What Happens When God Doesn’t Still the Storm?

5th Sunday after Pentecost, 6/23/24 Acts 27:13-26 What Happens When God Doesn’t Still the Storm? I. Remain confident in who you are. II. Remain confident in God’s plans and promises. I’m going to ask you to use your imagination for a moment. Ready? I want you to imagine a disaster striking you later today. I’m not talking about losing $100 or your vehicle not starting. I’m talking about a disaster. The almost unthinkable happening. It might involve the loss of life. Or it could involve the loss of immense property. Or maybe it’s a devastating end to a cherished relationship and you’re crushed. OK, do you have one in mind? Now I want you to think about how you would respond to that disaster. Three responses come quickly to my mind. One, you respond better than you expected you would. You don’t fall apart. Instead, you deal with it the best you can. Two, you become numb. You’re unable to respond mentally, emotionally, or physically, at least in the critical moments. And, three, you become hysterical. The pain you’re experiencing renders you helpless. Your life is flashing before your eyes and, unless someone rescues you, your life will be over soon, or so you think. There are all sorts of devasting situations in life like the one you just imagined. We all face them and, when we have the opportunity to ponder how we’ll respond to the next one we face, we think we know what our response will be, but we won’t know definitely until we face it. In this morning’s Gospel reading, we heard the familiar account of Jesus stilling the storm. Throughout their days with Jesus during his earthly ministry, the disciples had opportunities to consider how they would respond if and when disaster struck. Jesus even challenged them to do so. And they all replied that they would come through such a challenge with flying colors. But we hear them doing the opposite in the account of Jesus stilling the storm. They feared for their lives. They were certain they would drown. Now consider the reaction of the Apostle Paul in this reading from Acts 27 in front of us this morning. His response to disaster was far different. And the storm he faced wasn’t miraculously calmed. It raged on for days. We might wonder why those differences occurred. That’s a good question. But a better question is how would we respond if and when the storms that occur in our lives don’t calm. What happens when God doesn’t still the storm? How do we respond? How should we respond? Let’s keep those questions before us as we delve into this account of the storm the Apostle Paul experienced. What happens when God doesn’t still the storm? I. A few weeks ago, the people of our nation and many people of other nations paused to remember the tremendous valor and determination of the soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy, France in the US-led invasion of Europe, which resulted in the end of World War II. I’ve often wondered how I would have fared if I had been one of those soldiers. Could I have done what those brave soldiers did? When I read this text from Acts 27 earlier, did you wonder the same thing? How would you have fared if you had been on that ship? Perhaps it’s hard to imagine. Let me help you. Let’s try to see the storm from Paul’s perspective. The Apostle Paul completed his Third Missionary Journey about 57 AD. Upon his return to Jerusalem, he was immediately arrested and charged with desecrating the temple and causing a riot. Both charges were baseless. But he remained imprisoned by the Romans for two years in the hope that he would offer a bribe to be released. When that corrupt Roman governor was replaced, Paul appeared before the new governor who was willing to have him tried before the Jews. Paul knew that would be a disaster for him, so he appealed to Rome, a right which was his as a Roman citizen. Imagine being Paul. You had just risked life and limb on your third missionary journey, but the Lord had accomplished great things for the kingdom through you. Your “reward” for faithful service in the kingdom is to be arrested and falsely accused and corruptly held in custody. Might you be a little disillusioned about what your God was doing? The Romans placed him on a ship heading for Rome so that Paul could be tried in a Roman court, but it was already late in the Mediterranean sailing season. Bad weather forced the captain of the ship to find a safe harbor. But wintering in that harbor for months would lead to a great loss of income to the ship’s owner who was planning to deliver a valuable load of commodities to Rome before winter set in. As the writer of Acts informs us, a gentle breeze began to blow. To these men who made their living sailing the Mediterranean, this seemed like just what they were hoping for. But Paul advised them to stay anchored safely in the harbor. But money talked louder. So, they weighed anchor and set sail, keeping close to the shore. But just like that