Finding God in Life's Storms: Trust and Revelation
Summary
### Summary
Welcome, everyone. It's a joy to be back with you all. I was here last year, and it's always humbling to stand before you, knowing the weight of communicating on behalf of a holy God. It's not about the size of the church but about recognizing when God is doing something unique, as He is here in Alachua. This doesn't happen without God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and also without a great pastor who sacrifices and prays for you. So, let's honor Pastor Jay Marcon for his dedication.
I want to share a bit about myself. I'm from Atlanta, Georgia, and I have a wonderful family. My wife, Becca, and I have been married for 20 years. We have a son, Aiden, who is 21 and studying psychology, and a daughter, Riley, who has severe special needs. Riley's condition has shaped our lives in profound ways, and it has taught us to reconcile the good and the bad, the joy and the pain. This brings us to today's topic: reconciling the goodness of God with the pain and heartache of life.
We will look at Mark 6:45-52, where Jesus walks on water. After feeding the 5,000, Jesus sends His disciples ahead in a boat while He goes up a mountainside to pray. Later, He sees them struggling against the wind and walks on the lake to reach them. They are terrified, thinking He is a ghost, but He reassures them, saying, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." He climbs into the boat, and the wind dies down.
This passage teaches us several things. First, Jesus knows exactly where we are. Just as He saw His disciples struggling, He sees us in our storms. We all face storms in life, and they come in different forms. Some are storms of correction, where our bad choices lead to difficult consequences. Others are storms of perfection, where God uses trials to mature and complete us. And then there are storms that we can't categorize, things that make no sense and leave us questioning why.
In Mark 4, we see another storm where Jesus calms the sea by saying, "Peace, be still." But in Mark 6, He walks on water to reach His disciples. This shows us that Jesus rarely does the same thing twice. There are no formulas with God. He wants us to rely on Him, not on a set of steps or rituals.
I shared a personal story about my daughter, Riley, who didn't speak for the first seven years of her life. One day, while playing PlayStation with her brother, she started making noises. I put a speaking valve on her tracheostomy, and she said, "Mommy." It was a miracle, but it didn't happen in a prayer meeting or a worship service. It happened in an ordinary moment, teaching me that God works in mysterious ways.
Finally, Jesus cares more about our hearts than the storm. In Mark 6:48, it says Jesus was about to pass by His disciples. This phrase is also used in the Old Testament when God passes by Moses to reveal His glory. Jesus wanted to give His disciples a revelation of who He is. Sometimes, the storms we face are the very tools God uses to reveal Himself to us.
So, what do we do with this? We need to remember that Jesus knows where we are, He rarely does the same thing twice, and He cares more about our hearts than the storm. In our pain and suffering, we must cling to the cross and trust that God is using these moments to deepen our relationship with Him.
### Key Takeaways
1. Jesus Knows Where You Are: Just as Jesus saw His disciples struggling against the wind, He sees us in our storms. We serve an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent God who knows exactly where we are. This understanding should bring us comfort, knowing that God is always close to us, even in our pain and suffering. [31:58]
2. There Are No Formulas with God: Jesus rarely does the same thing twice. In Mark 4, He calms the storm with a command, but in Mark 6, He walks on water to reach His disciples. This teaches us that God wants us to rely on Him, not on a set of steps or rituals. Our relationship with God is dynamic and personal, not formulaic. [38:00]
3. Storms of Correction and Perfection: Some storms are a result of our bad choices, while others are used by God to mature and complete us. James 1:2-4 encourages us to consider it pure joy when we face trials because they develop perseverance and maturity. God can handle our anger and frustration, and He uses our pain to deepen our relationship with Him. [24:54]
4. Be Okay with the Mysteries of God: There are storms that we can't categorize or understand. Trying to make sense of them can lead us to manipulate scripture and theology. We must be okay with the mysteries of God, trusting that He knows the beginning from the end. Our finite minds can't grasp His infinite wisdom. [30:42]
5. Jesus Cares More About Your Heart Than the Storm: In Mark 6:48, Jesus was about to pass by His disciples, a phrase also used when God revealed His glory to Moses. This shows that Jesus cares more about revealing Himself to us than calming the storm. Our trials and suffering can be the very tools God uses to give us a deeper revelation of who He is. [46:05]
### Youtube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[10:46] - Recognizing God's Unique Work
[12:17] - Introduction and Family Background
[15:12] - Reconciling Good and Bad
[16:43] - Jesus Walks on Water
