Signs & Miracles // Lord Over the Storm // Pastor Keenen Worrell

Aug 09, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Straining at Oars in the Middle of the Storm

The disciples rowed for miles against chaotic winds, their muscles burning as waves crashed over the boat. Jesus didn’t calm the storm but met them in it, revealing that growth happens not by avoiding chaos but by enduring it. Trust isn’t pretending fear doesn’t exist—it’s refusing to let fear dictate the outcome. Like rowers disoriented by rain, we often exhaust ourselves trying to outmaneuver life’s storms instead of looking for the One already standing on the water. The invitation isn’t to escape the storm but to recognize who rules it. [10:18]

When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” (John 6:16–20, ESV)

Reflection: What storm have you been “rowing through” alone, assuming God expects you to fix it yourself? How might your exhaustion shift if you lifted your eyes from the waves?

Day 2: “It Is I” in the Language of Burning Bushes

Jesus didn’t merely say, “I’m here”—He declared “I AM,” invoking God’s covenant name from Exodus. This wasn’t casual reassurance but a revelation of divine presence. The same God who spoke to Moses through fire now stood on stormy seas, reframing chaos as holy ground. His nearness isn’t conditional on our performance or clarity; He inhabits the mess uninvited. When storms make us question if we’re forgotten, His name drowns out the lie. [13:21]

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.’” (Exodus 3:14, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you mistaken God’s silence for absence? How does His name “I AM” redefine what you believe He’s capable of in your current struggle?

Day 3: The Miracle of Suddenly

After Jesus entered the boat, the disciples didn’t slowly drift to shore—they arrived “immediately.” The God who walks on chaos also accelerates timelines. What feels like an endless storm to us is a scheduled stop in His plan. The disciples’ sudden landing proves that obedience (rowing) and trust (letting Him in) work together. Our waiting isn’t wasted; it’s the runway for His perfect timing. [21:24]

And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:32–33, ESV)

Reflection: What “suddenly” have you stopped praying for because delay made it feel impossible? How might today’s obedience prepare you for God’s unexpected timing?

Day 4: Shorelines Hidden in Plain Sight

The pastor’s boat rescue revealed they were already near shore—they just couldn’t see it. Similarly, our storms often obscure the progress God has already made. His promises aren’t contingent on our perception; the destination is secure the moment He speaks it. Anxiety lies, insisting we’re lost, but His sovereignty means every wave still serves His route. The shore isn’t “ahead”—it’s assured. [28:38]

He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. (Psalm 107:29–30, ESV)

Reflection: What evidence of “shore” might you be missing because the storm’s noise drowns it out? How would certainty of His finish change how you navigate today?

Day 5: Inviting God to Admire the Storm

We often want God to calm storms from a distance, but He insists on entering them. His goal isn’t to critique our rowing skills but to redirect our focus from survival to surrender. Letting Him into the boat doesn’t guarantee instant calm, but it does guarantee companionship—and that companionship guarantees arrival. The miracle isn’t the absence of chaos but the presence of the I AM within it. [30:33]

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6, ESV)

Reflection: What part of your “boat” have you kept God out of, fearing His judgment? How might His presence transform the storm from a threat to a testimony?

Sermon Summary

John does not just record miracles, John records signs and miracles. A miracle is an act of power, but a sign is an act of power with a message. John 6 brings that message through one of the most familiar stories, Jesus walking on the water, and the text refuses to let familiarity rob the moment of its weight.

John places the disciples in the dark, in the wind, in the rough sea, after they have rowed three or four miles. The storm is not background noise, it is chaos. Jesus does not first calm it, stop it, or explain it. Jesus walks right on top of it and treats all that chaos like it is pavement. The storm shows that God is Lord over the chaos, not competing with it, not nervous about it, not trying to figure it out. Christ is not just stronger than the storm, Christ is sovereign over it.

Jesus then speaks into the fear and says, “It is I, do not be afraid.” John’s language reaches deeper than a simple “it’s me.” The words point to “I am,” the name God gave Moses from the burning bush. Jesus is showing that the same covenant God is right there in the middle of the storm. God is not far off, looking down from a distance. God is among His people, with them, present in the chaos they thought might swallow them.

John then gives the quiet miracle inside the miracle: “immediately” or “suddenly,” the boat is at the land where they were going. Jesus does not only interrupt the storm, He completes the journey. Matthew’s account shows that Jesus had already told them to get in the boat and go to the other side. Once He said it, the storm did not get a vote. If Christ has spoken the destination, He will defy the wind, the waves, and even the normal rules of the moment to bring His people there.

