Like Never Before

Last night I went to a revival service at a church near my house. Dr. Larry Brown, the pastor of the church where my brother goes to school was preaching. I love to hear him preach, so I wasn't going to miss going!
He spoke from Matthew 14 about how Jesus sent the disciples away to cross the sea. Jesus knew that a storm was coming, yet He sent them out in the boat anyway. Why would Jesus send them away when He knew that a storm was coming? That's what the preacher spoke about last night.
Firstly, he said that Jesus sent the disciples out into the storm to save them from a greater problem. Jesus had just fed the 5,000, and these people wanted to make Jesus king. I'm sure the disciples wouldn't have objected to being king's advisors. But Jesus knew that He hadn't come to make a kingdom on earth at that time. He had come to die for sinners. So he was saving the disciples from getting caught up in the idea of becoming great and powerful.
Secondly, Jesus sent them out into the storm because He wanted to prepare them for greater storms that would come in their lives. If you read on in God's Word, you will see much harder times for the disciples than this time where they were caught in a storm in the middle of the sea. Most were martyred for their faith. All suffered great persecution. Jesus was showing them that things wouldn't always be easy. But He also showed that just when we think we are going to be overcome by our problems, we can see that Jesus is there, walking on top of what is troubling us. You see, Jesus had already overcome the storm that night. He just needed to show the disciples that He was stronger than the storm.
When He showed the disciples that He was stronger than the storm, they saw Him in a way they'd never seen Him before. Never before had they seen Him walking on the sea. At first they didn't even realize it was Him. They thought for sure they'd seen a ghost. But then Jesus showed His power and called Peter to walk on the water with Him. We all know that Peter began to sink, but Jesus was there to save him the second Peter cried out.
So the question is today, are you going through a storm? Do you wonder why God put you where you are? Just remember, He could be saving you from a greater storm. He could be preparing you for something you will face further down life's road. And He may want you to see Him in a way you've never seen Him before! Just have faith and remember that God always knows what's going on!