[19:10] - Facing Life's Storms
[20:22] - Types of Storms
[24:54] - Storms of Perfection
[27:49] - Unnamed Storms
[30:42] - Mysteries of God
[31:58] - Jesus Knows Where You Are
[38:00] - No Formulas with God
[43:31] - Personal Story of Riley
[46:05] - Jesus Cares About Your Heart
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
- Mark 6:45-52: Jesus Walks on Water
- James 1:2-4: Trials and Perseverance
- Psalm 34:18: The Lord is Close to the Brokenhearted
#### Observation Questions
1. In Mark 6:45-52, what were the disciples' initial reactions when they saw Jesus walking on the water? How did Jesus respond to their fear? ([16:43])
2. According to James 1:2-4, what should be our attitude towards trials and why? ([24:54])
3. How does Psalm 34:18 describe God's proximity to those who are suffering? ([37:25])
4. What personal story did the pastor share about his daughter Riley, and how did it illustrate that God works in mysterious ways? ([41:52])
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think Jesus chose to walk on water to reach His disciples in Mark 6 instead of calming the storm from the mountainside as He did in Mark 4? ([38:00])
2. How can understanding that Jesus knows exactly where we are (Mark 6:48) provide comfort during difficult times? ([31:58])
3. What does it mean to consider it "pure joy" when facing trials, as stated in James 1:2-4? How can this perspective change our approach to suffering? ([24:54])
4. How does the pastor's story about Riley challenge the idea that God only works through traditional religious settings? ([43:31])
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a recent storm in your life. How did you see or not see Jesus in the midst of it? How can you remind yourself that Jesus knows exactly where you are? ([31:58])
2. Have you ever tried to apply a "formula" to your relationship with God, expecting Him to act in a specific way? How can you shift your focus to trust in God's dynamic and personal relationship with you? ([38:00])
3. Think about a time when you faced a storm of correction due to your own choices. How did you see God working to bring you back to Him? ([23:21])
4. How can you embrace the mysteries of God, especially when facing storms that make no sense? What steps can you take to trust in God's infinite wisdom? ([30:42])
5. In what ways can you focus more on your heart and relationship with Jesus rather than the storm itself? How can you seek a deeper revelation of who He is through your trials? ([46:05])
6. How can you support someone else who is going through a storm, helping them to see that Jesus is close to them and cares more about their heart than the storm? ([37:25])
7. Identify one specific area of your life where you need to reconcile the goodness of God with the pain and heartache you are experiencing. How can you cling to the cross and trust that God is using this moment to deepen your relationship with Him? ([15:12])
Devotional
Day 1: Jesus Knows Where You Are
Jesus is always aware of our circumstances, just as He saw His disciples struggling against the wind. This understanding should bring us comfort, knowing that God is always close to us, even in our pain and suffering. We serve an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent God who knows exactly where we are. In our darkest moments, we can find solace in the fact that we are never out of His sight. He is intimately involved in our lives, and His presence is a constant source of strength and encouragement. [31:58]
Psalm 139:7-10 (ESV): "Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me."
Reflection: Think of a time when you felt alone or abandoned. How can you remind yourself today that Jesus is always aware of your situation and is with you in every storm?
Day 2: There Are No Formulas with God
God's methods are not formulaic; He rarely does the same thing twice. In Mark 4, Jesus calms the storm with a command, but in Mark 6, He walks on water to reach His disciples. This teaches us that God wants us to rely on Him, not on a set of steps or rituals. Our relationship with God is dynamic and personal, not formulaic. We must be open to the unique ways God chooses to work in our lives, trusting that His methods are always for our good and His glory. [38:00]
Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV): "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Reflection: Are there areas in your life where you are relying on rituals or steps rather than on God Himself? How can you shift your focus to trust in His unique ways today?
Day 3: Storms of Correction and Perfection
Life's storms come in various forms. Some are a result of our bad choices, while others are used by God to mature and complete us. James 1:2-4 encourages us to consider it pure joy when we face trials because they develop perseverance and maturity. God can handle our anger and frustration, and He uses our pain to deepen our relationship with Him. Understanding the purpose behind our trials can help us navigate them with faith and resilience, knowing that God is at work in our lives. [24:54]
James 1:2-4 (ESV): "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Reflection: Reflect on a recent trial you have faced. Was it a storm of correction or perfection? How can you see God's hand at work in that situation?
