Jesus Is Greater Than Your Storm

Oct 11, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Storms as Divine Assignments, Not Accidents

The disciples found themselves in a raging storm not by accident, but because Jesus commanded them to board the boat. Storms often feel like disruptions, but some are orchestrated to refine faith and reveal God’s power. Like fishermen thrust into chaos by obedience, believers may face turbulence even when following Christ’s direction. The key is to keep rowing—praying, gathering, serving—even when progress seems impossible. What feels like abandonment is often preparation for a deeper encounter with the God who walks on waves. [33:19]

“Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.”
(Matthew 14:22, ESV)

Reflection: How might your current storm be part of God’s intentional plan for your growth? What obedience is He asking you to maintain despite the wind?

Day 2: Seeing in the Dark When Jesus Feels Absent

Darkness had settled, but Jesus hadn’t yet arrived—a tension every believer faces. The disciples strained at oars for nine hours, unaware that Christ watched from the mountain, interceding. His physical absence didn’t mean spiritual abandonment. In life’s fourth-watch moments—the bleakest hours before dawn—He remains sovereign, praying for His people even when invisible. The storm becomes a classroom to learn trust beyond sight. [38:00]

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:20, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you tempted to equate God’s silence with absence? How might His unseen intercession be sustaining you right now?

Day 3: Rescued From Fear of the Rescuer

Terrified disciples mistook Jesus for a ghost, just as children hide from firefighters in smoke. Fear distorts reality, making us flee the very help we need. Christ’s “It is I” cuts through panic, reframing chaos as a canvas for His presence. Storms test not just our circumstances but our capacity to recognize deliverance when it comes in unexpected forms. [46:38]

“But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.’”
(Matthew 14:27, ESV)

Reflection: What fears might be blinding you to Christ’s presence in your storm? How can you train your heart to discern His voice over the wind?

Day 4: The I AM Who Treads Your Waves

Jesus didn’t just calm the storm—He walked on its chaos, echoing Job’s declaration that God alone “treads on the waves.” By saying “It is I” (ego eimi), He claimed to be the I AM of Exodus 3:14. Storms become revelation when they shift our question from “Why is this happening?” to “Who is here?” The answer reshapes every crisis. [53:58]

“He alone stretches out the heavens and tramples the waves of the sea.”
(Job 9:8, ESV)

Reflection: How does recognizing Jesus as the Creator-Lord over your storm change your posture toward it? What part of His character do you need to cling to today?

Day 5: Purpose in the Fourth-Watch Rescue

The disciples endured nine hours of storm before Jesus came at 3 AM—His timing intentional, not indifferent. Fourth-watch deliverances teach us to hope beyond deadlines, trusting that delays aren’t denials. Like Jennifer Zimmerman finding Jesus in a radiation tunnel, some storms save us by stripping away false comforts. The rescue matters, but the revelation of Christ’s faithfulness matters more. [47:58]

“Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!”
(Psalm 27:14, ESV)

Reflection: What false timelines have you imposed on God’s intervention? How might waiting deepen your dependence on His perfect purpose?

Sermon Summary

John records Jesus sending the disciples across the Sea of Galilee right after the feeding of the five thousand. The crowd wants to make Jesus king by force, but Jesus refuses that kind of kingship and withdraws to the mountain alone. The boat enters darkness, the wind rises, and experienced fishermen find themselves straining against a sea they cannot control. The storm becomes a picture of the financial, marital, parenting, physical, and grief-filled storms that sweep into ordinary life.

Jesus sends these men into the storm, and that matters. Matthew says Jesus “made” them get into the boat, meaning he compelled and directed them to go. The contrast with Jonah is clear: Jonah met a storm while running from God, but these men meet a storm while obeying God. God’s will does not always mean smooth sailing. Moses obeyed and Pharaoh made life worse. Daniel obeyed and entered a lion’s den. Paul obeyed and endured beatings, shipwrecks, prison, and death. Obedience does not guarantee ease, but God still brings his purpose to pass.

