Before, During & After The Storm

Storms can be terrifying. I do love cozy thunderstorms, but the storms in life I could do without.

Weather storms and life storms come in many forms: rain, thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tsunamis – or a difficult day, heated arguments, situations out of our control, panic attacks, loneliness, grief, addiction, and more. The reality is clear: life brings many storms, and they’re hard to face.

If you grew up in church, you’ve probably read Matthew 14:22-36 – the story of “Jesus Walking on Water”. It’s a popular story amongst kids. The main focus is usually Jesus walking on water. However, I want to shift your focus to the storm that occurs in the story. 

The story provides us with practical tools. We can apply these tools to our lives for the next time we find ourselves in a storm. I’ll be focusing our attention on three areas: before, during, and after the storm. 

(I recommend stopping here and first reading Matthew 14:22-36, then coming back and continuing on. Also, don’t be thrown off, I’ll be going out of order and starting with ‘during’…)

During The Storm – Fear & Faith

Matthew, Mark, and John all write about the experience. They describe that the storm happened in the middle of the night, while they were out on a boat, far from land, a strong wind came, and they were in trouble. Absolutely terrified, they were fighting and rowing hard against the wind and waves all night long.

Most of us haven’t been stuck out on a boat in the middle of the night, but our minds and souls have been. The storm they faced is just like the ones we face in life. 

I’ve experienced many heavy moments fighting the thoughts in my mind. Emotional and mental battles occurring for long periods of time. The waves are large and daunting to fight against. The wind is pulling me in every direction. I’m pulled between confidence and fear. And it feels like I’ve been “rowing hard” for days, trying to find relief. 

Have you been in this type of storm before? It’s okay, me too. 

As the storm was occurring, the disciples were full of fear. But one of them, Peter, saw Jesus and was filled with boldness to step out (literally) in faith. But just after he gained the courage and strength to step out of the boat, he began to sink. 

“But when he [Peter] saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.” – v 30

I can relate so much to Peter during the storm – I begin to sink, immediately after having faith. It’s humbling to admit that in a rough storm, I can be pulled so quickly between confident faith and sinking fear. It makes me feel guilty, to be honest. Am I a strong enough Christian? Why am I struggling so much during this storm? 

But it’s okay – Peter sank, and I do too. All of the disciples experienced fear during the storm, and I do too. Yet, Jesus chose, called, and loved each of them. 

Later on in their lives, Jesus even tells Peter, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” – Matthew 16:18-19

Isn’t it ironic that the disciple who just sank in fear, Jesus is calling him rock? Maybe Jesus was being funny, but He’s also showing that our agency and purpose aren’t dependent on our failures.

Back to the story, how Jesus responds in the moment to Peter’s sinking is so powerful. Jesus speaks in a tone of The Good Shepherd (John 10:11), and he asks Peter, “why did you doubt me?” And then Jesus also says the humbling and truth, “you have so little faith.” (v 31)

I want that to sink in for us readers (pun intended), because it’s the truth. As we face life storms, we need faith. Why do we doubt God?

During The Storm – You’re Never Alone

When we are under stress, studies have shown that the calm and processing part of our brain (the amygdala) shuts off. Our emotional responses then hijack our ability to think rationally. This means we begin to have tunnel vision. We can easily isolate and assume we’re the only person in life experiencing storms. 

But remember, the disciples were all in the same boat, experiencing the same storm. They weren’t alone, even when they were terrified. I encourage you to look next to you, next time you’re in a storm. I promise you’re not alone in the boat.

In the boat is also Jesus. He says in verse 27, “Don’t be afraid, take courage, I am here!” Amongst the community, Jesus is all of our true savior from the storm. 

It’s documented that “about three o’clock in the morning, Jesus came towards them” (v 25). I’m so comforted by the time being shared, because I need Jesus to save me at all hours. 

You might feel alone during the storm, and a friend may not be available, but Jesus always is. 

Before the Storm – Being Led 

The story starts with all the disciples getting into the boat on their way to Gennesaret because Jesus told them to (v 22). It’s written that Jesus actually “insisted” that they get into the boat. I find the word “insisted” to be really important because I wonder if the disciples knew a storm was coming, and that’s why Jesus had to insist. 

