WISDOM AND WONDER | Growing Through Storms | Matthew 14:22-33 | Philip Anthony Mitchell

Matthew 14 opens on the Sea of Galilee, a place beautiful and majestic but known for violent storms that can rise out of nowhere. Jesus has just fed the multitude, and immediately He makes the disciples get into a boat and go to the other side. John reveals why: the crowd wants to force Jesus into a kingship that is outside the Father’s timing and will. Jesus turns down a platform before His time, because not every open door is a God door, not every handshake is a God handshake, and not every opportunity is God’s opportunity.

Jesus also sends the disciples away from a crowd operating in the flesh. The Word and the Spirit still send believers away from immorality, false voices, bad company, idolatry, lust, witchcraft, and every practice outside God’s will. Conviction is not rejection. Conviction is the love of a Father protecting His children from what would destroy them.

Jesus then goes up the mountain alone to pray. Christ models a holy rhythm: labor and replenishment, serving the Lord and being with the Lord. Ministry cannot replace intimacy with God. The secret place is where God convicts, heals, warns, guides, transforms, and reveals Himself. The presence of God is not optional for people trying to survive life, serve faithfully, and walk in spiritual power.

Matthew then shows the disciples rowing into a storm because Jesus told them to go there. The storm did not prove they missed God. The storm came inside the will of God. Some storms correct, like Jonah’s storm; other storms perfect, like the disciples’ storm. Resistance does not always mean turn around. When God has made the direction clear, believers must keep rowing forward, because there is nothing behind them but the season God delivered them from.

Jesus comes to them in the fourth watch, walking on the sea. Psalm 77 had already declared that God’s way was through the sea and His path through great waters. Jesus walks on the water as the Word made flesh, revealing that He is not merely a prophet or teacher but God with them. His answer to terrified disciples is not shame but comfort: “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” His Word and His presence still quiet fearful hearts.

Peter steps out only after Christ says, “Come.” Christ graciously gives confirmation to weak and fearful people, yet Peter must still leave the boat. Peter sinks when his eyes move from Jesus to the wind, but Jesus immediately reaches down when Peter cries, “Lord, save me.” The real hero is not Peter the water walker. Jesus is the Son of God, strong in every storm, growing His people into a deeper revelation of who He is.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Not every open door is God’s will Jesus refused a crown because it came from fleshly ambition and outside the Father’s appointed time. A door can look noble, impressive, and beneficial while still pulling a person away from God’s will. Discernment requires enough security in Christ to walk away from what looks good but is not God. [13:38]
• 2. The secret place sustains the labor Jesus poured Himself out in public, then went alone to be with the Father. Service without replenishment eventually becomes self-reliance, exhaustion, and spiritual dryness. God does deep work in hearts that learn to sit still in His presence, not merely perform for people. [25:52]
• 3. God can lead believers into storms Jesus commanded the disciples into the boat, fully knowing the storm was ahead. Hardship is not always proof of sin, failure, or demonic defeat; sometimes God permits it to perfect faith and deepen revelation. Obedience in adversity means continuing to row forward instead of returning to what God already called a person to leave. [32:09]
• 4. Christ comforts fear with Word and presence Jesus did not shame terrified disciples for responding like frightened human beings in a violent storm. His answer was both personal and powerful: “Take heart, it is I.” God’s Word and God’s presence remain the deepest comfort for anxiety, loneliness, grief, and trouble. [44:30]
• 5. Every storm should magnify Christ Peter’s brief walk on water matters, but Jesus walking on water matters more. The greatest victory after surviving a trial is not celebrating personal strength but seeing Christ as stronger, more faithful, more merciful, and more glorious than before. Trials become testimony when Jesus stays at the center.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [05:14] - The Stormy Sea of Galilee
• [09:34] - Jesus Sends the Disciples Away
• [11:14] - Rejecting a Platform Before God’s Time
• [15:50] - Sent Away From What Is Outside God’s Will
• [20:17] - Labor and the Secret Place
• [27:44] - Obedience Can Lead Into a Storm
• [31:43] - Keep Rowing Forward in God’s Will
• [34:14] - Jesus Walks on the Water
• [40:33] - Take Heart, It Is I
• [50:16] - Peter Steps Out of the Boat
• [56:00] - Keep Your Eyes on Jesus
• [59:23] - From Fear to Worship
• [66:31] - Five Truths for God-Allowed Storms
• [72:31] - Prayer for Strength in the Storm

