WHY? Just wondering Lord, that's all.

The other day I was just thinking through stuff and found myself pretty frustrated.

I asked God a lot of "whys".

In the sermon today, pastor Bruce talked about storms based on Matthew 8:23-27.

He reminded us that in this walk with Jesus, storms are going to come.

He made two points:

*Storms are a natural part of our journey.

*Storms can cause panic.

We see that in this passage in Matthew with the disciples starting with verse 24.

Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.

But Jesus was sleeping.

The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"

Can you even imagine what it was like in that boat?

Yes, we can.

~Last May when Candice lost her young daughter Charity to cancer, she was in that boat.

~Last December when Mel lost her twelve year old son Andrew to brain cancer she was in that boat.

~Or recently as my friend E'Lise shed tears over her little sister as she watches her fight another battle against her body with cancer.

~Or when my sister in law Gwen who after her husband Sam had a stroke that left him disabled, was forced to put her husband in a nursing home, long before they are even retirement age so she could still work.

~Or Lisa, wife and mom just starting radiation to fight her cancer. (Her picture is on my sidebar)

~Or my friend Alethea, single mom and sole supporter of her 2 boys who lost her secure job.

There are women all over the place enduring some furious storms.

I loved how Pastor Bruce said it today..."Um, excuse me, I did not sign up for this. I signed up for two things...sins are forgiven and heaven is my home".

We do not want our boats to rock.

We want to listen to our Christian music channels and go to church each weekend and shout out a few Amen's during the sermon, but do not rock the boat.

But the truth is, the boat is going to rock.

We are going to find ourselves in a storm.

Storms that are furious with waves crashing over us like the disciples experienced.

There will be storms.

So going back up to the verse above, did you notice the middle part...

But Jesus was sleeping.

I love how the Message Bible puts it:

Then he got in the boat, his disciples with him.

The next thing they knew, they were in a severe storm.

Waves were crashing into the boat—

and he was sound asleep!

They roused him, pleading, "Master, save us! We're going down!"

Do you ever feel like that?

You're freaking out, JESUS! SAVE ME...I'M GOING DOWN!

Or pleading on behalf of your loved one dying...JESUS!!!! PLEASE!!

And nothing. No response at all.

Could He possibly be sleeping right through the storm of your life?

What the heck??

Ever ask "why" like I did last week?

Our storms are going to come.

How will we respond when we think Jesus has forgotten all about us?

When we think the Captain of our boat is asleep?

In the sermon the pastor also reminded us that Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us.

Never.

Last week on my way home from my day job, God gave me the answer to my "why" questions.

While driving down South Street, I looked up to see this billboard for dairy products...

TRUST IN THE NAME

Today, in the storm our family is in...I will trust in the Name of Jesus.

Whatever storm you are facing, whether it's one that can tear your boat to shreds or a small one, you choose to just

Trust In The Name.

Trust, even when it feels like Jesus is sleeping, because just like He did with the disciples,

He will bring calm.

I love this song, but if you can't listen to it, just mute it and read the lyrics that are typed out.

My favorite line is:

He has a reason for each trial

that we pass through in life

And though we're shaken

we cannot be pulled apart from Christ.

TRUST IN THE NAME

The powerful Name of Jesus.

Another incredible song about praising God in the storms is by Casting Crowns...

Praise You in This Storm.