Does A Hard Life Mean You're Doing It Wrong?

Jul 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Storms Follow Obedience, Not Failure

The disciples found themselves in a raging storm not because they disobeyed Jesus, but because they followed his command to cross the lake. Obedience often leads us into challenges meant to refine our faith, not punish our mistakes. Jesus invited them into the storm to reveal his power, not to abandon them. When life’s waves threaten to sink you, remember: your storm may be proof you’re exactly where God wants you. Trust his purpose even when the winds scream otherwise. [16:40]

“As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.’… Soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.”
(Mark 4:35, 37, NLT)

Reflection: What storm in your life might actually be evidence of your obedience to God’s direction? How does this shift your perspective on the difficulty?

Day 2: The Peace of the One Who Sleeps in the Storm

Jesus slept soundly amid chaos, not because the storm wasn’t real, but because he trusted the Father’s sovereignty. His rest wasn’t indifference—it was confidence. The disciples mistook his calm for apathy, accusing him of not caring. Yet his peace revealed a deeper truth: storms don’t dictate God’s faithfulness. When fear shouts, “Don’t you care?” faith whispers, “He’s still Lord.” [19:37]

“Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, ‘Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?’”
(Mark 4:38, NLT)

Reflection: Where are you tempted to interpret God’s silence as abandonment? How might his peace in your storm invite you to deeper trust?

Day 3: The Waves Recognize Their Maker’s Voice

Jesus didn’t merely calm the storm—he revealed his identity as Creator. The wind and waves obeyed not a miracle worker, but their King. The disciples’ terror shifted from the storm to the God-man in their boat. Every trial is an invitation to ask, “Who is this?”—to let awe of Christ’s authority drown out fear of the storm. [25:39]

“He rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Silence! Be still!’ Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, ‘Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?’”
(Mark 4:39-40, NLT)

Reflection: What current struggle might shrink in perspective if you fully believed Jesus’ authority over it?

Day 4: Fear Forgets, Faith Remembers

The disciples panicked because fear erases memory. One storm made them forget every miracle they’d witnessed. Faith fights amnesia—it rehearses God’s past faithfulness to steady today’s trembling heart. When waves rise, declare what God has already done. His history is your anchor. [21:43]

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
(Psalm 77:11-12, NLT)

Reflection: What specific moment of God’s faithfulness can you recall today to combat fear’s lies?

Day 5: No Smooth Ride, But a Safe Landing

Jesus promised the other side, not calm seas. The disciples arrived safely not because the storm ceased, but because the Savior stayed. Your storm may rage until the shore is in sight, but his presence guarantees you’ll make it. Fix your eyes on the Landlord of the waves, not the tempest. [31:05]

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.”
(Isaiah 43:2, NLT)

Reflection: How might focusing on Jesus’ promise of presence, rather than demanding calm, change how you navigate this season?

Sermon Summary

Mark sets the scene with Jesus saying, “Let’s cross to the other side.” That word is not a wish but a directive. The destination is Gentile ground, a place good religious people avoided, yet the Father is sending the Son there for a man chained by demons. The move across the water is not escape from the Father’s will; it is obedience aimed straight at it.

The Sea of Galilee answers with a “fierce storm.” The geography can whip up a squall in minutes, and even the pros in the boat start to panic. That panic unmasks a first lesson: obedience is not a passport to a storm free life. The storm follows their yes to Jesus, not their no. Sometimes the very path God charts takes his people through rough water so they can learn what calm seas never teach.

Jesus sleeps. Same boat. Same spray. Same wind. Different heart. The difference is trust in the Father’s leading. The disciples do not wake him with a request but with an accusation: “Teacher, don’t you care…?” Fear questions God’s heart. Faith remembers his history. Storms can give spiritual amnesia, and one set of dark clouds can erase a whole gallery of God’s past faithfulness unless memory is rehearsed and kept.

Then the voice that spoke the waters into being speaks to them again. “Silence. Be still.” He rebukes the wind with the same authority he used on demons, and creation obeys instantly. In Israel’s Scriptures, only God stills the surging sea. This is more than weather control; this is revelation. The wind and waves recognize the voice of their Maker.

Jesus asks, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The issue is not meteorology but theology. The storm had grown larger in their minds than God. Faith does not deny the reality of danger; it insists that God is greater than the danger.

After the calm, the disciples are “absolutely terrified.” Holy awe replaces raw panic. “Who is this man?” becomes the point. If he is merely a teacher, the story breaks. If he is God, the story clicks. The waves obey because he made them.