John says, “Darkness had already set in, but Jesus had not yet come to them.” That sentence lands hard when darkness comes through a doctor’s report, a phone call, a financial statement, or an officer at the door. Mark adds that Jesus was on the mountain praying and saw them straining at the oars from miles away in the storm. Christ sees the pain that cannot be explained, and Hebrews says he always lives to intercede for those who come to God through him. The absence may feel real, but the abandonment is not.

Fear nearly causes the disciples to miss Jesus. The One walking toward them looks like a ghost, because fear distorts reality and can make a rescuer look threatening. Jesus arrives in the fourth watch of the night, after hours of rowing with little progress, and speaks calm courage into their terror: “It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

John presents more than a rescue story. Jesus walks on the waves, a work Job says belongs to God alone, and then declares, “I am.” The Greek words echo God’s name revealed to Moses at the burning bush. Christ does not merely bring supernatural help into the storm. Christ reveals that the God of the universe is present in it. The question is not only, “What is happening?” The deeper question is, “Who is here?” Jesus is greater than the storm, and even a radiation tunnel can become a place where someone meets him.

Key Takeaways

1. Keep obeying when winds turn God’s will is not proven by an easy path. Jesus sent the boat into rough water, just as Moses, Daniel, and Paul obeyed God through circumstances that got harder before they got better. Obedience in a storm means holding to prayer, Scripture, fellowship, generosity, and faithfulness when quitting feels reasonable. [32:01]
2. Darkness never means abandonment John names the painful reality that darkness came before Jesus visibly arrived. Christ saw the boat from the mountain, and Christ sees every hidden struggle with the same sovereign clarity. His presence may not be felt in the moment, but his intercession means no believer is left alone in the dark. [37:30]
3. Fear can misread Christ’s approach The disciples thought their rescuer was a ghost because fear twisted what they saw. Fear can turn delayed help into rejection, discipline into cruelty, and God’s nearness into something frightening. Christ speaks into that confusion with a steady word: “It is I. Don’t be afraid.” [43:02]
4. Jesus is greater than the storm Jesus walking on the sea reveals more than miraculous power. His “I am” identifies him with the God who spoke from the burning bush and who alone treads on the waves. The storm may be real and painful, but it is never greater than the Christ who comes through it.

## [49:27]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[24:35] - When Life Feels Out of Control
[32:01] - Keep Obeying in the Storm
[37:30] - Trust Jesus in the Darkness
[43:02] - Do Not Miss Jesus Through Fear
[48:45] - The Great I Am Walks on Water

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 6:15-21
“When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. Darkness had already set in, but Jesus had not yet come to them. A high wind arose, and the sea began to churn. After they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea. He was coming near the boat, and they were afraid. But he said to them, 'It is I. Don’t be afraid.' Then they were willing to take him on board, and at once the boat was at the shore where they were heading.” [24:01]

Matthew 14:22-23
“Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After dismissing the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.” [33:10]

Exodus 3:14
“God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And he said, 'Say this to the people of Israel: "I AM has sent me to you.” [53:00]

Observation questions

What does John say the crowd intended to do after the feeding of the five thousand, and how did Jesus respond?
What details in John 6 show the disciples’ growing difficulty on the sea before Jesus came near the boat?
According to Matthew 14:22–23, whose direction put the disciples in the boat, and what did Jesus do after sending them away? [33:10]
What did the disciples see when Jesus came toward them, and how did they initially respond? [43:14]

Interpretation questions

Why does it matter that the disciples faced the storm while obeying Jesus rather than while running from him? How does this correct the idea that God’s will always produces an easy path? [34:37]
John emphasizes that darkness had come but Jesus had not yet come to the disciples. How can Jesus’ delay be understood alongside the truth that he saw their struggle and was praying? [40:03]
Why might fearful disciples mistake Jesus, their rescuer, for a threat? What are some ways fear can still distort a believer’s view of God’s work in a hard season? [43:50]
How do Jesus walking on the sea and his words “I am” connect with God’s self-revelation in Exodus 3:14? What does this reveal about who is present in the storm? [53:19]

