Storms of Life | Andy Elmes | 21st January 2024

Family Church Portsmouth

Ps Andy Speaks about Journeying with God and "getting to the other side". If it's a God journey, if our hearts are set on pilgrimage, we will get to the other side (as Jesus said to His disciples when they all got into a boat). However, there will be storms because if there aren't, it means that we are not moving! Storms imply wind and Ps Andy speaks further about how winds can assist us in our journey, perhaps resist us or even confuse us.

Ps Andy uses the text from Mark 4:35-41 to illustrate his message. The NIV version reads "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!”

God wants us to speak to certain storms in our life. We don't need to wake Him up! He has given us authority to deal with storms that come to resist us. In the Gospel of Mark, the other side of the journey was a man who needed help and when Jesus said let's go to the other side, He had that man in mind. God is many steps ahead of us in our journey. Jesus said that no weapon fashioned against Him could prosper, hence he dealt with the storm.

We are not sitting on the shore, we are in a boat, a moving vehicle with the heart of God. We will get winds of resistance. Hence it's important we know how to stand up and say "cut it out, wind". The Lord said we will get to be other side. The journey can be confusing, but if Jesus is said we will arrive, then we shall arrive!

Andy also speaks of contrary winds and contrary storms which come to confuse us, leaving us somewhere we were not meant to go. We must be led by the spirit in order to make the right decisions. he speaks of where Paul ended up in Malta a result of a broken ship, lost cargo because well informed people would not listen to the Spirit led voice of Paul.

The parallels in our lives with everything said here are all so real. If we are on a God led journey, we will undoubtedly need to deal with winds, storms and the like. Let us know how to!