So what of today’s storms? Jesus does not promise to calm every one. Paul’s thorn stayed put. Yet Jesus gives peace in the storm and opens eyes to the greatest miracle, faith that sees him. “Let’s go to the other side” still stands. He does not promise a smooth ride, but he guarantees a safe landing. The church’s hope is not the absence of wind, but the presence of the Lord of heaven and earth in the boat.

Key Takeaways

1. Obedience does not prevent storms [16:40] Following God can lead straight into headwinds. The yes of faith is not a shield from hardship but a path through it. Calm waters do not certify obedience any more than rough waters prove failure. God often does his deepest work where comfort cannot. [16:40]
2. Fear questions, faith remembers [21:18] Fear pushes the soul to ask, “Don’t you care?” Faith calls the heart to rehearse God’s track record. Remembered mercy breaks storm amnesia and anchors perception to history, not hysteria. The discipline of remembrance is preparation for whatever clouds gather. [21:18]
3. Jesus reveals Creator authority [25:39] “Silence. Be still” is not technique; it is the voice that formed the deep addressing it. The Old Testament reserves sea-stilling power for God alone, and the lake obeys on cue. Storms become platforms where identity speaks louder than spray. [25:39]
4. Faith enlarges God, not problems [26:40] Faith does not pretend the wind is not real; it insists that God is greater. Fear magnifies circumstances and shrinks God to the edge of vision. Faith flips the scale, letting God’s presence set the size of everything else. [26:40]
5. Safe landing, not smooth ride [31:05] “Let’s go to the other side” carries promise, not comfort guarantees. The journey may be rough, but the destination is secured by his word. Peace rests not in perfect conditions but in the certain company of the One who commands the waves. [31:05]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[09:35] - Loving thunderstorms
[12:53] - Weathering life’s storms
[13:33] - “Let’s go to the other side”
[14:05] - Mission into Gentile territory
[14:52] - A fierce storm rises
[16:40] - Obedience is not storm free
[18:35] - Jesus sleeps, accusation rises
[21:18] - Fear questions, faith remembers
[23:15] - “Silence. Be still.”
[24:17] - Only God stills the seas
[26:40] - Why are you afraid
[28:21] - Holy awe after the calm
[29:42] - Peace in storms, not always calm
[31:05] - Safe landing promise

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Mark 4:35-41 (NLT)
As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

Psalm 107:29 (NLT)
He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves.

Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.

Observation questions

Why did Jesus insist on crossing to the “other side” of the lake, and why was this destination significant? [14:05]
How did the disciples’ reaction to the storm contrast with Jesus’ response while in the same boat? [19:37]
What did Jesus’ command to the wind and waves (“Silence! Be still!”) reveal about His identity, according to Old Testament references like Psalm 107:29? [25:39]
After the storm calmed, why were the disciples “absolutely terrified” of Jesus instead of relieved? [28:21]

Interpretation questions

Jesus asked the disciples, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” How does fear distort our perception of God’s character, and how does faith correct it? [21:18]
The sermon states, “Obedience is not a passport to a storm-free life.” Why might God allow storms even when we’re following Him? What does this teach about His purposes? [16:40]
The disciples accused Jesus of not caring (“Don’t you care?”) instead of asking for help. What does this reveal about how fear impacts our communication with God? [20:14]
How does Jesus’ authority over creation (Mark 4:41) redefine what it means to trust Him in life’s storms, even if He doesn’t calm them immediately? [29:42]

Application questions

What “storm” are you facing right now where you’ve been tempted to ask, “God, don’t you care?” How could rehearsing His past faithfulness shift your perspective? [22:20]
The sermon says, “Fear magnifies circumstances; faith magnifies God.” What practical step could you take this week to intentionally focus on God’s character rather than your problem?
When have you assumed that obedience to God should guarantee ease? How might your current challenges be an opportunity to deepen trust in His presence, not just outcomes? [18:13]
The disciples’ fear turned to awe when they realized who Jesus was. How could viewing your storm as a chance to encounter Jesus’ authority change your response to it?
What habits or practices (e.g., journaling, prayer, community) could help you “remember God’s track record” during future storms? [21:18]
The sermon emphasizes “safe landing, not smooth ride.” How does this truth affect your willingness to follow Jesus into uncertain or difficult assignments? [31:05]

Sermon Clips

63s

#FaithRemembers

“So they questioned Jesus' heart. And so if we could be real, that's this is where our faith often gets stretched and struggles. Right? When the storms of life are are raging around us, we sometimes wonder I don't know about you, but this has been me. I've sometimes wondered, God, do you care? Sometimes we wonder, God, do you care that what my family is going through right now? God, do you care what's going on in my marriage or or my finances? Do you care? My health? Here's the point, and I want you to write this down. I want you to get capture this in your heart. Fear questions God's heart, doesn't it? But faith remembers his history. Fear causes us to question, God, do you even care? But faith that he gives us and he perfects in us, it helps us to remember his track record, his history.”

