This is the Truth Network. Welcome to the broadcast ministry of Finding Purpose with Russ Andrews, where we seek to glorify God by making him known and guiding others towards their true purpose in life. No one is here by chance. God put us here for a reason. And the most important thing we can do is discover his plan for us and commit ourselves to it.
Keep listening as we learn from the Bible how to live wisely in God's world, which is the first step towards finding your purpose. All right, so tonight I've entitled the message God's Children. in the storms of life.
Now, the scripture that you read for tonight included two miracles: the feeding of the 5,000 men, which, by the way, their families were with them, so it's probably a number, more like 20,000 to 25,000. But we also read about Jesus walking on the water, and because there's such a A lot of questions regarding why God allows suffering into the lives of his children. I'm going to focus on the second miracle tonight.
So Overview Bible. John chapter 6. Verse 14, which we got from the first miracle. After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did in feeding 5,000 men from only five small loaves of bread and two small fish. They begin to say, surely this is the prophet who is to come into the world.
Then Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew from him.
Now, guys, what I'm going to do tonight, which is a little different, I'm going to merge. The um The the uh the accounts that we find in both Matthew, Mark and John in sort of a chronological order.
So I'm going to be jumping around, but in your outline, you've got it in order because I want you to see everything that happened regarding this miracle.
So we learned from Matthew 14, verses 22 and 23, that before Jesus withdrew from the crowd, he immediately made, I want you to hear that word, made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side. And then he dismissed the crowd. And after you d dismiss them, He went up on a mountain by himself To do what? Pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves, because the wind was against them.
In other words, they were rowing directly into the wind.
Now back to John chapter 6. Verse 17 says, But now it was dark, and Jesus had not joined them yet. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, Mark's gospel says that the boat was in the middle of the lake. And Jesus, catch this, saw the disciples straining at the oars.
Because again, the wind was against them.
Now, you need to understand some things about the Sea of Galilee. I've had the privilege of going there, I went back in 2018. We stayed in a hotel right next to the water. It was beautiful. We looked across the Sea of Galilee at the other side.
And by the way, the lake is about eight miles wide, and it's. The way it's situated. It's susceptible to sudden, violent storms. And the reason. Is because the lake lies 700 feet below sea level and is surrounded by hills on both sides, and some of them are as.
As tall as 2,500 feet.
So it creates a natural wind tunnel. And so these gales blow in from both sides, east and west, over these mountains, and they swoop down upon the water, and they can create, in just minutes, violent storms. Producing waves which can reach fifteen feet. That's a big wave on a lake. And to add to the terrifying situation, that these disciples were facing It was dark.
Now, even though some of these disciples specifically James, John, Andrew, and Peter, even though they were seasoned fishermen, They will all experience great fear. If you've ever been out on the water at night, and I've done that before, from the time I was 16, I've enjoyed boating down at Moorhead City. But if you go out there at night, everything looks different. For one thing, you can't see where you're going unless you've got a spotlight. And so it's very dangerous.
So they could not so they think about this they were in this boat wind blowing, gale-force winds, huge waves 10 to 15 feet. And they couldn't see much past the front of the boat.
So these waves were on top of them before they could even see them, and they were crashing over the boat.
So their only option was to grab the oars, because they couldn't sail at night because the wind was so fierce.
So they grabbed the oars and they were straining with all their might directly into the wind and waves. And think about this. Not only was it dark, but they were about four miles from land and they could not see the shore. That's a scary place to be.
Now Mark 14, 25 says that during the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them walking on the water. The Romans divided up the night into four watches. The first watch was from 6 to 9 p.m. The second watch was from 9 p.m. to midnight.
The third watch was from midnight to 3 a.m. And the fourth watch was from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. in the morning.
So Jesus came during that last watch. Which means That the disciples had see they took off when it was still daylight. They got dark after they took off.
So they had been rowing for a minimum of seven to eight hours all through the night. Can you imagine how exhausted they were? On top of that, they were afraid, and they were still, even when Jesus is coming out of the water, they were still straining against the wind. John 6, 19 through 21 says, When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus walking on the water, and they were terrified. But he said to them, It is odd.
