It's not about the storm!

Yesterday I had the joy of teaching through a portion of the gospel of Mark. It's a very familiar passage and we often miss the point that God is making. Here is the passage we worked through and an e-mail dialogue that followed this morning. I hope these thoughts help you as you face your storms,

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 terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"

Mary: I loved your sermon yesterday, but if I understood you correctly, there was one aspect of it that seemed contrary to beliefs I have always held, so I wanted to ask you about it. You seemed to indicate the God sends all the storms into our lives for the purpose of molding our character and teaching us to trust Him. Did I get that wrong?

Mike: Not entirely. What I was trying to communicate is that whether the storm comes from God by his doing OR from the enemy by God’s allowing, the purpose of the storm for God is that we discover him more fully. He doesn’t bring every storm, but sorting out whether it’s from God or the enemy isn’t the main thing. The main thing is that we respond by seeking to trust and know God better through the storm.

Mary: I have always explained away the "bad things happen to good people" occurrences by the fact that we live in a fallen world where we are negatively affected (storms) by sickness, disease and sin that resulted from Adam and Eve's original sin. I thought that most of the storms in our lives resulted from sinful choices that we and others around us make, satanic attacks, or just the decay of a fallen world. I had always thought that God can and does intervene at times to answer the prayers of those who seek Him during the storms; and sometimes chooses not to answer our prayers for intervention because of the greater good that only he can see.

Mike: First of all, in reality, there are no good people (a theology thing here), but to the bigger issue- we focus on the question “Don’t you care?” What I was trying to change yesterday is to a focus on “Who is this?” I wanted to move the discussion away from US to a focus on HIM. Either he is causing the storm or he is allowing the storm, either way he has a goal in mind for the Christian and that is that we know him and trust him more. Through each storm we will grow in faith or grow in bitterness or depression. It will be one or the other. Faith if we look to him, bitterness and depression if we look at us, our poor circumstance, our sad lives and the storms we are in….IF we focus on “Don’t you care?” we will lose faith and become bitter, depressed. IF, instead we focus on who is this that brought this storm, or allowed it, what is he working on in my life? Then, my results will be a larger faith and closer walk with him. When storms come my question is never “Don’t you care?” or “Why are you doing this to me?”, but rather my question focuses on this- “Lord, what are we working on here? What are you doing in my life? How can I know you better through this?” It’s a matter of whether we focus on the Lord or on the storm. The results will be completely different.

Mary: So I guess I have always seen it as: God allows the storms, and is there for us in the midst of them when we call on Him; but not that he "causes" or "brings" all the storms to us. Can you help me reconcile my thinking?

Mike: You know, I honestly don’t always know the source of the storms in my life. Are they from God or the enemy? I’ve found it doesn’t matter. IF God brought it he has something good in mind for me. IF God ALLOWED it he still has something good in mind for me, so the source isn’t my worry. What I must focus on is the one I trust and reply, “Lord, here I am, what would you have me do in this storm? How do you want to reveal yourself to me through this?” And whether from his hand or the enemy God can work because he would never allow something in my life that he didn’t plan to work out for his glory, so the source isn’t my concern, just my response to him. Does that help a little?

Just remember, it's not about the storm, it's all about him.