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Caught in the Eye of the Storm – Lord Help Me! Why does this always happen to me?

1. Introduction
   1. I start off by telling you a story of a friend of mine who was a good Christian. He was a strong Christian, very dedicated and devoted, serving the Lord.
   2. For some reason, he would always seem to get off course.
   3. He would go for a while, then all of a sudden, all hell would break loose and he’d be caught in the eye of the storm.
   4. Many times there were so many things I remember about this person. He was a believer. He would pray but there’d always seem to be something going wrong.
   5. He would be struggling, feeling temptation, cursing the devil and trying to press through.
   6. I remember sitting down and talking to my friend, and asking him what on earth is going on?
   7. It seems like you go for a while, and all of a sudden you’re in the eye of a big storm.As I began to probe in a little further and question my friend, he said to me
   8. “I seem to believe, and trust when all things are going well, but when things are going wrong, my faith becomes weak.
   9. “I start relying on my own strength, knowing that I should be relying on the Lord’s strength.I find it hard to pray because of the different situations and circumstances I would fall into. It was almost like I could never see out.”
   10. I remember saying to my friend “why don’t you make it a policy that no matter what, when things are going great, you’re praising the Lord, and when things are not going great you’re still praising the Lord.”
   11. It wasn’t long after that, that my friend got married, and got settled in with his new wife. It was the best thing that ever happened to him.
   12. His wife was there to encourage him and let him know that he was the leader of the home and the decisions he would make for the family soon to be, would be either godly or ungodly,.
   13. I remember coming to their house, having dinner with them. I saw a dramatic change in my friend.
   14. He was encouraging me of how important it was for me as a brother in the Lord to always be supportive, and committed.
   15. Even though he had made a lot of mistakes and gone through a lot of circumstances. He always thanked me for being his friend.
   16. He knew now the responsibility of being the leader of his home, providing for his family, and being a good husband and father for his wife and children.
   17. I remember one day, I was going through the eye of a storm. He seemed to call me out of nowhere and say “Brother Wayne, you’ve always been there for
   18. I feel you’re going through something.” I said that I was. He said to me “Let me encourage you to be prayerful, faithful, and press in to God’s Word”
   19. He rehearsed the same words to me that I had said to him over and over again. I thanked him for his prophetic discernment and the encouraging word.
   20. When two or more are gathered in God’s name there Christ will be in the midst. Matthew 18:20: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
   21. He was that dxay. By the strength of both brothers, relying on the st rength of the Lord, we both came out of the eye of the storm.
   22. Now let’s begin with our study.

 

2. Are you a strong Christian? Are you committed and faithful to the Lord?
   1. If you are a strong, committed and faithful Christian, you are like the wise man in this parable. Matthew 7:24-25: Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. This person could go through the eye of the storm, and his house stood strong. This person is not only strong in the Lord for his own storms, but can be strong to encourage someone else who might not be a strong, wise Christian.
   2. If you are not a strong Christian, you are like the foolish man in the parable. Matthew 7:26-27: And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. There is an old hymn that you should keep in mind when the storms come.

It says “In times like these, we need a savior. In times like these, we need an anchor. Be very sure. Be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the solid Rock. The rock is Jesus.”

 

3. What do you do when you’re going through the eye of a storm? Do you falter, hibernate, or reject everyone’s thoughts of how to help you? Do you try to work it out on your own? Are you just a Christian when everything is going good? Are you still a strong Christian when everything is not?
   1. If you falter when a storm comes, you need to have more trust and confidence in who God is. You need the assurance we find in 2nd Timothy 1:12: For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Do you know whom you have believed? Are you persuaded that He will always help you and guide you through the storm, or do you falter?
   2. Do you reject the help that God sends through the people around you? Proverbs 1:6: A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

God often uses other people to help us navigate the storms of life. If we ignore the help they offer, we’ll be prone to be tossed to and fro by the storms of life.

1. When the storm comes, do you try to work it out on your own, and do what is right in your own eyes? Here’s what God’s Word says about this. Proverbs 12:15: The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. We were never meant to do life on our own. God sends people to help us, and He gives us His Word, which can help in every situation you might find yourself in.