Don't be afraid. And then catch this. It says, Then they were willing to take him into the boat. I did take him into the boat instantly. And immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
Do you know a lot of people are not willing? To take Jesus into their heart.
Now, what I want to do in our remaining time is, I want to give you four reasons. why God allows suffering into our lives. Not just into the lives of non-believers, but I'm talking about into the lives of God's adopted children. You and me, if you're in Christ. And here's the first reason.
God purposely sends difficulties into our lives. Do you know why? Because he wants to conform us into the men. that he wants us to be. You see, God's desire of men It's for us to be godly.
Holy righteous and pure. And to be a godly man. Takes work on the part of God on us. In other words, He has to bring us into His workshop and work on us. Have you ever been in God's workshop?
I have.
Some of you are probably in God's workshop right now. And it's a painful place to be. It involves suffering. I want you to notice in Matthew's account that it says that Jesus made them get into the boat, and probably he pushed the boat away from the beach.
Now the Greek text has some very strong language for this word. Made. It literally means that he forced them, he constrained them, he drove them into the boat, and then he pushed them out into the water.
So let me ask you a question. Do you think Jesus knew that he was sending them out into a storm that was coming? Who do you think probably created that storm? Why do you think he did this? Why did he not send them on the way to Capernaum by land?
Because it wasn't that far. I guarantee they could have made it in three or four hours. Why didn't he send him that way? Do you know why? Because he wanted to teach them something about himself.
He wanted them to understand who he really was. He wanted them to know that even in the storms of life, man, Jesus would be faithful to them and that He possessed the power to bring them through these storms so that they would be more holy. More faithful. and more prepared to be used by God. That's what he wants for you and me.
You see, these disciples knew some things about Jesus. They knew he had power. He had turned water into wine. He had healed the sick. He gave sight to the blind.
He gave hearing to the deaf. He even raised a son from the dead, a child of a mother. You may remember that story.
However, in spite of all this, They still did not comprehend exactly who Jesus was. They needed more training. Yeah. They needed their faith to go deeper. Do you know one reason they needed their faith to go deeper?
Because Jesus knew the storms they were going to face after he ascended into heaven. What would happen to them? They would be hated because of the name of Jesus. They would be persecuted. They would be imprisoned by a man named Saul.
And they would they would face martyrdom. They needed to know that Jesus was going to be with them no matter what they went through. Do you know that? That he will. Kent Hughes writes, So there were the disciples, battling the gale, wondering if they could make it to shore.
The storm was raging, the waves were immense, the spray kept dashing over the boat, the mast had begun to crack, and the water was sloshing in the dark hull of their beleaguered boat. The disciples probably wondered. Has the Lord forgotten us? You ever wonder that? But Jesus had not forsaken them.
Even though it looked like he had. Did you know that believers all around the world Particularly in communist and Muslim and Hindu countries, they are going through great persecution. Places like China and North Korea. They are being imprisoned for their faith.
Some of them being executed. You may have read about the accounts in Nigeria where they are burning down churches and slaughtering men, women, and children because they're Christians for no other reason. Churches are burned to the ground in Places like China and India. Why? Because the Bible says that people, Jesus said, people hate you because of my name.
Now here in America We don't have to face imprisonment and martyrdom yet. This you're like trolley kirk.
However, we still face difficulties, do we not? I talked to a young man who came in here tonight. He told me that he's been through depression. that he broke up with a a woman that he was Plan O'Marian. And I said, stay tuned.
Would you call that a storm you've been through? He said, yes. I met with a man that came here last Tuesday. He told me, I had lunch with him this week. He told me that he was bankrupt.
Godly women often have to deal with infertility. Families are dealing with financial failure, stress, anxiety, depression. James Dobson wrote a book entitled When God Doesn't Make Sense. And in that book, he describes godly women who would sit in the hospital, I think it was in LA, and watch their children in their arms die of cancer. And these were Christian women.
