Our story of two storms from Luke 8:22-39 gives us insight into how to deal with our storms of life. It is easy to think that God has left us on our own in adverse times. But that is not true. The early church applied these stories to the persecution they faced, first from the Jews and then the Romans. They applied the analogy of a sea threatening to sink them and the attack of a madman to their oppression.
Often, the early Christians hoped that Jesus would quiet the storm of persecution, but that did not always happen. In the middle of the storm, they had to rely on their faith in Jesus and the promise of eternity with Him. It is much the same for us today.
Wisdom from Storm 1
Storms are unexpected. While intense storms on the Sea of Galilee are not unusual, they most often happen in the afternoon. There was no warning of a storm as the disciples set sail.
Storms may be beyond your experience. Four disciples were professional fishermen who spent many hours on the water. They were even frightened, which shows that this storm was above and beyond what they knew.
God is with us. Jesus was in the boat with them, but they thought He didn’t care because He was sleeping. God always promises to be with us. He may not stop the storm for His reasons, but He sails through them with us.
God is in control. There was immediate quiet when Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves. Remember, God is sovereign and controls not only the history of the world but also each person’s destiny.
Wisdom from Storm 2
Satan likes pre-emptive strikes. The demons in the man confront Jesus as He gets out of the boat. They wanted to deter Jesus from sending them away.
Satan will try to make deals. The demons in the man knew Jesus was more powerful than they, and they bartered to try to stay in some type of body, even if it was the pigs.
Satan will try to cause as much destruction as possible. The demons destroyed the pigs. Since they could not continue to destroy the man, they destroyed what they could.
Jesus is more powerful than Satan. Demons know that their ultimate destiny is the lake of fire where they will be tormented (Revelation 20:10). They could only go where Jesus allowed them to go.
Not everyone will understand the spiritual battle. The townspeople were afraid when the demoniac was in his right mind and clothed. As a result of this fear and the economic loss of the pigs, they asked Jesus to leave.
Jesus in Your Storms
Jesus freed the demoniac from the storm of his life. Jesus can free, heal, and restore you, too. He does so for a purpose. We have a testimony that can help others when God frees us and makes us whole. The healed man understandably wanted to follow Jesus, but Jesus had something else for him. He was to go and tell others what God had done for him. When God touches our lives, we are to share the amazing event with family and friends.
To learn more about the storms of life, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/calming-of-two-storms