 

4. When you’re going through the eye of a storm, or something’s not going the way you’d like it, there are some key things you may need to do to succeed through the twists and turns, rejection, and weakness that you feel at the time.
   1. Trust completely in the Lord, no matter what comes your way. Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. If the storm is blowing a lot of rain and snow across your path, and you can’t quite see which way to go, trust in God. He will be faithful to guide you down the right path, and out of the storm.
   2. Spend time in prayer and let others pray for you. James 5:16: Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Prayer is an important part of navigating the storms of life. Along with that, be in church. You need people praying with and for you when a storm is coming your way. Just because storm clouds are on the horizon is not a reason to skip church, but to press in!
   3. Along with praying, and making your requests known to God, remember thanksgiving and worship. Then, the peace that passes understanding seep into your heart. Philippians 4:6-7: Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. If you are having a hard day, and anxiety and trouble seems to be rolling in, pray and worship God, and you’ll feel a change in the atmosphere. It works every time.

 

 

 

5. There were many patriarchs of the Old and New Testament that experienced many twists, turns, trials, traps, snares, and storms. God was there every time they were faithful in good times and bad.
   1. God promised never to leave us or forsake us. We see this in Hebrews 13:5: Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. If you are in a storm and it seems like God is far away, He’s not. He’s right there. He will never leave, no matter what happens.
   2. He promised to walk closer than any brother would We see in Proverbs 18:24: A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. That friend is Jesus. When all other friends are far away, He never is. You can call on Him any time. Here are some examples of patriarchs who experienced storms, but also knew the favor of the Lord.
   3. Job experienced great loss, but he was faithful.. Job 1:21-22 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

It can be too easy to blame God when things don’t go our way, but Job didn’t do this. He stayed faithful and trusted God completely.

1. He was ultimately more blessed at the end than at the beginning. Job 42:12: So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. Job went through the eye of the storm for sure, but in the end, he was blessed abundantly.
2. In the Psalms, we see a lot of passages where King David had the enemy all around him but he cried out to the Lord. Psalm 3:2-4: Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. David had to deal with the naysayers and the doubters like we do today, but he kept his focus on the Lord and trusted in Him.
3. In the New Testament, Apostle Paul went through his storms but also kept his trust in the Lord. He sums it up nicely in this passage. 2nd COrinthians 4:8-9: We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed;
4. we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Can you confidently declare this in the midst of your storms? You can if your trust is in Him completely.

 

6. How did Jesus deal with storms in the midst of the disciples?
   1. Let’s look at a passage where Jesus is in the midst of a storm with his disciples, and then we’ll see how He reacted to the situation.
   2. In Matthew 8:24-26: And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
   3. Here is what we can take away from this situation. 1. A storm came up in the sea, and the water covered the ship.
   4. We see that Jesus is asleep! Don’t think for a minute that Jesus didn’t know what was happening. He did, but he knew who was in control. It was no big deal to Him. Surely the disciples can pray and the whole thing might be over. They didn’t do that.
   5. The disciples woke Him up in a panic. At least they knew who to call on, but they were afraid.
   6. He scolds them for their lack of faith, and simply rebukes the wind and waves, and there was a great calm . When a storm arises, do you remember who is in the boat with you? Do you call on Him and ask him to calm the storm?

 

7. Are you a person that forgets everything you’ve studied in God’s Word when life’s challenges are upon you?
   1. We are warned not to forget God’s Word in Deuteronomy 8:11: Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: When life’s challenges come upon you, God’s Word can guide you. If you’ve studied God’s Word, you can reflect back on what His Word had to say about those challenges.
   2. Here’s another passage in Psalms that speaks of remembering what God has done, and heeding His Word. Psalm 78:7: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: Remember how God has helped you before. Trust that He will answer again. Follow His Word, right on to the victory.
   3. Are you delighting in God’s Word? Are you meditating on it? Psalm 119:18: I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. If your delight is in Him, and not just in what He can do for you or give you, you will not forget His Word.
   4. Finally, when the storms come, we can make this our prayer. Psalm 119:153: Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law. When you read the bible, or when you come to church and hear a message, are you hungering and thirsting for God’s Word and taking it in, or are you sleeping and soon forgetting the Word He had for you? Something to think about.

8. Conclusion
   1. How can you relate yourself as being a Christian to the challenges life brings?
   2. What can you do, seeing through the eyes of this message, or what can you take away to help you from this moment on to change the course and direction when the storms of life are upon you.
   3. Are you willing to change?
   4. Are you willing to hear the ingredients that’ll bring you through the eye of the storm, or are you just hard hearted, stubborn in your own ways?
   5. Are you truly trusting in God or just saying you are?
   6. Let’s all work together to meet the everyday challenges and storms.
   7. Together with the Lord we can face anything.and be successful to come out of the eye of the storm.