What is Gadala? his children to go through these storms. And many in the Bible face similar difficulties. Job lost everything that he had, he lost his wealth, he lost his home. He lost all of his children.
in one day. He lost all of his cattle. And then he lost his health. David was pursued night and day by an unjust king. David was betrayed by a son.
His wife laughed at him because of his faith. He dealt with loneliness. You read all about this in Psalms. He dealt with loneliness, fear, and depression. What did he do?
What did David do? He cried out to God. Psalm 13 says, How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? Does that describe you tonight? Have you ever felt like this?
Well learn from David. Cry out to God. I can remember times, particularly that year when I was depressed. Y'all may remember that? When I would go to my office, slot the door, and get on my face, I could smell the dirt in the carpet, and cry out to God.
to set me free. But see, God had me in his workhouse. I don't want to go back there. Here's the second reason the Lord sends these storms. Here's what He wants to do.
In the midst of these storms, He wants to give us comfort and assurance. that he cares. and that he's actively at work for our ultimate Deliverance. When we are in the midst of hardship or sickness or some other difficulty. I want you to understand this.
Jesus sees us, He sees you. He's watching over you. And he's what for you? Praying. Mark 6.48 says that Jesus He saw them.
He watched them for hours as they were straining against... the waves and the wind. But what was he doing the entire time? He was interceding for them. On that mount, it's like a picture of Jesus in heaven looking down and watching over us and praying for us.
Why did he wait? Why? He could have, with one word, calmed that storm, even from a distance. He could have said, Be still to the sea, and it would have been still. Why did he wait?
Because they went to God's workshop. The Bible tells us that right now. Right this very minute. That Jesus is in heaven, sitting at the right hand of the Father, and He's praying for you and me. He's praying for His children.
Do you know what He's praying? Listen to this carefully. John 17. Father, I pray for them. I'm not praying for the world.
Did you hear that? I'm not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. You gave them to me, and they've obeyed your word. He's talking to us men, guys. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
Do you believe that? I know you do. I pray for them. I'm not praying for the world, but for those you've given me, for they are yours. And then listen to this.
He's talking about the disciples. Because he prayed this prayer while he was still on earth. He said, I will remain in the world no longer. But they are still in the world. See, he understands what we're facing because he faced it.
Yeah. They are still in the world. And I'm going to come into you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me. I have given them your word.
That's why you're sitting here with a Bible in your hands. He's given us His Word. And the world has hated them, for they're not of the world any more than I'm of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one. And then listen to this.
Sanctify them by their truth. Your word is truth. Man, this is how he sanctifies us. As you have sent me into the world, I've sent them into the world. For them, I sanctify myself that they too may be sanctified.
Do you know what that word sanctified means? It means to be made holy. Do you know how God makes us holy? in his workshop. Suffering.
To be holy is to be happy, to be full of joy. To be holy is to be godly, so that God can use us to do his work while we are here. We're like a. We're like a sculpture. that God is forming with his hands into a beautiful piece of art.
so that we reflect his glory. Johnny Eckerson Tata, she's one of my heroes. I read her book called Entitled Johnny back when I was about 14. She broke her neck in a diving accident when she was only 16. She's 76 years old in 2026.
She's still confined to a wheelchair. Been in that wheelchair for 60 years. She even contracted breast cancer. But God has used her mightily. She spoke at Billy Graham Crusades all over the world.
She has a beautiful voice, and she has a singing ministry. She has a radio program. She ministers to other people that have been paralyzed. She paints with her mouth. I want you to listen to her perspective.
on suffering. Quote, if I love God, suffering does not ultimately matter. Christ in me. Is what matters. Pain does not cease to be pain, but I can rejoice in suffering because the power of God in my life is greater than suffering's vice grip can ever be.
And then she says, I want to see the sculpture finished. She's talking about herself. She said, I heard her say this a few years ago, maybe 10 years ago. She said, When I go to heaven, I want to take my wheelchair with me. Do you know why?
