The Lake Effect – Week 2 – Weather the Storms
Series Big Idea: Much of Jesus’ ministry before his crucifixion and resurrection took place on the shores of Lake Gennesaret,
also known as the Sea of Galilee. In this series, we’ll look at several key encounters between Christ and His followers during
His “ministry years” that show us what Jesus was about and what He intended a relationship with Him to look like. We’ll help
people encounter Jesus and challenge one another to respond to Him the way He wants us to.
Message Big Idea: The Jesus who calls us to follow Him with our whole lives is also the Jesus who can help us face any and
every storm that comes our way.
Scripture: Mark 4:35-41
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Introduction: Storms
This spring and summer we have had the craziest weather in Chicago, really across the United States.
Loud thunder, heavy downpours. Just feels like we re having daily storms. Its gotten to the point where it
feels like enough is enough. How many storms can we handle? Today we’re going to talk about storms,
and as you can probably guess, the storms we’re going to talk aren’t weather related but we definitely can
feel like enough is enough. Storms, unwanted storms, have a way of coming to every life. They rock us,
they fill us with fear, they threaten destruction.
A number of years ago, a book called (picture of book) Adversity Quotient presented research on why
certain people succeed when almost everybody else in the same situation failed. They looked at everthing
from
 entrepreneurs who made it big when all the others got crushed,
 to kids from gang dominated neighborhoods who rose above when almost all their peers got
dragged down into it,
 to mountainclimbers who kept on going when others turned back and gave up.
The conclusion they came to is that the most important factor in achieving success in life is not how smart
you are or what specialized skills you have or even how strong your relationships are. The most
influential thing is how you deal with adversity, how you weather the storms. Because the storms are
going to come, and how we weather them will shape our lives.
Series Recap
Today we are continuing our series “The Lake Effect.” Much of Jesus’ ministry before his crucifixion and
resurrection took place on the shores of Lake Gennesaret, also known as the Sea of Galilee. In this series,
we’re looking at several key encounters Jesus had with his followers to see what we can learn about our
own relationship with him. And in today’s story, Jesus’ disciples find themselves in the middle of a storm.
Word: 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
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terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark
4:35-41)
Mark describes this storm as a “furious squall” which means it wasn’t just heavy rain and high winds.
How many saw that George Clooney movie “The Perfect Storm?” This storm was more like the perfect
storm than any summer thunderstorm. Remember, some of Jesus’ first followers were experienced
sailors, they’d seen storms before, but this one was more than any of them could handle.
Those kinds of storms come into our lives, don’t they? Storms we’re not quite ready to handle.
A decade or so ago I went through what I look back on as a perfect storm. My personal life, my
professional life; it all crashed together into the hardest time of my life. Honestly, it was more
than I could handle.
We all are faced with storms that threaten to tear us apart.
 Maybe you love somebody, and they die.
 Maybe somebody you love hurts you, and the relationship dies.
 Maybe you get the news from the doctor, and you’re left reeling.
 Maybe you get the call from the school or the police that is every parent’s worst nightmare.
 It could be some financial storm and you wonder how you’ll ever get through it.
 Or maybe it’s a storm that you’ve had to deal with daily now for years, and there’s no relief in
sight?
Through this story we hope to learn how God wants to help us weather the storms, because the storms
are going to come. And I think weathering the storms has so much to do with the questions that are asked
in this story. So let’s take a closer look at those four questions.
Question #1
The first question is one the disciples ask: (On Screen: Mark 4:38) They say to Jesus, “Don’t you care?”
Sounds like they’re doubting Jesus’ concern for them, doesn’t it? Well it sounds that way because it was
that way! It’s not hard to imagine why either: the boat is sinking and Jesus is sleeping through it in the
back!
When my daughter Bailey was little we went to the 4th of July fireworks. She was so excited! All day long
she talked about it. We were at a party and she had no nap… just running around non-stop. We got to the
fireworks, worked our way to a great seat and ten minutes before the fireworks started she climbed up
into my lap and fell asleep. The fireworks started and she never moved. LOUD booming fireworks right by
us. She never woke up until the next morning. And then she was mad at me for not letting her see the
fireworks.
I don’t know if Jesus was just a very deep sleeper, but his disciples are panicking and he’s snoring away in
the stern. No wonder they ask him, “Don’t you care?”