There have been many promptings in my heart from the Holy Spirit to do something, go somewhere, say something. And admittedly, I often find myself negotiating with the Holy Spirit, “I’m not getting in the boat, look at the dark clouds, a storm is coming!”  

Jesus’s insistence that the disciples get into the boat also makes me question – if Jesus knew they were going to enter a terrifying storm, why did he send them?

God is all knowing, and we have to surrender to His will. When he prompts us forward, it’s for His glory, our good, and the good of others. We have to trust Him and get into the boat. But that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy. The storm was difficult for the disciples, but God works all things out for our good. 

(spoiler) In the end, after the wind stopped, the disciples grew in faith and worshiped Jesus. I bet if they had the opportunity to go into the storm again, they might be a little hesitant at first, but they’d remember God’s faithfulness. With faith, they’d face the storm again. 

Before the Storm – Praying Alone

After Jesus told the disciples to get into the boat, He went up to a private hillside to pray alone (v 23). Jesus was fully human and also got tired from the day. It’s documented that he often stepped aside alone to pray to God numerous times throughout the day.

I can relate to Jesus because I often find myself running on empty. Usually, when that happens, the storms of life seem even larger. I notice this in myself when I respond to a rain storm as if it were a tsunami. 

Jesus led by example; It’s that private 1-on-1 time with the Lord that grows our relationship with Him, refocuses our attention to Him, His will, and gives us energy to have faith.

My pastor has a phrase he often says, “you need to learn how to swim before the boat sinks”. It’s ironically a perfect phrase for this analogy, because Jesus was prepared before the storm, and therefore didn’t sink during the storm. 

After the Storm – Purpose

My favorite part of the story is what happened after the storm. 

In the story, the main focus that steals our attention is on all the details during the scary storm; Jesus walking on water, Peter attempting to walk on water, Peter sinking and Jesus calming the storm. These are all major details, and important ones, but the story doesn’t end there. The part we often skip over is arguably the main purpose – that when the boat arrived at Gennesaret, Jesus healed the sick.

“When the people recognized Jesus, the news of his arrival spread quickly throughout the whole area, and soon people were bringing all their sick to be healed. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.” (v 36-37)

As I was in the middle of a traumatic storm in my life, I found myself thinking in circles. I was replaying every memory and detail over and over in my mind. Then another storm happened, and the story just got bigger and bigger and became all about the dramatic details. 

A very big storm did occur in my life. However, it had passed. Yet, I was still stuck living in it. I found myself just trying to get through the day. I’d say to God (just like Peter in verse 30), “God, help me!”. I kept telling God about the storm and was expecting Him to fix it. But that’s when the Holy Spirit whispered to me, “It’s not about the storm”. 

Our life stories can also steal our attention, becoming all about the storms. Our focus is pointed towards the big dramatic details: the fear, the arguments, the court case, what he/she said, the trauma, the pain, the divorce, the past. But like the passage’s story, our life story also doesn’t end there.

This is my favorite part of the story, because it’s the bigger picture. Jesus told the disciples to get into the boat because they were on a mission bigger than themselves. They all had a purpose and a future beyond the storm, and that’s true for our lives as well.

Our life isn’t just about the storm. 

Application

I’m now on a personal journey of acceptance. Accepting that life has storms, our hearts experience pain, reality doesn’t match our expectations, and some days are difficult. Jesus confronts this reality in John 16:33, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

There is more to life than the storm. You’ve been chosen to “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!” (Matthew 10:8)

Consider: Am I being asked to get into the boat, but I’m scared? What storm am I going through? Why might Jesus have asked me to go through this storm? What am I terrified of? Am I sinking? Have I leaned on my community during this time? Have I asked God to save, guide, or grow me during this storm? If I shift my focus beyond the storm, what do I see?

Prompts with God: What’s on the other side of this storm? Jesus, how are you going to use this storm for good? God, what do you have planned for my future? Please show me that you’re here with me. Please give me the courage and faith to step into the storm. 

Prayer: God, I surrender my life to you. It doesn’t look like what I expected, and that’s okay, please help me to see past the storm, accept the things I cannot change, and know when to use my agency for you. Amen!