She said, I never would have known my Lord. without the wheelchair. The way I do. I would have never known him as intimately. She said, But then I'm going to give him permission to cast it into hell.
You see, Jesus being a He wants us to be godly men. And I've tried it both ways as a Christian. I've been an ungodly Christian, and I'm trying to be more godly. And I have learned that I have so much more joy and peace and assurance when I'm walking according to his will. And the only way you can do it is with the Holy Spirit who's in you.
You see, he sends storms to shape us, to conform us into his likeness. He wants us to know that he's praying for us, for our protection and ultimate deliverance. And here's the third reason. Jesus wants us to experience his presence and power in the very midst of the storms. One thing the Bible makes clear.
is that God is never late. Jesus always comes to us at just the right time. When the disciples had come to the end of their rope, when they were totally exhausted, when they were without hope. Guess who shows up? Jesus, he's never late.
Kent Hughes says, We cannot always know why God waits, but we can be sure that He knows everything and that He is ministering and caring for us and will never abandon us. As I said, Job experienced great suffering, and God allowed Satan to actually cause him to suffer. Why? He had a purpose in mind for Job. You see, what Satan meant for evil, God meant for good.
And after the Lord delivered Job, listen to his perspective on suffering. Job 42 verse 5 says, My ears had heard of you. But now my eyes have seen you. He saw God more clearly in the midst of his suffering. Mm-hmm.
Hughes again says, I love Kent Hughes. He says, you may know Christ, but you will never know him deeply until he comes to you in the midst of the storms of life. Men want Jesus wants to know us to know him intimately. And the way that he Often Brings us into an intimate relationship. It's through suffering.
You see, it's in the darkness that His light shines the brightest. It's in the valley that the grass grows the greenest. It's in the storms of life that God gets our undivided attention. And it's in our suffering that we find this intimacy with God. During the darkest part of the night, When the disciples were ready to abandon ship, Jesus appeared, and what did he say to them?
He said, It is I. Do not be afraid. I want you to understand the great here. He says Ego a me. Aga means I am.
And amen means I am. He's saying he's using the divine name of God. He's saying, I am who I am, is here. Therefore, You have nothing to fear. How many anybody struggle with fear?
Anybody willing to say they do? Men don't like to say they're afraid of anything. But don't we all get through fear from time to time? You wake up in the middle of the night worried about something, usually it's business-related or health-related. Philippians 4, verses 6 and 7 says, The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God, and the peace of God. which transcends all understanding. Will guard your hearts. and minds. In Christ Jesus.
The disciples were the students. And Jesus was the teacher. He saw them straining. He prayed for them during their agony.
Now he'd come to them. And when they willingly took him into the boat, the sea became calm, and immediately the boat reached the shore. Where they were heading, probably another miracle. All was calm. All was well.
Darlene Rose is another one of my heroes. She was married to her husband Russell. They were missionaries. Who went to, have felt called to go to New Guinea just prior to the outbreak of World War II. And while they were there, the war breaks out, and they thought, well, gosh, we're so far away, it would never reach us.
But they did not understand the tenacity of the Japanese shock troops. That's what they were known as shock troops. Because everywhere they went, there was a lot of shock. The Japanese marched through China like knife through warm butter. And they raped women and pillaged towns and villages.
And they made it all the way down to Indonesia. And ultimately, they made it to New Guinea. And then they even made it back into the jungles of New Guinea over several mountain ranges where these missionaries were stationed. Russell and Darlene and other missionaries. And what they did, I wish I had time to tell you the whole story, but it'd take an hour.
They arrested the men first, and they carted them off to prison of war camps, concentration camps. The day that Russell got into this truck, Darling brought him up. Uh um A pillowcase full of just some personal items. She handed him. And the truck pulled away.
That's the last time she ever saw him. They were 18 when they left Boone Iowa and went to New Guinea. She then, the women were taken to separate concentration camps where she was able to lead Bible studies just like Corte and Boone did when they went to Ravensbrook. the uh concentration camp there in Germany. And one day she got worried.
that Russell had died. She said it was the darkest day of her life. She felt like God had abandoned her.