Day 4: Be Okay with the Mysteries of God
There are storms that we can't categorize or understand. Trying to make sense of them can lead us to manipulate scripture and theology. We must be okay with the mysteries of God, trusting that He knows the beginning from the end. Our finite minds can't grasp His infinite wisdom. Embracing the mysteries of God allows us to rest in His sovereignty and trust that He is in control, even when we don't have all the answers. [30:42]
Ecclesiastes 11:5 (ESV): "As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything."
Reflection: Is there a situation in your life that you are struggling to understand? How can you practice trusting in God's infinite wisdom and sovereignty today?
Day 5: Jesus Cares More About Your Heart Than the Storm
In Mark 6:48, Jesus was about to pass by His disciples, a phrase also used when God revealed His glory to Moses. This shows that Jesus cares more about revealing Himself to us than calming the storm. Our trials and suffering can be the very tools God uses to give us a deeper revelation of who He is. Understanding this can transform our perspective on suffering, helping us to see it as an opportunity for spiritual growth and a deeper relationship with God. [46:05]
Exodus 33:18-19 (ESV): "Moses said, 'Please show me your glory.' And he said, 'I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.'"
Reflection: Think about a current or past trial. How has this experience revealed more of God's character to you? How can you seek to know Him more deeply through your present circumstances?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "In scripture, it's not opinion, it's the absolute truth. Some of us need some soul restoration. I show a hand, who's already severely disappointed that I'm not the country music singer, Josh Turner. That's how my wife feels as well. It is so great to be back with you guys. I was with you guys last year, and it is never, I never counted a small thing when I get to go and preach, right? Because there's always this moment that A, is terrifying, Pastor Jay Marcon and I were talking about this last night, hanging out. It's always terrifying as a broken man, knowing you're standing on a stage, communicating on behalf of a holy God, and you have your own stuff and you're like, Lord just don't kill me on stage." [10:46]
2. "So you should do everything you can to get out of pain as quick as you can. In fact, here, take this pill. I mean, how many of you in here, just by a show of hands, like you get a headache, you're immediately taking three to four Advil? Just me? Yeah, don't you lie to me, Canvas. Everybody's like, don't point yourself out. He'll call you out. But we live in this world that has made us believe that That pain's not normal. That pain is unnatural. And I think it's a relatively new thing. I mean, think about your grandparents or your great-grandparents. Like my grandfather was a farmer. My family's originally from South Carolina. Could you imagine if I had gone to my God-loving Christian grandfather who was a farmer who lost part of his finger from a plow and I went, hey, Grandpa, I have an idea. Hear me out. I've been studying scripture. And if life is hard at all, if there's any sort of suffering, I just want you to know that that must mean that God is not close to us. You know what my grandfather would have done? Slap me in my Christian mouth. Because they just understood that life was hard at times. That things didn't go right. And that that didn't say anything about how close God was to you." [34:59]
3. "Jesus rarely does the same thing twice. So Mark chapter six, what we see is there's a storm. Jesus sees his boys. They are out on the lake rowing across. Jesus walks on the water like a gangster, to them on the boat. But if you skip back to Mark chapter four, what you see is the disciples and Jesus are in another storm. This time they're crossing over the Sea of Galilee. The disciples find themselves in a storm. Jesus is sleeping on the back of the boat. The disciples think they're about to drown. Now we have to remember, these guys are skilled fishermen. It's not like they're just out on a pontoon boat and they don't know what's happening. These guys have been in storms. So this must have been a big one. And all of a sudden one of them goes, we're gonna die and the other one goes, well maybe we should wake up Jesus. So they go and they wake up Jesus. Jesus walks out in front of the boat, says peace be still, the way that it's actually written in the Greek. It says when Jesus says that, the entire environment changes. Everything in that moment changes. So it's weird. Mark chapter four, we see Jesus calm the storm by saying peace be still. Mark chapter six, he actually walks on the water, gets into the boat to calm the storm. Why in Mark chapter six, when Jesus looks out out and sees the disciples rolling across the storm, the wind and the waves that he not from the mountaintop be like, Hey, hold on one second, dad, uh, peace be still. Why is it important? And why does it matter that Jesus rarely does the same thing twice? I think he wants us to know the first thing is this. There are no formulas." [38:00]
