the middle of a storm right now, that either you 244 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:13,760 misheard Jesus or Jesus got it wrong and didn't live up to his 245 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:16,240 end of the bargain. Because there is no bargain that 246 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:18,360 says follow me and life gets easy. 247 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:25,600 If you assume that following Jesus guarantees a smooth ride, 248 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:28,880 then one of two things is going to take place in your life. 249 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:33,440 The 1st is you could end up in a spot like I just said, where you 250 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:38,280 just assume, you know, you must have messed up Jesus's 251 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:42,480 instructions along the way. You must have misheard him. 252 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:45,720 You must not be doing what he wants you to do. 253 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:48,960 And you take guilt and shame and blame on you that you shouldn't 254 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:51,640 take. You start to think you're being 255 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:56,160 punished. The second thing is that going 256 00:16:56,160 --> 00:17:00,600 to happen is you assume that God got it wrong. 257 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:04,480 But Jesus, Jesus, how could you do this? 258 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:07,319 You called me into this and this is what happens. 259 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:09,599 You really messed this one up, Jesus. 260 00:17:11,839 --> 00:17:17,240 But sometimes obedience is exactly what leads you into the 261 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:21,240 middle of the storm. And Jesus didn't get it wrong. 262 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:25,160 And you didn't get it wrong because that's what happened 263 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:27,319 here. The disciples, by doing exactly 264 00:17:27,319 --> 00:17:30,200 what Jesus had told them to do, have found themselves in a 265 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:34,360 hugely dangerous, difficult, scary position. 266 00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:38,520 Their boat, and some of you feel this right now, this is what 267 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:42,320 your life feels like. Their boat feels like it's going 268 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:45,640 down. So what are they going to do? 269 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:54,480 Verse 24, they came and they woke him up saying, master, 270 00:17:54,480 --> 00:18:01,640 master, we're going to die. So I would say this to you, if 271 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:03,600 you're in the storm, run to Jesus. 272 00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:06,920 If you're in the storm, run to Jesus. 273 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:13,720 I said that storms reveal, One of the things that storms reveal 274 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:19,440 is just how vulnerable and weak and small every single one of us 275 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:24,920 is. Listen, there's at least four 276 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:31,720 guys in this boat who are professional fishermen who have 277 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:36,240 grown up, spent their whole lives on this body of water. 278 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:42,760 They would have had zero fear heading out onto the lake that 279 00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:50,800 day until the moment where they got hit in the face with the 280 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:59,120 reality that they can't control or tame this lake, that the 281 00:18:59,120 --> 00:19:06,320 storm is so much bigger than them before running to Jesus. 282 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:11,440 What seems evident in both the text and what you can imagine 283 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:16,160 happening is I'm sure that they would have done everything in 284 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:19,320 their power to try and solve the situation. 285 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:21,280 Again, they they knew what they were doing out there. 286 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:25,640 They felt like they had some modicum of skill to be able to 287 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:31,200 navigate this, and it wasn't until they were at their wit's 288 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:34,680 end that they came running to Jesus. 289 00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:38,680 Because they say master, Master, not hey, we're having a little 290 00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:42,000 problem here. Hey, you think you could help us 291 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:43,400 out with it? No, Master. 292 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:46,240 Master, you better wake up because you're going to die. 293 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:47,520 We're going to die. We're all dead. 294 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:52,960 That was the message. We are out of solutions. 295 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:57,200 The only hope left is that Jesus, you could do something 296 00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:01,440 that we couldn't figure out. Now how often? 