The boat becomes the question. The chaos is not asking for more self sufficiency, more rowing, or more distance management with God. Jesus is not asking to admire the storm from outside the boat. Jesus is asking to be let in. God is not put off by the mess, and He is not getting out until His people are standing on the shore He intended all along.

Key Takeaways

1. Chaos becomes pavement under Christ The storm looked like a threat to the disciples, but Jesus treated it like a walkway. That picture changes the way fear gets interpreted, because the thing that feels unstable under human feet is still under His authority. Trust does not mean pretending the waves are small, it means refusing to let fear have the final word. [08:15]
2. I Am enters the storm Jesus’ words, “It is I,” carry the weight of the covenant name revealed to Moses. The comfort is not in vague religious language, but in the voice of the One who speaks it. The storm does not prove abandonment, because the God of the burning bush has stepped into the middle of the water. [13:21]
3. The storm gets no vote Jesus had already told them to go to the other side, so the wind could not rewrite His instruction. The storm was real, loud, and exhausting, but it did not have authority over what Christ had spoken. When God intends a destination, the obstacle may delay feelings of peace, but it cannot cancel His word. [26:31]
4. God finishes what He starts John’s “immediately” is not a throwaway detail, it is a miracle inside the miracle. Jesus does not merely show up to make the disciples feel better in the middle, He gets the boat to the shore. The God who begins the work does not leave His people high and dry halfway through the journey. [22:09]
5. Let Him in the boat The central decision is not whether the storm can be fixed by human effort, but whether Christ is allowed into the place of panic. Self sufficiency keeps rowing long after strength is gone, while surrender receives the One who was already near. God is not put off by the mess, and His nearness is not fragile. [31:28]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:09] - Signs and Miracles in John
[00:58] - A Boat, a Storm, and Panic
[05:51] - Jesus Walks on the Water
[07:25] - Familiar Story, Deeper Sign
[08:15] - Jesus Walks on the Chaos
[09:12] - God Is Lord Over Chaos
[12:45] - “It Is I” and the I Am
[14:19] - God Among Us
[21:24] - Suddenly at the Shore
[22:09] - God Finishes What He Starts
[24:20] - The Other Side Was Spoken
[28:38] - Already There in the Storm
[29:32] - Let Him in the Boat

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 6:16-21
“When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.” [05:51]

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."’” [13:21]

Matthew 14:22
“Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.” [24:20]

Psalm 107:29
“He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.” [08:27]

Job 9:8
“who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea;” [08:27]

Psalm 89:9
“You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.” [08:27]

Observation questions

In John 6:16-21, what details show how serious the situation was for the disciples before Jesus spoke to them?
What does Jesus do in John 6 before He speaks to the disciples, and why is that detail important to notice? [08:15]
What exact words does Jesus say to the disciples in the storm, and what Old Testament passage helps explain those words more deeply? [13:21]
According to Matthew 14:22 and John 6:21, what had already been spoken about the disciples’ destination, and what happened once Jesus was received into the boat? [24:20]

Interpretation questions

Jesus walks on the sea instead of immediately removing the storm. What does that reveal about His authority over chaos, and how does that shape the way a believer sees overwhelming circumstances? [09:12]
Jesus says, “It is I,” using words that echo “I AM” from Exodus 3:14. Why does it matter that the One present in the storm is not just a helper, but the covenant God Himself? [13:57]
John says the boat was “immediately” at the land, and Matthew shows that Jesus had already told them to go to the other side. What does that suggest about the relationship between Christ’s word and the obstacles that rise against it? [26:31]
The disciples were glad to take Jesus into the boat. Why does that small response seem to carry so much weight in the story, and what does it suggest about trust, surrender, and self-sufficiency? [29:32]

Application questions

What part of life right now feels most like a dark sea with strong wind against it: family, work, health, grief, finances, or something else? What has fear been saying in that place? [07:25]
Chaos becomes pavement under Christ. Where has fear been acting like it has the final word in life, and what would it look like this week to trust Christ’s authority there without pretending the situation is easy? [11:00]
“I AM” is present in the storm. When life gets heavy, is there a tendency to assume God is distant, disappointed, or uninvolved? What helps that lie lose its grip? [14:36]
The storm does not get a vote when Christ has spoken. Is there an area where circumstances have started to feel louder than God’s word? What would it look like to hold onto His direction instead of reading the storm as the final answer? [26:46]
God finishes what He starts. Where is there weariness from feeling stuck in the middle of something unfinished? How might this passage give fresh courage to keep trusting Him for the whole journey, not just the moment of crisis? [22:09]
Jesus is not asking anyone to fix the storm before coming to Him; He is asking to be let into the boat. In practical terms, what might “letting Him in” look like in a real situation right now: honest prayer, asking for help, confessing control, obeying something already known, or something else? [31:28]
Self-sufficiency keeps rowing long after strength is gone. Where has there been a habit of saying, “I’ve got this,” while quietly wearing out inside? What would surrender look like there this week? [33:17]