4. "And my daughter spoke in a, in a full blown miracle. I call my wife. She was at target, of course. And I go, you need to come home right now. She goes, why? I go, Riley's talking. She's like, well, she, I go, you need to come home now. My wife walks in the door. I'm sitting on the couch. Riley's in the middle and my son's on the end. Me and my son, Aiden, we're just, weeping. My wife walks in holding target bags. I went, you checked out. What is wrong with you? Like I'm not an addiction specialist, but at this point, my wife walks in, Riley looks at her and goes, Hey mommy, my wife drops the bags and we just all start sobbing. So then I go back to trying to write my sermon. Maybe, you know, that one's going to be different. So I start wrestling with the Lord. God, why like this? Why like this Lord? I'm always very careful when I say I feel like the Lord spoke to me. I don't, I don't say those words lightly and I'm trying to wrestle through God. Why, why not in a prayer meeting? Why not when we were anointing with oil? Why not at a worship service? Why not in any of the other moments, Lord? Why like this? Cause the only thing I can come up with Lord from the way you did it is PlayStation four brings healing. Like that's all I got. I'm sitting there and I'm writing and all of a sudden I hear the Lord say to me, if I had done it when you were doing anything, you would have made it a formula. And I went, well played Lord. I would have, you guys would have seen me on TBN two weeks later, selling that thing with a prayer cloth because we all want that. And I think the reason that we rarely see Jesus do the same thing twice is at the end of the day, he wants you to understand I'm Jesus. I can do whatever I want and I can do it however I want." [43:31]
5. "And my daughter spoke in a, in a full blown miracle. I call my wife. She was at target, of course. And I go, you need to come home right now. She goes, why? I go, Riley's talking. She's like, well, she, I go, you need to come home now. My wife walks in the door. I'm sitting on the couch. Riley's in the middle and my son's on the end. Me and my son, Aiden, we're just, weeping. My wife walks in holding target bags. I went, you checked out. What is wrong with you? Like I'm not an addiction specialist, but at this point, my wife walks in, Riley looks at her and goes, Hey mommy, my wife drops the bags and we just all start sobbing. So then I go back to trying to write my sermon. Maybe, you know, that one's going to be different. So I start wrestling with the Lord. God, why like this? Why like this Lord? I'm always very careful when I say I feel like the Lord spoke to me. I don't, I don't say those words lightly and I'm trying to wrestle through God. Why, why not in a prayer meeting? Why not when we were anointing with oil? Why not at a worship service? Why not in any of the other moments, Lord? Why like this? Cause the only thing I can come up with Lord from the way you did it is PlayStation four brings healing. Like that's all I got. I'm sitting there and I'm writing and all of a sudden I hear the Lord say to me, if I had done it when you were doing anything, you would have made it a formula. And I went, well played Lord. I would have, you guys would have seen me on TBN two weeks later, selling that thing with a prayer cloth because we all want that. And I think the reason that we rarely see Jesus do the same thing twice is at the end of the day, he wants you to understand I'm Jesus. I can do whatever I want and I can do it however I want." [43:31]
### Quotes for Members
1. "What if the storm that you are in right now, the thing that you are facing, the thing that does not make sense, the thing that you stay up at night about, the thing that you cry about, the thing that you pray about, the thing that you talk about with friends and therapists or whatever it is for you. What if that is actually the greatest tool that the Lord wants to use to give you a revelation of who he is because really he's after your heart. What if that's it? And I think at times in the middle of our suffering and our trials, here's what we have to do. Jesus, I know I don't feel it, but you know exactly where I am. Jesus, thank you. Like, I don't know about you, I am thankful that there is not a formula I can use to control God. Because you know why? I would screw it up and manipulate it. And I'm thankful that in the darkest moments of life, the trials, the hardships, the storms, that that's actually one of the things that the Lord uses most to reveal to me who he is. Because there is something that happens, guys, and I cannot fully articulate this. I don't think anybody can. There's something that happens when the last thing you got to hold on to is the cross of Jesus." [47:38]
2. "So what we're going to talk about today, really as much of my life does, it comes from reconciling the good and the bad. And I'm going to talk about the good and the bad. And I'm going to talk about the goodness of God and also pain and heartache because that's life, right? It's reconciling these two things. How do you hold the tension that God is amazing and beautiful and good and awesome in the world sometimes is really hard and painful. And so what we're going to do to look at this, we're actually going to look at one of my favorite passages in scripture. We're actually going to look at Jesus walking on water. So if you have your Bibles, aren't you turning with me to Mark chapter six, and we're gonna look at verse 45, Mark six, 45. And I just want to encourage you to take notes. Um, because if you take notes, you get to pick where you live in heaven. So, um, I don't know if you guys knew that. Um, that's what actually pastor J Mark's preaching on next week. Um, some of y'all are like, Oh dang. Okay. All right. 45. It says this immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to Bethsaida while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake and was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn, he went out to them walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them. But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately. He spoke to them and said, take courage. It is, I don't be afraid. Then he climbed into the boat with them and the wind, he died down and they were completely amazed." [16:43]