297 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:06,560 Do we find ourselves in situations where we try and 298 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:09,920 manage the situation, control the situation, apply our skill 299 00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:15,080 to the situation, do everything we can on our own until there's 300 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:19,440 nothing left for us to do, And then we throw up our last minute 301 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:23,560 prayer and hope that Jesus may be like, I don't have a lot of 302 00:20:23,560 --> 00:20:25,640 faith because if I couldn't figure it out, you probably 303 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:27,360 can't either. But maybe you could jump in, 304 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:32,160 right? Some of you today you're in 305 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:35,280 storm management mode, like the disciples were there for a 306 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:39,400 while. You're trying to navigate it. 307 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:43,040 You know, I think I've kind of I've lived enough life, I should 308 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:48,240 be able to handle this. You're you're calling on your 309 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:50,480 friends. You know, it's getting tricky 310 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:53,480 here. Could use some help guys. 311 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:59,640 So calling them to assist you act like you're worry can steal 312 00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:01,440 the waves. You ever done that? 313 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:05,080 Maybe if I just stay up all night thinking about the same 314 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:07,160 thing over and over again, that'll fix it. 315 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:11,680 It's worked so well in the past that maybe my worry will really 316 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:17,920 work this time. You try and self medicate the 317 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:20,960 storms away. She's asleep and maybe I maybe 318 00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:23,240 the goal is to just sleep through this thing and hope we 319 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:30,560 get out the other side. You just act by as if your own 320 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:35,240 effort and your own skill, you will be able to calm the waves 321 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:38,640 and navigate the storm. And here's what I think Jesus. 322 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:45,200 Jesus says run to me. Run to don't leave him as the 323 00:21:46,120 --> 00:21:48,960 desperation moment of last resort. 324 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:53,000 Because look at what happens when the disciples finally get 325 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:54,720 to the point where they wake Jesus up. 326 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:59,480 It says he got up, rebuked the winds and the raging waves, and 327 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:01,160 so they ceased and there was a calm. 328 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:05,920 The storm came to an end. If you are in a storm right now, 329 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:09,480 run to Jesus. Not when you've exhausted 330 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:12,160 yourself or exhausted your options. 331 00:22:13,120 --> 00:22:19,400 Call out to him now. Then he says this to them. 332 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:27,400 Where's your faith now? There's something before we dive 333 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:30,160 into what Jesus says there that I want you to notice in terms of 334 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:33,600 the ordering of how Jesus does this, because I think this is 335 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:35,600 important. It's it was important for me 336 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:40,120 this week. Jesus calms the storm before he 337 00:22:40,120 --> 00:22:42,200 calls out the deficiency in their faith. 338 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:48,440 What I love about Jesus is he's kind before he's corrective 339 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:54,400 because I'm not always that way. I don't know about you, but I, I 340 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:57,760 could do to be a little bit more like Jesus in this. 341 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:02,120 I think there's a lesson in this for a lot of especially probably 342 00:23:02,120 --> 00:23:08,320 for a lot of us who are parents on how we love our kids, how we 343 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:11,520 love people in the midst of the storm. 344 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:17,160 Let's let's walk with people in the midst of the storm before we 345 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:21,480 try and point out the deficiencies, OK? 346 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:27,800 But at the end of the day, this will be a message for some of 347 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:30,000 the rest of you who just want to do The Walking part. 348 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:36,160 Loving people requires more than helping them just manage their 349 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:40,640 way through the storm. It requires confronting them 350 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:45,640 about the object and the reality of their faith, he says. 351 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:52,240 Guys, where is your faith? Because storms reveal the depth 352 00:23:52,240 --> 00:24:01,040 of our faith, fear is a natural protective response. 353 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:04,120 It's a God-given gift. Like if you are in the mountains 354 00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:10,960 of BC or Alberta and you are walking on a path or a trail and 355 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:17,640 all of a sudden it's you and a grizzly bear, it is right and 356 00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:21,280 proper to get away from the grizzly bear. 357 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:25,880 That is a good move. It is not a good move to be one 358 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:28,800 of the six to seven percent of American males who think they 359 00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:31,400 could take a grizzly bear on in a fight bare handed. 360 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:38,360 OK, I'm I am hopeful that in the reality of the moment when that 361 00:24:38,360 --> 00:24:42,960 takes place, that number goes down to like 0.60 point 7% of 362 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:44,160 men. I'm hopeful. 363 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:51,720 Not convinced, but hopeful. Some of us do. 364 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:55,640 We have an irrational level of self-confidence. 