When storms come into our lives, that’s a question we often find ourselves asking. It’s one thing to
believe here (head) that God really cares, but to believe it here (heart), especially in the middle of a storm,
that can be a bit more challenging. I think maybe on some level we tend to think that if we’re following
God, if we’ve said “yes” to being a Christ-follower, that God should not allow certain storms to come our
way. But Jesus was straight-up with us. He says to his followers,
“In this world, you will have many troubles.” (John 16:33)
Jesus said there’d be storms. And when the storms come, some times the longest trip we ever take is from
“I know” (point to head) to “I know” (point to heart), ya know?
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But here’s something I love about the disciples’ question…it’s OK to be honest with God. I don’t picture
the disciples casually asking Jesus, “Don’t you care?” they cried out to Him. This concept of “crying out to
God” comes up over and over again in Scripture.
(On Screen: Psalm 18:6a; Psalm 88:1-2; Psalm 130:1-2)
In the book of Psalms alone, you’ll find references to “crying out to God” over 50 times. In the storms, it’s
not only OK to cry out to God with whatever you’re feeling, it’s important to. I mean think about it: part of
having a close relationship with anybody is sharing with them what you’re feeling, right? Why should a
relationship with God be any different? That’s what the first Christ-followers did, and that’s what we can
do. Cry out to him with whatever questions and doubts and misgivings you have. He can handle it. It’s
what his followers do. It’s part of learning to weather the storms.
Question #2
So the disciples cry out to Jesus, Jesus wakes up, he speaks just a few words, and the wind and the waves
are gone. Jesus takes care of this particular storm with just a few words. Now, I know we all wish that that
was God’s pattern for weathering storms: “Just cry out to God, he’ll do a miracle, and then it’s all good.”
We wish it was that way every time, but we know it’s not. Even for the disciples in this situation, Jesus
calming the storm wasn’t the end of the process. Jesus doesn’t leave it there. After he calms the storm, he
asks them the second question for storm-weathering:
(On Screen: He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid?” Mark 4:40) “Why are you so afraid?”
When we hear that question, maybe we assume that Jesus is telling them they shouldn’t be afraid, but
that’s not what’s going on. When he asks “Why are you so afraid?” he’s trying to help them see something.
Like we said, some of the disciples had spent their whole lives on this lake. They had weathered all kinds
of storms before on their own. And truth is, that’s why they were so rattled by this storm. Before Jesus
calmed the storm, I’m sure they’d done everything in their power to deal with it, and it just wasn’t
enough. They were used to handling storms themselves, but this was one they just couldn’t handle on
their own.
We’re so much like them, aren’t we? When the storms hit, we do what comes naturally: we try to take
care of it ourselves, fix it ourselves, weather it on our own. We try to handle everything ourselves because
after all we’re a self-help culture, aren’t we? In the storm in my life that I described before, I realized
very quickly that I couldn’t take care of it myself. When it comes to the really big storms of life, selfhelp is an oxymoron, it’s a contradiction of terms. Self can’t help.
Self may have some suggestions,
self may have some ideas, but self can’t really help. I needed some other kind of help.
Self is unreliable.
Self is undependable.
Self can’t get it done. Self can say “try harder” or self can say “work or drink or shop to dull the pain”
Self has all sorts of brilliant ideas, but self can’t help.
No, when it really counts, self can’t help.
As simple as it may sound, for me, this has been key in facing the storms that have come my way. When
the storms come, I need to place my hope and trust and confidence somewhere other than self. Maybe
what God’s been saying to you through your anxiety and turmoil amidst your storms is what he’s been
saying to me: “The more you look to your self, the worse the storm are gonna rock you. You need to look
to me because I’m the one that can get you through this.”
One of the greatest things God is trying to do in our lives is strip us of our dependency on self. He’s trying
to teach all of us to trust ultimately, only in Him. Maybe you’re thinking, “Well, gee thanks; but how do I
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learn to trust God more and me less?” Well, I’m glad you asked me that, because that brings us to question
#3.
Question #3
Next Jesus asks them, “Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40)
Again, this may seem like a kind of a scolding question, but it’s really not. He was trying to remind them of
why they could trust him in the storm, why they could have faith. Even though this storm comes fairly
early in their experience of Jesus, they had already seen Jesus do so much.
They had seen him heal diseases, they’d seen him cast out demons, they had seen him battle the forces of
darkness like no one else could. But when the storm came, it was like they forgot all they’d already
experienced. So when Jesus said to them, “Do you still have no faith?” he wasn’t busting them out so much
as he was trying to get them to think of all the reasons they already had to have faith and confidence that
he would come through.
This is soooo key to weathering storms. Another word that’s just all over the place in the book of Psalms
is the word “remember.” (On Screen: Psalm 77:11-12; Psalm 105:5; Psalm 143:5) “Remember” means to
intentionally bring to mind and dwell on what God has already done for us. When the storms rage, we can
gain confidence in God by intentionally remembering the other storms he’s brought us through.