Application questions

Is there a storm in your life—financial, relational, physical, parenting-related, or grief-filled—that has caused you to wonder whether you are outside God’s will? What would it look like to keep obeying God in that situation? [32:15]
When life gets difficult, which spiritual practices are you most tempted to pull away from: prayer, Scripture, gathering with believers, generosity, or honest fellowship? What is one specific step you could take this week to remain connected? [32:19]
Think of a time when darkness came through a hard report, phone call, loss, or uncertainty. How did you experience the difference between Jesus seeming absent and Jesus actually abandoning you? [41:57]
What fear has been shaping the way you interpret your current circumstances? Could that fear be causing you to see God’s delay, correction, or help as something other than it truly is? [44:30]
Jesus’ presence changes the deeper question from “What is happening?” to “Who is here?” In the storm you are facing, how would remembering that Jesus is greater than the storm change the way you pray or respond this week? [54:19]
Who in the group or church family might be straining quietly in a storm right now? What is one practical way you could remind that person they are seen, prayed for, and not alone? [41:03]

Sermon Clips

35s

#JesusOverTheStorm

“And God showed up. And what I want you to hear me say is this, see Jesus as greater than your storm. The question is not what is happening. The question is who is here? And in that moment, the answer is the god of the universe showed up. If god has allowed this storm, if maybe sometimes god sent you into this storm, he has a purpose in this storm.”

40s

#JesusWalksOnWater

“When Jesus showed up, he didn't just... It wasn't like somebody standing on your porch going, it's me. Jesus said this, it is I am. The god of the universe showed up in the storm. Jesus was saying, it's not just a rescue mission. It's a revelation. I am showing you something about who I am. Only god treads on the sea, and here I am walking on the waves.”

26s

#FaithDuringStorms

“When the storm comes into your life, that is not the time to stop reading your bible, to stop praying. That is not the time to stop going to LifeGroup because we got a few problems. That's the time to cling to the fellowship and the people around you who love you. That's not the time to stop coming to church. It's not the time to stop being generous. That's when you keep obeying when the wind turns against you.”

56s

#ObedienceThroughTrials

“You see, Moses obeyed god and things got worse. That happened for Daniel. Daniel obeys god. He prays to the one true living god, and he got him thrown into a lion's den. Paul obeyed god. Paul obeyed god and preached the gospel, and it got him beaten. It got him shipwrecked. It got him imprisoned. And, ultimately, he gave his life for the cause of the gospel. You see, those people were all obeying and storm swept into their life. Don't live under the illusion and interpret the fact that if you're in god's will, that somehow everything's gonna work out and everything's gonna be just fine all the time. Now if you're in God's will, ultimately, he will bring his purpose to pass. He will. But it does not mean it's gonna be easy.”

46s

#TrustGodInTheDarkness

“Darkness came at the doctor's office. Darkness came with that phone call. Darkness came when you opened that that letter or that financial statement. Darkness came when the police officer came and talked to you. Darkness came and you feel like, but, Jesus, where are you? Trust Jesus when you can't see him. When the darkness of your storm comes, but you cannot feel and you cannot... You don't experience that manifest presence of God in that moment.”

28s

#GodSeesYou

“It's that he is the sovereign supernatural god of the universe, and he has abilities that we don't have. And he sees in the middle of their storm. And what I want you to know more than anything else this morning is if you're in a storm, whatever the storm is, he He sees you. He sees your circumstance. He sees your problem. He sees your pain. He knows it all.”

