INTO THE STORM

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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In today’s reading from Matthew chapter eight, we are brought into an encounter with Jesus Christ that carries with it a tremendous amount of information about the character and nature of our Lord. His human and divine natures can be seen working seamlessly as he deals with the dramas associated with his disciples and their reaction to a bit of a storm.

23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 

26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

(Matthew 8:23-27 NIV11)

Other Side

As we pick up our reading in verse 23, let us quickly think back to why they were all getting into a boat and crossing to the other side of the lake. 

The previous few days were huge for Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount, the healing of countless hurting people, driving out evil spirits, and a general lack of sleep led Jesus to ask his friends to take their boat and move to the other side of the lake so they could get a much needed break.  

Humanity

In his weariness, we see the human nature of Jesus of Nazareth on full display. Being fully human, Jesus experienced the full range of emotions, physical needs, and responses to chronic stress. 

Jesus needed a break from the demands of the crowds. He was physically exhausted and in need of real rest. So Jesus did what seemed like the most sensible thing, he turned to his friends, many of whom were life-long professional fishermen on this very lake, and expected them to be mature adults and handle the routine crossing of the lake without his help. 

Dramatic

Storms happen. If it never rained, there would not be water in the lake to sail upon. The storm they encountered was common enough for these veteran fishermen to handle. But as we heard in this encounter, the friends of Jesus reacted poorly to the storm. 

Let’s be clear, this was not their first time on a boat. This was not the first time they had encountered hardship on these waters. However, something in them failed as they faced the trials of the weather that day. 

Instead of working as a team, utilizing their wealth of experience and expertise, they turned to Jesus (a carpenter) and expected him to solve this routine problem. 

More

There is more to their panic, more to their demands upon Jesus than meets the eye. By turning to Jesus and proclaiming this scene to be the end of all of their lives, they were attempting to move the responsibility of action from the expert fishermen onto Jesus. They turned to Jesus because they knew that he was more than a carpenter, more than fully human. 

Divine Nature

As he spoke calm into their storm, Jesus demonstrated his divine nature as he took possession of his true authority over all things. Jesus Christ is fully divine. He is one with the Father and the Spirit, undiminished in his true nature and authority. And so he spoke a word to the storm and put an end to all the drama.  

Results

I love how this encounter comes to a close. At the end of this passage, we hear that the disciples were properly amazed at the demonstration of Jesus’ divine nature and full authority. That is great, but it is not the part I love. 

Imagine the scene. 

•  The disciples were out in the middle of the lake (big, but not that big) when the storm caused them to panic and wake up Jesus and demand action. 
•  Jesus meets their need by calming the storm. 
•  Now the amazed disciples will have to row the boat the rest of the way as there was no wind for their sails. 
•  I wonder how long they rowed that boat (13 guys and two oars) before they began to complain and wish for a little more wind?

Application

Here is my takeaway from this encounter. 

•  Jesus trusted that his friends would use their gifts, talents, and experiences to accomplish his will. When the winds picked up and the thunder started, his friends panicked and pointed at Jesus. 
•  Had the disciples not freaked out, Jesus could have calmed them down and reminded them of their training and allowed them to pilot their vessel to shore safely. This would have brought them a sense of accomplishment and joy as they pulled together and met the challenge of the storm head-on. 
•  In their fright and alarm, the disciples lost sight of who they were, who was on the boat with them, and how the Lord will provide if they just keep moving forward through the storm. 
•  Yes, the disciples witnessed a miracle. That was awesome! But the miracle did not take away their responsibility to press on in the task to which they were called. 

Personally, I want to learn from this encounter and choose to be the kind of man that the Lord can instruct and equip to press on in the calling I have been given. 

I love seeing the miracles of God, but more than that, I love growing in my own spiritual maturity. I see that storms will come and rains will fall, but the Lord is by my side and he is going to help me keep going if I do not panic and freak out. 

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Works at MTN. CHURCH

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

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