He Still Walks on WaterSample

Into the Storm
Hello and welcome to the He Still Walks on Water Plan! I’m Bishop Gary Lewis, and over the next 7 days, I hope to equip you with the principles you need from God’s Word to stand strong in the midst of a storm.

Vicious, nasty, dark clouds of despair can overwhelm us without a second’s warning, such as in the case of Job. Like a tornado that swirls over the horizon, a succession of messengers brought the prophet the worst possible news.

The first told him that an enemy had attacked, killed some servants, and made off with his oxen and donkeys.

The second said that the fire of God had fallen from the heavens and burned up his sheep and other servants, and he alone had escaped to relay the news.

The third brought word that other enemies had formed three raiding parties to swoop down and steal his camels and put other servants to the sword.

Finally came the revelation that turned Job’s stomach into a churning mess: while his sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine, a mighty wind had swept in from the desert and struck the oldest brother’s house. The four corners had collapsed and killed all of them, with only the messenger surviving to report the disaster (Job 1:13–19).

One danger of casual Bible reading is missing the full picture of what happened to the characters in Scripture. Sometimes, we treat Job’s anguish with a shorthand version of reality. You know: “Poor Job, he lost some of his possessions and really had it hard.” But let the details of that awful day sink deep into your spirit. Job had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and numerous servants. Plus, his pride and joy: seven sons and three daughters. And just like that, he lost it all. Anyone who has suffered through the death of a single child knows the awful, sinking feeling of agony and dismay that overwhelms any parent. The kind that leaves them gasping for air and asking the universal question: “Why did this have to happen to me?”

Once you better understand the magnitude of Job’s multiple losses, you may better appreciate his reaction to the parade of bad news messengers:

Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said:

"Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord."

In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. -- Job 1:20-22, (NKJV)

Job didn’t allow the storm to steal his hope. Every storm brings with it a spiritual battle, a clash where faith struggles to prevail over fear, and praise fights to drown out pain. Hope wrestles with helplessness. Love struggles to overcome loneliness. Only when we are equipped with vision and faith can we say as Paul did:

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. -- 1 Corinthians 15:57–58 (NKJV)

But Job’s suffering doesn’t end there. Chapter 2 describes Satan (and remember, God permitted Satan to do this) afflicting Job with painful sores “from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head” (Job 2:7, NKJV). Imagine that -- suffering so bad you sit with a shard of broken pottery and scrape yourself with it while sitting in an ash heap as your spouse tells you to curse God and die.

If that weren’t bad enough, Job has to endure the insults of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who essentially place Job under a microscope saying in effect, “What have you done wrong, buddy? Why have you sinned and brought this curse on yourself?” There’s a reason similar second-guessers today carry the label "Job’s Friends." And yet, after this series of charges and condemnations, Job is able to proclaim:

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” — Job 19:25–27 (NKJV)

Not only was Job a wealthy man of faith, but he was also respected, generous, and known for helping the poor, widows, and orphans. Long before James wrote “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27), Job was doing just that.

To grasp God’s goodness, we must contemplate the full story of Job. Too often, we can get hung up on his losses but forget the end of this ancient saga. Yes, Job walked through unimaginable grief and suffering, but he also came out in better shape than before the storm hit. This is the part of Job’s story worth remembering—that God is right there, walking through the storm by your side, whatever losses, grief, setbacks, or obstacles you are facing.

If you think of this as some kind of empty promise, consider the blessings God bestowed on Job at the end of the book, which included 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 oxen, 1,000 female donkeys, 7 sons, and 3 daughters. And he lived 140 years -- enough time to see four generations of his family (Job 42:12-17).

The best news is that Job isn’t some ancient figure whose relevance has faded with the passage of time. The same promises of restoration and blessing live on today through God’s Son, the Savior Jesus Christ. Just like He did in the story told in Matthew 14:22–33, Jesus still walks on water. He still takes our hand and guides us through gut-wrenching, fear-inducing, nerve-rattling setbacks.