Sermon Clips

38s

#WhenGodSays

“``He gave instruction. And the other thing that I love about this is once he gave that instruction, it didn't matter how high the waves were. It didn't matter how strong the storm was. It didn't matter how hard the rain came down. Regardless of any of that, they were still going to make it to the other side. Why? Because the storm doesn't get a say when God has already said what he has said.”

39s

#GodGetsInYourBoat

“God doesn't get in your boat to admire the storm with you. He got in your boat to get you to shore, and he is not getting out until you're standing on the other side. And the thing that I love about the Lord, his grace, his mercy, his kindness, is that because we are all here today, whether here in person or watching online, because we are here, it is not too late to let him in.”

45s

#SovereignOverStorms

“He is not competing with our storm. Jesus is not just stronger than our storm, he is sovereign over it. He is unbothered, he is unhurried, and the first sign that we see in this miracle is that God is Lord over the chaos. He is Lord the chaos. The chaos in your family, he is Lord over it. The chaos at your job, he is Lord over it. The chaos in your marriage, he is lord over it. This is part of the character of God. This is who he is.”

50s

#JesusWalksOnWater

“It is chaos. The waves are high. It is chaos and the disciples are right in the middle of it. Since they had been rowing for miles, they're right in the middle of it, but verse 19 says something interesting. It says, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and approaching the boat. Again, it is important that we don't just become so familiar that we miss what's happening. Notice that Jesus did not calm the storm. Notice that Jesus did not stop the storm. Jesus walked right on top of the storm and treated all of this chaos like it was pavement.”

42s

#YoureAlreadyThere

“The one thing that we didn't know was that we were already there. We were already there. Half of what we are calling a storm is really just us not yet knowing what's already true. think that you're still fighting for the shore. You are not. He has already said where your boat is going and the storm doesn't get a vote. He is Lord over the chaos. He is God among us. He finishes what he starts.”

68s

#LetHimInYourBoat

“The only thing left in the boat that day was a decision. And the only thing left in this room today is the same decision. He is not asking us to fix the storm, He's asking us to let him Let him in and watch how fast our end suddenly comes. So the question that we have to ask is is what what is the boat that we're in this morning? What is the situation? What is the chaos that we're facing this morning, And have we actually let God in it? Or have we just asked him to calm the water from a distance?”

40s

#ChooseTrustNotFear

“And understand that trusting his sovereignty, trusting his lordship isn't pretending that we're not afraid, it's just making sure, it is refusing actually to let fear have the final word. It is refusing to let fear have the final word. We don't get to choose our storms. We don't get to choose when our storms happen, but we do get to choose whether we will keep straining at those oars alone for miles or will we finally let him in the boat.”

44s

#GodIsInTheStorm

“When chaos occur occurs in our life, God is not afraid. He is not anxious, he is not worried in the least bit. So the thing that we have to take away here is instead of us just instantly and just praying, Lord remove it, Lord take it away, instead of us praying for God to remove the storm, we need to recognize, guess what, he's already standing in the middle of it. He's already standing in the middle of it and he is unthreatened by it. And our chaos was never a question mark for him.”

46s

#TrustGrowsInStorms

“This is where we get the opportunity to grow in our trust of God. Right in the middle of the storm is where we get the great opportunity to grow in our trust of God. Now most of us would like to grow in our trust of God without a storm. We would just be like, no, Lord, I trust you. Yeah. If you could just give me some more trust on GP, that'd be fine. I don't I don't need a storm, but that's not how life works. We get the opportunity to grow in our trust of him in our storms.”

58s

#GodCaresAboutYou

“Let him in your boat. Let him in your boat, and watch how that ant suddenly happens. Our defense so many times is just, no. No. I got it. I got it. I'll take care of it. God God has bigger things to worry about. He has bigger no. No. No. No. He cares for you. cares for you. You are the one that he loves. You are the one that he cares about. He says he he he watches over you while you're sleeping. He knows the number of hairs on your head. He cares about and cares for you. Will you let him in?”