a fierce storm arose. The sailors’ attempts to steer the ship were useless. The crew feared that the ship would be swamped, and all would perish. They began taking heroic measures to save their ship and their lives. In an attempt to lighten the ship, they even threw overboard the ship’s tackle and costly cargo. All that remained on board were humans. For two weeks they saw neither sun nor stars, the only means to navigate a ship. They had no idea where they were heading or what dangers were lurking in the angry sea. They lost hope of coming out of this disaster alive, and these men, no doubt, had been through all sorts of maritime disasters. Now imagine. Imagine being on that ship. Even the seasoned sailors feared they wouldn’t live. They were certain all would drown, never to be heard from again. How would you react? What would you do? Imagine praying day and night for two weeks for the Lord to use his almighty power and still the storm, but he doesn’t. What happens when God doesn’t still the storm? What should you do? Do what Paul did. Listen to his conversation with those on that ship, “But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’” His words to them are brimming with hope. He shares with them what the angel had told him, and it’s all good news for the people. But listen once again to the best part of that news, “An angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve.” Paul knew and believed the greatest good news, far greater than the promise that no lives would be lost. That news was this: Paul belonged to the Lord. Let me repeat: Paul belonged to the Lord. That was Paul’s confidence whether the storm would end or not, whether lives would be spared or not, whether Paul lived or died at sea. He belonged to the Lord. Why? How? Because the Lord had redeemed Paul—purchased him from Satan’s kingdom—by shedding his holy blood on the cross. Jesus willingly paid everything so that Paul—who had spent time persecuting Christians and hating Jesus—could belong to him forever. That was Paul’s confidence even as the storm raged on. What happens when God doesn’t still the storm? Remain confident in who you are—a child of God by faith in Jesus. I’m confident that most of you—perhaps all of you—realize that your death as a Christian is really nothing to fear. Sure, you might be concerned about your living loved ones, but you are confident of eternal life in heaven. If you aren’t, please let me know. As your pastor, I want to help you become absolutely certain of eternal life. But we worry about the far lesser aspects of our lives, don’t we? And they can be the smallest of things, when compared to heaven—our employment, our retirement, our health, our relationships, even our summer vacations! And they tend to cause us to fracture. We just don’t handle those worrisome aspects well. And the storm of worry doesn’t seem to let up. It keeps raging, even getting worse. What happens when God doesn’t still the storm? Remain confident in who you are by faith in Jesus. Your Savior would let nothing—even Satan himself—sever you from him. His death and resurrection sealed his deal with you. You are his own dear child forever, even if God doesn’t still the storm. Put your confidence in him! II. As you ponder this account in the life of Paul a little more, it might occur to you that it was far easier for Paul to put his confidence in the Lord than it is for you. After all, God sent an angel to him and that angel shared God’s promises with him. Wouldn’t that be awesome if the Lord would do the same thing for you in the storms that you face?! He does, in a manner of speaking. The angel audibly spoke the promises of God to Paul. You don’t have to wait for an angel to appear to you and speak God’s promises to you. You have them right here in the Bible—God’s word. And they are here in black ink on white paper, or in digital format on the device in your hand ANY TIME YOU NEED THEM. The Lord told Paul he would live through that storm and would go to Rome and testify before Caesar. He would then be released from prison. A few years later, Paul would be arrested and imprisoned again, and this time it wouldn’t end well for Paul, humanly speaking. He would die a terrible martyr’s death. But the Lord used that horrible situation in Paul’s life for Paul’s good, as well. He used it to bring Paul home to glory in heaven. You have those same promises from your God. No matter what the storms in life may bring, no matter how long they may last, no matter what they might cost, here is one thing they can never take from you: God’s plan for your life and his promise of eternal life. How can I be so sure? Because he died and rose from the dead. He lives! He lives to complete all his plans for your life, for your eternal life. He lives to fulfill every promise he makes to you. What happens when God doesn’t still the storm? It’s still good. All good. Eternally good. Trust him! Be confident! It’s all in his almighty hands! Amen.