Bible Reading

Matthew 14:22-33

Verse 22: “Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.” [09:49]

Verse 23: “And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.” [20:17]

Verse 24: “But the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.” [27:38]

Verse 25: “And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.” [34:14]

Verse 26: “But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, ‘It is a ghost!’ and they cried out in fear.” [40:38]

Verse 27: “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.’” [41:01]

Verse 28: “And Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’” [50:16]

Verse 29: “He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.” [50:24]

Verse 30: “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’” [56:00]

Verse 31: “Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” [56:10]

Verse 32: “And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.” [01:00:45]

Verse 33: “And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’” [01:01:01]

John 6:14-15

Verse 14: “When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!’” [11:20]

Verse 15: “Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” [11:45]

Psalm 77:19

“Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.” [36:56]

Observation questions

1. What does Matthew emphasize by saying that Jesus immediately sent the disciples into the boat after feeding the crowd? What does John reveal about the crowd’s desire to make Jesus king? [10:28]
2. What actions does Jesus take after dismissing the crowd, and what contrast is seen between Jesus praying alone on the mountain and the disciples struggling in the boat? [20:37]
3. What words and actions describe the disciples’ condition in the storm before Jesus arrives, and how long had they apparently been rowing? [27:44]
4. What changes in the disciples’ response from the first storm in Matthew 8—when they asked, “What sort of man is this?”—to this storm, when they worship Jesus as the Son of God? [01:00:19]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus refused the crowd’s attempt to make Him king, even though He truly is King. What does this reveal about the difference between God’s timing and opportunities driven by human ambition? [13:38]
2. The disciples entered the storm because Jesus told them to cross the sea. How does this challenge the assumption that every hardship means a believer has missed God’s will? [29:28]
3. Psalm 77 describes God’s path through the sea, and Jesus comes walking on the sea. What does this connection reveal about Jesus’ identity, beyond seeing Him as only a teacher or miracle worker? [37:41]
4. Jesus does not shame the disciples for being afraid; He comforts them with, “Take heart; it is I.” What does this show about how Christ meets people who are overwhelmed by fear, anxiety, or circumstances beyond their control? [44:00]

Application questions

1. Is there an open door, relationship, opportunity, platform, or decision that looks good on the surface but may not be God’s will or God’s timing? What would it look like to seek discernment instead of being driven by pressure, insecurity, or ambition? [14:20]
2. Jesus served people and then withdrew to pray. What is the present rhythm between labor and time alone with God in each person’s life? Where might busyness, ministry, work, parenting, or constant noise be crowding out the secret place? [21:43]
3. Is there a place where the Word of God or the Holy Spirit has been convicting someone to leave behind unhealthy company, sexual sin, dishonesty, spiritual counterfeits, bitterness, or another practice outside God’s will? How can the group view that conviction as the protection of a loving Father rather than rejection? [16:38]
4. When adversity comes after a clear act of obedience, what makes it tempting to “turn the boat around”? What would it mean in a specific situation to keep rowing forward instead of returning to a season God has already brought someone out of? [32:09]
5. When fear, loneliness, grief, anxiety, or discouragement rises, what voices or habits does each person usually run to first? What practical step could help someone turn first to Christ’s Word and presence this week? [44:28]
6. Peter cried, “Lord, save me,” and Jesus immediately reached for him. Where does someone in the group need to offer Jesus an honest, simple prayer for help instead of hiding, pretending, or relying only on personal strength? [58:04]
7. Looking back on a past storm, how has Christ shown Himself faithful, merciful, present, strong, or sustaining? How can the story be told in a way that keeps Jesus—not personal strength—at the center? [01:03:01]