3. "And my daughter spoke in a, in a full blown miracle. I call my wife. She was at target, of course. And I go, you need to come home right now. She goes, why? I go, Riley's talking. She's like, well, she, I go, you need to come home now. My wife walks in the door. I'm sitting on the couch. Riley's in the middle and my son's on the end. Me and my son, Aiden, we're just, weeping. My wife walks in holding target bags. I went, you checked out. What is wrong with you? Like I'm not an addiction specialist, but at this point, my wife walks in, Riley looks at her and goes, Hey mommy, my wife drops the bags and we just all start sobbing. So then I go back to trying to write my sermon. Maybe, you know, that one's going to be different. So I start wrestling with the Lord. God, why like this? Why like this Lord? I'm always very careful when I say I feel like the Lord spoke to me. I don't, I don't say those words lightly and I'm trying to wrestle through God. Why, why not in a prayer meeting? Why not when we were anointing with oil? Why not at a worship service? Why not in any of the other moments, Lord? Why like this? Cause the only thing I can come up with Lord from the way you did it is PlayStation four brings healing. Like that's all I got. I'm sitting there and I'm writing and all of a sudden I hear the Lord say to me, if I had done it when you were doing anything, you would have made it a formula. And I went, well played Lord. I would have, you guys would have seen me on TBN two weeks later, selling that thing with a prayer cloth because we all want that. And I think the reason that we rarely see Jesus do the same thing twice is at the end of the day, he wants you to understand I'm Jesus. I can do whatever I want and I can do it however I want." [43:31]
4. "Jesus rarely does the same thing twice. So Mark chapter six, what we see is there's a storm. Jesus sees his boys. They are out on the lake rowing across. Jesus walks on the water like a gangster, to them on the boat. But if you skip back to Mark chapter four, what you see is the disciples and Jesus are in another storm. This time they're crossing over the Sea of Galilee. The disciples find themselves in a storm. Jesus is sleeping on the back of the boat. The disciples think they're about to drown. Now we have to remember, these guys are skilled fishermen. It's not like they're just out on a pontoon boat and they don't know what's happening. These guys have been in storms. So this must have been a big one. And all of a sudden one of them goes, we're gonna die and the other one goes, well maybe we should wake up Jesus. So they go and they wake up Jesus. Jesus walks out in front of the boat, says peace be still, the way that it's actually written in the Greek. It says when Jesus says that, the entire environment changes. Everything in that moment changes. So it's weird. Mark chapter four, we see Jesus calm the storm by saying peace be still. Mark chapter six, he actually walks on the water, gets into the boat to calm the storm. Why in Mark chapter six, when Jesus looks out out and sees the disciples rolling across the storm, the wind and the waves that he not from the mountaintop be like, Hey, hold on one second, dad, uh, peace be still. Why is it important? And why does it matter that Jesus rarely does the same thing twice? I think he wants us to know the first thing is this. There are no formulas." [38:00]
5. "What if the storm that you are in right now, the thing that you are facing, the thing that does not make sense, the thing that you stay up at night about, the thing that you cry about, the thing that you pray about, the thing that you talk about with friends and therapists or whatever it is for you. What if that is actually the greatest tool that the Lord wants to use to give you a revelation of who he is because really he's after your heart. What if that's it? And I think at times in the middle of our suffering and our trials, here's what we have to do. Jesus, I know I don't feel it, but you know exactly where I am. Jesus, thank you. Like, I don't know about you, I am thankful that there is not a formula I can use to control God. Because you know why? I would screw it up and manipulate it. And I'm thankful that in the darkest moments of life, the trials, the hardships, the storms, that that's actually one of the things that the Lord uses most to reveal to me who he is. Because there is something that happens, guys, and I cannot fully articulate this. I don't think anybody can. There's something that happens when the last thing you got to hold on to is the cross of Jesus." [47:38]
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