365 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:57,160 That's what we talked about in our home. 366 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:06,040 And sometimes the mercy of God, the grace of God, is he puts us 367 00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:14,040 into storms that we can't handle to humble us and help us, help 368 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:17,880 show us how small we are, how incapable we are. 369 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:25,840 The problem that Jesus had with the disciples is not that they 370 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:28,840 believed the storm was too big for them to handle. 371 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:33,200 It was too big for them. It's not, that's not Jesus's 372 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:37,280 issue here. It's that they were worried that 373 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:41,360 the storm was too big for him to handle, and so they thought they 374 00:25:41,360 --> 00:25:46,560 were all going to die. I mean, it's easy to trust Jesus 375 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:52,600 on those beautiful days where life is calm and everything is 376 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:55,720 going great and everything is going well and everything is 377 00:25:55,720 --> 00:26:02,440 coming up roses. The wind is gentle, the seas 378 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:04,600 like. I love those days. 379 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:08,400 I hope, I hope you have many of those days. 380 00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:14,160 The question is though, when the storm comes up, how do you who's 381 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:18,680 Jesus to you, not on the on the beautiful days, but who is Jesus 382 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:23,880 to you on the stormy days? See our response in those 383 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:25,480 moments in the midst of the storm. 384 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:30,440 Those are what reveal what we truly, honestly in the depths of 385 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:35,440 our being believe about Jesus, not the nice words we can utter 386 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:41,360 when everything is going well. So if you had asked Jesus, if 387 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:45,360 you, if you had asked the disciples when they were just 388 00:26:45,360 --> 00:26:47,600 getting ready to go on the boat and it was nice day and they 389 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:51,400 say, hey, guys, just a question. Do you think Jesus could raise 390 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:55,160 somebody from the dead? Well, they've already seen him 391 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:59,920 do it. So they say, of course Jesus can 392 00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:05,240 raise somebody from the dead. Then why are they so worried 393 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:06,560 when they think they're going to die? 394 00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:11,800 Because it wasn't their lives on the line then, was it? 395 00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:18,200 It was all hypothetical and theoretical storms force us to 396 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:22,120 reckon with what we believe. Deep down on the inside. 397 00:27:22,120 --> 00:27:27,880 When everything is on the line about Jesus, do we really 398 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:33,280 believe that He is good? When nothing good seems to be 399 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:40,200 going on in our lives, do I really believe that Jesus can be 400 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:44,600 trusted? When the rain and the and the 401 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:48,240 wind is blowing so hard that I can't even see the hand in front 402 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:55,400 of my face to try and navigate out of this, do I really believe 403 00:27:55,400 --> 00:28:01,520 that he will provide when the bank account is at 0 and the 404 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:06,920 bills are coming due to keep a roof over my head or food on my 405 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:12,960 table? Do I really believe that Jesus 406 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:14,880 is the one who has conquered death? 407 00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:16,760 When I'm staring death in the face? 408 00:28:19,360 --> 00:28:22,320 Do I believe that the Jesus who's in the boat with me is 409 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:25,440 more powerful than the storm that is overtaking me? 410 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:30,320 Do I really believe that the Jesus who's in the boat with me 411 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:32,480 won't get out of the boat when the storm comes? 412 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:39,000 I said earlier, if you assume that following Jesus will be a 413 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:44,160 smooth ride, then when life inevitably gets hard, you're 414 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:47,640 either going to feel like you've messed it up or Jesus has. 415 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:53,640 But the reality is that Jesus often leads us into the storms 416 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:59,240 in order to build our faith. It's when you're put through the 417 00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:03,800 Crucible of having to actually step out onto the things that 418 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:06,800 you say. You believe when when everything 419 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:09,680 is going well, that your faith gets solidified. 420 00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:13,800 It gets solid. That's what the result was for 421 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:18,120 the disciples that day because it revealed some things about 422 00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:20,760 the disciples, but it also revealed some things to the 423 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:25,480 disciples about who Jesus really was, right? 