If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s worrying. I’m great at it. I’m practically a professional.
Just a couple of weeks ago I woke up in the middle of the night and my mind went to a very real
storm that I am facing in my work. Decisions that need to be made, financial risks; I looked to the
not so distant future and found myself afraid.
In those moments, it’s as if my mind is telling me: “I think this is it. You’ve been through some tough
times, but THIS is the one that’s gonna do you in. I don’t think there’s ANY way you’ll ever survive this.” In
the middle of the storm, it’s like I forget that even though God has brought me through all kinds of stuff in
my life, he’s not going to bring me through this.
Right now, right where you sit, think about the times in your life when you thought you were sunk; when
it felt like there was no hope for you, no way out, yet somehow God made a way. Maybe He got you out of
that storm dramatically, but more likely he mainly just got you through it. Either way, when you look
back on it, you know it was him who got you through that storm.
When the winds blow, the waters rise, and it seems like the boat is going to sink with us in it; we can
weather the storm by hearing God ask us this question: “Do you still have no faith?” He’s calling us to
remember how he’s gotten us through so much before. I know there may be times in your life that you
feel like maybe God wasn’t there for you, it’s ok to feel that way; but remember all that God has brought
you through. He didn’t bring you this far to leave you. And whatever you’re going through today, I’m here
to tell you, God is not going to abandon you in the middle of this storm. He’s been there for you before,
and he’ll be there for you again.
Question #4
The last question for weathering the storms is a question that the disciples asked: (On Screen: Mark 4:41)
“Who is this?”
Notice it says that when they saw him calm the storms and the waves, they were “terrified.” Interesting
word, isn’t it? Doesn’t really leave you with a warm fuzzy, huh? But it doesn’t mean terrified like they
were afraid he was going to hurt them or anything. Terrified is a powerful word for a whole new level of
awe and wonder and wide-eyed worship. Through this storm, they realized they were in the presence of
so much more than a great teacher and healer. Their own Scriptures said,
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“O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up,
you still them.” (Psalm 89:8-9) They knew that the power like this belonged only to God.
In this storm they had to reassess who it was they were really following. It’s as if they didn’t fully
appreciate who he really was. And my hunch is that until we go through certain storms, a lot of us have an
overly “domesticated” view of Jesus. We unintentionally buy into a toned-down, meek and mild Jesus, and
forget who we are really dealing with, who it is that is living and active in our lives. We forget that the
Jesus we speak of could stand up in the back of a boat and just SPEAK a hurricane or a typhoon or a
tornado into submission.
Now, I realize that when we hear this story and see Jesus calm the storm so impressively, so
instantaneously, we wish he would do that in our lives, too. We might say, “If he worked that way in my
life, if he calmed my storms like that, I’d appreciate who he really is, too!”
Well, the truth is, whether our storm is calmed miraculously or not, because he is God, we can already
trust Jesus for what’s most important. In fact, the disciples could have trusted him because he had already
said would happen in their lives. Remember how the story started? (On Screen: Mark 4:35) Jesus said
“Get into the boat and we’ll cross over to the other side of the lake.” Jesus had already told them they
were going to the other side. He didn’t say, ‘’Let’s get in the boat so we can go out in the middle and
drown.” When the storms came, they forgot what he had said. They forgot that he had already told them
they would make it through this.
When we’re weathering the storms of life, that’s what we need to remember. It’s ok to hope and pray for
miracles, but what’s more important is to cling to what God has already said. Because miracle or no
miracle, in whatever storm you are facing, he has promised that one way or another, he’s going to get you
through to the other side.
I love these words from the book of Isaiah. They are words we can all cling to get us through whatever
storms come our way. God says:
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
(Isaiah 43:2)
When miracles come and God intervenes impressively in our lives, it’s a great thing; but the more
important thing is to learn to weather the storms by clinging to what Jesus has already said, already
promised. He will never allow anything to happen that can take us away from him or that with his help
we can’t get through it. Whatever storm you’re facing, he has promised one way or another to get you
through it. The one who has the power to command the very forces of nature can and will get you
through to the other side.
We don’t know how long this story took to happen in real time…from the time the storm blew into their
lives until the time that Jesus calmed the storm and they knew everything was going to be ok. And we
can’t know where we are in the storms of our lives either…how long it will be until God shows us that our
confidence in him to get us through it is well-placed. All I know is that there is one who speaks these
words to your heart of hearts. No matter what you’re going through, “When you go through deep waters
of great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown!”
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“Who is this?” He is God, and he’s with you in the storm.
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