82s

#LetGodFixIt

“And I know that some of us have been struggling with these storms for a while. We've been straining at these oars for a minute. We've been dealing with this chaos in our life for a while and we are tired. We are weary trying to make it to the other side of the storm on our own and God is saying, will you let me in? Will you let me in? admire me from a distance, not manage me, but will you let him Into the storm, into the chaos. God is not put off by your mess. You may think that the thing that you're going through is so bad, it's you've been going through it so long, it's too hard or it's too messy, it's too dirty, it's God is not put off by your mess. The question is, are you willing to let him in so that he can fix it? So that he can clean it up.”

61s

#NotTooBigForGod

“The sooner that we acknowledge, the sooner that we recognize where he is and who he is, the sooner and suddenly happens to us. Why? Because he is Lord over the chaos. Please do not let the devil make you think that what you're going through is too big for God. Because sometimes we get fooled into believing this situation is too much. And here's what here's how we we we this is what we do. We say it's too much for God so we'll handle it. You can't say amen, say ouch, it's fine. We say this is too much for God. I I I'll take care of this. I'll figure this out. He is Lord the chaos.”

25s

#NothingIsImpossibleWithGod

“And it is up to us in the middle of it to be reminded of that. Because sometimes we get into the middle of things and we we're just we're looking around, oh oh god, what am I what's gonna happen? What am I gonna do? What what what no. No. No. He's lord over the chaos. This is not impossible for him. This is this is this is nothing.”

39s

#GodWontAbandonYou

“He is right here with me. He is holding this plane up. He didn't hold it up 20,000 miles, 30,000 feet in the air just for me to get right here and be like, alright. I'm done. I did my job. No. That's not how God operates. And if we're not careful, we can believe the lie that God will leave us right in the middle of it. He's like, oh, it's too much. Oh, you didn't listen, so I'm just gonna leave you right here and let you fail. That is not the God we serve. We cannot allow our our idea or our vision of God to be shaded by how people treat us.”

40s

#ConfidenceInHisPresence

“When I when you are are are confirmed, when you are assured that God is with you, when you step out, you respond differently, you move differently, you react differently. you're assured of it, He says, will never leave you nor forsake you. He says, I I I am here. I am here with you. So you're you're not afraid when other people are afraid. You're not worried when other people are worried. You're not concerned. Why? Cause I know who's with me.”

49s

#GodIsWithYouAlways

“We are not in this alone. He is right there with us. Matthew 28, he says, lo, I am with you always. And I looked it up. Always? It means always. Joshua one, he says, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Listen, the the the the the disciples were comforted by by those words, it is I. But it didn't come from the vagueness of the words, it is I. It came from whose voice it was that said, it is I. He didn't say help is on the way. He said, I am is here.”

39s

#HeFinishesTheJourney

“This is the end of the story here and it almost seems like he he just he throws this in at the end, but this is a miracle within a miracle. Jesus didn't just interrupt the storm, he completes the journey. He gets them precisely to their intended destination. The last sign in this miracle is one that is worth rejoicing about and it is that he is a God that finishes what he starts.”

36s

#GodsWordDelivers

“We don't serve a God that will leave us high and dry. We don't serve a God that will leave our situation right in the middle of the moment. The scripture said immediately the boat was at the land. Why is that important? Because it shows us that whatever God speaks and intends, it has to come to pass. Whatever God speaks and intends, it has to come to pass. We see that all throughout scripture.”

58s

#CovenantGodWithUs

“this is interesting because this is the same I am that in Exodus chapter three, Moses asked, God, who shall I say sent me? And he says, say he responds, I am has sent you. This is the exact word that God used in Exodus to name himself. So Jesus was letting him know or letting the disciples know in that moment the same way that I believe that he is letting us know who it was that showed up in the middle of the storm, who it was that showed up in the middle of the chaos. See, Jesus wasn't just saying, oh, it's me, it's just me, I'm here. He was letting them know that the same covenant God who spoke to Moses out of the burning bush is right here in the middle of your storm with you.”

57s

#YouAreNotAloneInThis

“Sometimes we can get so overwhelmed with the chaos that we're facing that we start believing the lie that we are in this alone. We start believing the lie or listening to the lie of the devil that we are in this alone. It's just you. Nobody understands. This situation is so unique that nobody has ever had this situation before, therefore, nobody can help you. Therefore, you are in this by yourself. But start believing the lie because it's too much. It's it's it's too much going on and and and it's not just one thing because if if the rain was was coming and there was no wind and there was no waves, then we'd be fine. But it's never just one thing.”

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