424 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:29,600 And it says they were fearful and amazed, asking one another, 425 00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:34,040 who then is this? He commands even the winds and 426 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:36,520 the waves, and they obey him. And just a moment ago they were 427 00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:42,680 terrified of the storm. Now they're like, man, we were 428 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:45,520 scared of the storm. Jesus way scarier than the 429 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:50,120 storm, it says. It says they were fearful and 430 00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:53,200 amazed because they saw one who was bigger than the storm. 431 00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:58,080 I mean, in the storm they were in, it was a big one. 432 00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:03,280 Again, they were experienced guys out on on, on a boat. 433 00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:06,800 They know what a bad storm. They know when their boats about 434 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:11,120 to go under. But now they understood it 435 00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:18,920 wasn't just them in the storm. They had the creator of the wind 436 00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:23,240 and the waves in the boat with them, and they saw it in a way 437 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:26,040 they hadn't been able to see it before with all the amazing 438 00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:29,880 things they had seen Jesus do. This built their faith again. 439 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:35,160 Oswald Chambers says that the remarkable thing about fearing 440 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:38,800 God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else. 441 00:30:41,160 --> 00:30:45,920 When, when you actually see God for how big he is, nothing's 442 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:49,560 bigger than him. Nothing's more powerful than 443 00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:52,040 him. You realize, hey, I really, if 444 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:53,680 I'm with him, I got nothing to fear. 445 00:30:53,680 --> 00:31:00,960 If I'm not with him, I got some problems, you know, as as devout 446 00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:04,280 Jews, these guys would have known the Old Testament. 447 00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:06,960 They would have known the Psalms very well. 448 00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:10,400 And I'm sure in this moment at least one of them had this 449 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:12,560 Psalm. Psalm one, O 7, This section of 450 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:16,800 the Psalm come to mind. So what the psalmist writes here 451 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:22,760 and put it up on the screen. Then they cried out to the Lord 452 00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:25,920 in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. 453 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:29,600 He stilled the storm to a whisper. 454 00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:32,960 The waves of the sea were hushed. 455 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:36,280 They rejoiced when the waves grew quiet. 456 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:39,000 Then he guided them to the harbor. 457 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:47,280 They longed for this man who they called Teacher, who they 458 00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:52,200 called Master, the one who just minutes ago was asleep. 459 00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:58,120 Because he is in fact man. He was human, was not simply 460 00:31:58,120 --> 00:31:59,840 human. He was no mere man. 461 00:32:01,280 --> 00:32:04,760 He's Lord over the storm. He's ruler over all things. 462 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:12,880 He is God. There is no storm that he can't 463 00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:19,600 come. There is no crisis that is too 464 00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:28,200 big for Jesus to handle because there is no inch, no centimeter, 465 00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:35,040 no millimeter in all of creation over which he does not rule and 466 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:40,960 reign. He's the Lord over the storm. 467 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:46,640 He's the ruler over all things. And what was true of Jesus in 468 00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:50,480 that moment, in that day on the boat with those disciples is 469 00:32:50,480 --> 00:32:54,520 true for us today as well, because Jesus is the Lord over 470 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:59,840 your storm. So let me ask you, what storm 471 00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:05,920 are you in right now? Maybe it's a marriage that feels 472 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:14,120 like it is taken on water. Maybe it's the storm of a 473 00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:16,640 diagnosis that's come out of nowhere. 474 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:23,800 I know for many of you have talked to you and I know the 475 00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:26,760 pain of this, that you've experienced this. 476 00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:28,760 Maybe the storm of a prodigal child. 477 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:36,480 Maybe it's the storm of financial pressure, that anxiety 478 00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:39,160 that just won't let you sleep at night. 479 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:45,080 Maybe you got a storm of just a in your business and your work, 480 00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:49,960 a leadership burden that just feels too heavy for you to be 481 00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:55,880 able to carry. And some of you right now, man, 482 00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:58,320 you're bailing water as fast as you can. 483 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:07,120 You are working to try and keep that boat afloat with all of 484 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:14,840 your might. You are so exhausted trying to 485 00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:21,080 keep this boat upright. And Jesus question to you, I 486 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:24,400 think would be the same as his question to his disciples and 487 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:27,360 them of us. Where's your faith? 