29s

#GodsWillIsntEasy

“Now that makes a a point that I wanna make, and it is that sometimes we have this this misunderstanding that if it's God's will, then it'll be easy. If it's God's will, then this is just gonna happen, and it will... There won't be any problems, and everything will be smooth sailing. If it's God's will, everything's gonna be great. That is not true biblically.”

39s

#SentIntoTheStorm

“They're in the storm because Jesus sent them into the storm. These these are not... These men are not Jonah. Jonah in the Old Testament, the prophet hears a word from God, and he says, I want you to go to Nineveh, which was to the East. And Jonah promptly goes to the West, gets on a boat, goes out into the Mediterranean Sea, and a storm comes because of his disobedience. And sometimes storms come because we make mistakes, and we do dumb things, and we're disobedient. But the the men in this boat are not Jonah. The men in this boat have gotten into this storm because Jesus sent them there.”

44s

#MiracleAndRevelation

“This story is positioned exactly where it is, and it happened at the moment that it happened because this isn't just a rescue story. It's a revelation. If it it would be enough, if the men were caught, these experienced fishermen are caught out in the Sea Of Galilee, tremendous storm, they're scared to death. It would be enough that Jesus rescued them. But there's something else here. There's something more. There's a revelation. It's not just a miracle. It's a sign miracle. I told you that these miracles in John's gospel point beyond the miracle to a message.”

36s

#WalkingOnWater

“It's not just a miracle. It's a sign miracle. I told you that these miracles in John's gospel point beyond the miracle to a message. And this is what I want you to see. This is what I want you to experience in this text. John, Matthew, and Mark all record Jesus came walking on the water. They are 3.5, four miles out into the Sea Of Galilee. It is deep. There is no ledge or rock... Rocky ledge for him to walk on that far. He... This is a supernatural moment. By the way, if you're new here, we believe the stuff in the Bible.”

30s

#FearOfTheRescuer

“They speak in a very calm tone so that the child is comforted so that they can say, I'm a firefighter. I'm here to rescue. I'm here to help you. I'm gonna take you to your mom, or I'm gonna take you to your dad. You need to come with me. Don't worry... Don't don't be afraid of of what I have on. And they have to speak to them in those ways because they're afraid of their rescuer. That's what's happening to the disciples here. They're afraid of the very one who's come to rescue them.”

30s

#FearDistortsReality

“They are in the middle of the storm. The interesting thing is, that Matthew and Mark both record that they thought it was a ghost. The word is fantasma. We get our word phantom from that. And that... Now it's not theologically correct, but but, I mean, the fear does that sort of thing to people. Fear distorts distorts reality for you. Fear can cause you to think something is real when it's not.”

38s

#StormsOfLife

“Well, this passage is perfect for us to understand that. So if you came to church today and you feel like I'm in a storm or you could relate and say, know what? I've been in a storm, then this passage is for you. It'll help you understand a little bit maybe about what was going on in your life. And if you're headed into a storm, and by the way, you won't know that till it shows up, and all of us are probably headed into some sort of storm somewhere along the way. We need the truth in this passage of scripture because it's gonna keep us grounded and rooted and anchored when the storm comes into our life.”

51s

#FaithThroughPain

“I can tell you that there was a point in my life, and it lasted about three and a half years where Mary Anne and I knew that we were in the center of God's will. We were absolutely convinced that we were doing what God told us to do. We were where God told us to be, and it was awful. Awful. I'm not kidding. have scars to prove it. It was not good, but we knew that it was where God intended us to be. We knew the decisions we made were the decisions that God told us to make. We knew it. And, ultimately, it did work out for our good and for his glory, but it was painful in the process.”

31s

#ParentingThroughStorms

“Some of you have raised your children in church. You've tried to do the right thing. You've tried to raise them, but they have a will, and they make their own choices. And because they make their own choices, sometimes those choices choices have consequences, and those consequences are painful not just for them but for the parents. And sometimes there are storms from injuries like with an athlete. You have an injury and, like, you you just want it to go away. You just want it to stop, and and it just won't heal.”

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