46s

#GodIsBigger

“But fear has a way of overwhelming our senses and smothering our spirit. It has a way of shrinking God in our view. It magnifies the problem and minimizes God's presence. But faith, it does the opposite. Now faith does not deny reality. I mean, there was real danger. The storm was real. The wind was real. They may not survive, but faith simply believes that God is greater than the thing that I'm facing. Some of you need to hear that today and embrace that today, that God is bigger than the thing that you're facing.”

48s

#LessonsInStorms

“Some of you are in a storm today. Some of you listening, joining us on our online campus or one of our locations today, you're sitting there and you came today, you are in the middle of a storm in your life. You might be asking, Lord, what did I what did I do wrong? What should I have done differently? Well, the answer might be maybe nothing. Maybe it's nothing that you've done wrong. Now for sure, we can create storms of our own based on our disobedience to the Lord, but maybe it's just nothing. Maybe you are exactly where God is leading you. Maybe you're exactly where God wants you to be because he wants to teach you something that you could never learn in calm waters.”

46s

#MiracleOfFaith

“See, following Jesus is not a guarantee of calm seas. In fact, your obedience to him might lead you in a season of a storm to reveal who he is in your life, but it is a guarantee that you can have peace in the storms of life. So I propose the greatest miracle in the story was that the eyes of faith begin to open in these men, for these disciples, that the greatest miracle is the miracle of faith. It's still the greatest miracle that God does is salvation by grace through faith as they realized who Jesus is.”

53s

#VoiceOfTheCreator

“And every Jewish listener, when they hear this gospel read or they read it, they would have known these passages in others. So in Mark four, Jesus is not is not just performing another miracle. I believe he's doing what only God does. And get this, it wasn't just about calming the weather. This was about revealing the creator and who Jesus is and for the disciples who it was that was in the boat with them. I love this. The wind at Jesus' command, the wind and the waves, get this, they recognize the voice of the creator.”

62s

#WorshipJesus

“``Now the storm is over, but they are more afraid now than they were before during the storm. Check that out. It's because they began to realize that the person in the boat with them was someone of more power than they can imagine. At first, they feared the wind. Now they stand in holy awe and fear of the one who commands the wind. In New Life, I propose to you that's the point of the story, that Mark is not inviting us to simple simply marvel at a miracle. He's inviting us to worship Jesus. Because if if Jesus is only a great teacher, then this story doesn't really make sense. If he's just a good prophet, the story doesn't make sense. But if he is God, then, of course, creation recognizes his voice.”

56s

#EyesOnJesus

“You may be sitting here right now and the storm is raging and the marriage is still difficult, or your son or daughter may still be running. But if Jesus is directing your steps and ordering your path, if he has called you to go with him to the other side, then your storm does not have the final word. So when the clouds roll in, if you're not in a storm and they begin to roll in and they will, do not fix your focus on the intensity of the waves or the wind. Fix your eyes on the one who is with you. And behold who it is that is with you because your greatest hope is not that he would calm the storm. Your greatest hope it is is that the Lord of heaven and earth is in the boat with you.”

45s

#FaithNotFear

“Now notice he doesn't ask, what do you think the purpose of this storm was? Why why is there a storm? He asked, why are you afraid? You see the issue was that the storm for the disciples had become bigger in their mind than God. And for some of you walking through a storm, you need to be encouraged, not feel guilt or shame to be encouraged that there is this faith that everything in your soul is smothering because of the storm. And that faith in your spirit wants to break through all of the noise to remember that that God is bigger than your storm. Amen?”

Ask a question about this sermon

mynewlifechurch This sermon · AI assistant

What does obedience NOT guarantee in life?

How does Jesus reveal his identity in storms?

What is the disciples' primary failure during storms?

Does A Hard Life Mean You're Doing It Wrong?

Devotional

Day 1: Storms Follow Obedience, Not Failure

Day 2: The Peace of the One Who Sleeps in the Storm

Day 3: The Waves Recognize Their Maker’s Voice

Day 4: Fear Forgets, Faith Remembers

Day 5: No Smooth Ride, But a Safe Landing

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Does A Hard Life Mean You're Doing It Wrong?

Share