488 00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:33,360 What are you going to trust? It's. 489 00:34:33,760 --> 00:34:35,440 It's not. Did you know Jesus did not ask 490 00:34:35,440 --> 00:34:37,159 the question? Do you feel calm? 491 00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:40,639 No. Storms are scary. 492 00:34:40,639 --> 00:34:43,800 We don't feel calm. He doesn't. 493 00:34:43,920 --> 00:34:45,719 He doesn't say. Do you have it all figured out? 494 00:34:45,719 --> 00:34:47,480 No. They didn't have it all figured 495 00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:48,880 out. There's no one to do. 496 00:34:50,719 --> 00:34:53,360 He doesn't even ask them. Have you stopped being afraid 497 00:34:53,679 --> 00:34:55,159 now that the water is clear? You all. 498 00:34:55,159 --> 00:34:57,040 You all stop being afraid. No. 499 00:34:57,840 --> 00:34:59,200 Where's your faith? What do you where? 500 00:34:59,560 --> 00:35:02,080 Where is your faith anchored this morning? 501 00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:10,080 Is it anchored in your ability or your plan, your skill, your 502 00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:15,680 wisdom, your reputation, your emotional strength to get you 503 00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:19,960 through? Or is it anchored in the one who 504 00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:29,600 speaks in the winds and the waves Obey you? 505 00:35:29,640 --> 00:35:31,480 You don't. I just want to let you know you 506 00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:36,160 don't need perfect faith. You just need to have faith in 507 00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:42,080 the one who's perfect. A small grip on a strong Savior 508 00:35:42,080 --> 00:35:44,800 is better than a strong grip on yourself. 509 00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:52,160 Jesus is inviting you to come and to see Him today, to see him 510 00:35:52,160 --> 00:35:56,520 for who He actually is, the Lord over your storm, to rest in Him 511 00:35:56,520 --> 00:36:00,440 today. If you've never trusted in Jesus 512 00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:03,840 as the ultimate object of your faith, if your faith is resting 513 00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:09,400 in anything other than Jesus, as the one who can truly save you 514 00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:17,080 not only from your storms but from your sins, today's the day. 515 00:36:17,080 --> 00:36:23,440 Call out to Him, confess your sin, trust in his death on the 516 00:36:23,440 --> 00:36:27,720 cross for your sins and His resurrection power to grant you 517 00:36:27,720 --> 00:36:30,680 new life. Surrender your life to Him like 518 00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:34,280 like the three gentlemen who were baptized this morning have 519 00:36:34,280 --> 00:36:37,320 done, and confess their the reality that's taking place in 520 00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:38,800 their life. You can join them. 521 00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:40,720 It's open and available to anybody. 522 00:36:42,160 --> 00:36:46,600 You can't control the storm of sin and death. 523 00:36:46,600 --> 00:36:48,480 Good news, Jesus already overcame it. 524 00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:58,080 If you belong to him, stop trying to try harder. 525 00:36:59,880 --> 00:37:04,560 Stop acting like your worry is going to keep you afloat. 526 00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:09,360 Stop acting like you're alone in the boat with nobody who can 527 00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:13,240 help you. Instead, turn to him. 528 00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:20,160 Cry out to Him. Run to Him, and even if the 529 00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:26,320 storm doesn't immediately cease, you can be calm because he's in 530 00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:30,160 control. See Following Jesus. 531 00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:37,040 It doesn't prevent storms, but it does mean that the Lord of 532 00:37:37,040 --> 00:37:40,320 the storm is in the boat with you through all the storms. 533 00:37:43,440 --> 00:37:47,800 And if the Lord of the storm is in your boat, just as the 534 00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:54,640 psalmist was able to say and to cry out, you can be certain that 535 00:37:54,640 --> 00:37:58,400 he will ultimately lead your boat to safe harbor. 536 00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:14,010 Let's pray God, I have no idea the storms that are represented 537 00:38:14,010 --> 00:38:16,330 by those who are hearing this today. 538 00:38:16,330 --> 00:38:26,720 I have no idea the depth, the severity, the strength, but you 539 00:38:26,720 --> 00:38:30,520 know, you know every single individual who is here today, 540 00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:33,560 who is watching online, You know everyone who will ever hear this 541 00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:41,040 message, You know their storms, you're bigger than their storms. 542 00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:47,720 You love them. You want them to call out to 543 00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:52,960 you. I'm praying that you would grow 544 00:38:52,960 --> 00:38:56,280 our faith. Help us to see you more clearly. 545 00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:02,080 Help us to see you as not just Lord of storms, but Lord of our 546 00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:11,240 storm today so that we could rest even in the midst of all of 547 00:39:11,240 --> 00:39:13,400 the chaos that is going on around us. 548 00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:16,640 We could rest knowing that the boat that we're in with you 549 00:39:17,800 --> 00:39:23,800 safe, and we could rest knowing that no matter what happens, 550 00:39:25,520 --> 00:39:29,240 you're going to see us through to safe harbor because that's 551 00:39:29,240 --> 00:39:32,360 what you do. Whether that safe harbor is 552 00:39:33,080 --> 00:39:37,240 going to come immediately or whether that safe harbor rests 553 00:39:37,240 --> 00:39:43,280 for us on the other side of whatever life brings, help us to 554 00:39:43,320 --> 00:39:45,280 anchor our hearts ourselves to you. 555 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:47,920 Help us to place our faith in you. 556 00:39:47,960 --> 00:39:49,960 I pray in Jesus name, Amen.