However. She had so memorized scripture that she said the Holy Spirit took the needle of the phonograph and put it down on a long playing album. You young guys have no idea what I'm talking about. And she began to just hear God's voice from Isaiah 43. Here's what God said to her: Darlene, when you pass through the waters.
I'll be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, They will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you. She learned in those days that there's a peace that cometh after sorrow, of hope surrendered, not of hope fulfilled, a peace that looketh not upon tomorrow, but calmly on a tempest storm that is stilled. A peace that lives not now in joys, excesses. That's what the world's enjoying, by the way. Excesses.
Nor in the happy life of love secure, but in the unerring strength the heart possesses of conflicts won while learning to endure. A peace there. A peace there is in sacrifice secluded, a life subdued from will and passion free. Tis not the peace that over Eden brooded, but that which triumphed in Gethsemane. Yeah.
Here's the fourth reason. God wants us to know him intimately. I'm reading a devotional book entitled Watching for the Morning by Veneetha Risner, which Barry and his wife Ashley gave me. She lives right here in Raleigh. She was born in India, and her parents soon discovered that she had polio.
She endured 21 operations by the time she was 13 years of age. At that time, she was angry with God. And she wasn't even sure that he existed. Fortunately, those surges enabled her to walk, at least for a while. Then at age 16, something...
Great happened. She turned her life over to Jesus Christ. And you know what she thought then? She thought, gosh, I'm going to enjoy my best life now. Everything's going to be great.
God's going to take away all of my problems. I won't ever have to suffer. And for the next. 14 years until age 30. Everything was good.
She said, but the easier life became, the more I drifted from God. At age 30, everything fell apart. She endured four miscarriages. She lost her infant son, Paul. But apparently her suffering was still not over.
Her body was going backwards. She suffered post-polio syndrome where your body regresses. She was beginning to lose the use of her arms and legs. She used to paint and make jewelry. She had to give that up.
She was confined to a wheelchair. But she turned to writing. And then shortly after all this, Her husband left her. With two Teenagers. She said, I felt like I have nothing.
She had to learn to hold on to hope. when life seemed hopeless. What was her perspective on suffering? She says, when my husband left me, My faith became a thousand times deeper. 'Cause I had nothing but God.
The Apostle Paul endured great suffering. Jesus even warned him through Ananias: I will show him how much he must suffer for what? My name. And suffer he did. Scourged with a whip five times.
Three times he was beaten with rods. Once he was stoned and left for dead outside of Lystra. Three times he was shipwrecked. He was constantly escaping from persecutors. He was in danger from rivers, bandits, countrymen, Gentiles, and false brothers.
He labored and toiled and often went without sleep. He knew hunger and thirst and often went without food, and he was often cold and naked. What was his perspective on suffering? Yeah. I'll close with this.
Philippians 3, he says, I consider everything a loss compared to the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For whose sake I have lost all things, I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is found through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. Here you go. I want to know Christ. And the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in his suffering, and becoming like him in his death.
and so somehow to attain to the resurrection of the dead. Can you say that? Do you want to know Christ more intimately? Are you willing to share? in the fellowship of his suffering.
Are you willing for God to work on you? He works on you for you. For his glory. And you're Eternal good. Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. Dear Heavenly Father, none of us wants to go through suffering. But Lord, not our will, but thy will be done. If suffering is what we need, Then I hate to say this, Lord, because I'm fearful of suffering, but bring it if that's what we need. Because we know that we will.
encounter the risen Christ more than we ever Have And we will discover that you're with us in the storms of life. And that you will give us hope. This is And the coming. of your kingdom. It's in your name we pray.
Amen. You've been listening to Finding Purpose with Russ Andrews. This broadcast is made possible because of the prayers and financial gifts of listeners like you. If you want to learn more about our ministry or support us as we reach others with God-centered Bible teaching, please visit us at findingpurpose.net.
