The Shelter in the Storm
A Sunday Worship Message
Scripture Readings: Mark 4:35–41, Exodus 33:14, Psalm 46:1, Matthew 11:28
Today, during our children’s message, we had a little fun with Deacon Kenny.
As you may remember, we had the children throw colorful ping-pong balls at him. And those ping-pong balls represented something much bigger than just a fun activity.
They represented the storms of life.
Every single one of us experiences storms. Some are small, some are unexpected, and some are so overwhelming that we wonder how we will ever get through them.
Some of those storms are financial. We worry about paying our bills, providing for our families, or whether we will have enough money to make it through another month.
Some are health-related. Perhaps we receive a frightening diagnosis, struggle with chronic pain, or watch someone we love suffer.
Others are social or political. We look around at the world and see division, anger, uncertainty, and conflict. Sometimes it feels as though everything around us is falling apart.
And then there are the personal storms. The loss of a loved one. A broken relationship. Loneliness. Fear. Disappointment.
Just like those colorful ping-pong balls, life keeps throwing things at us, sometimes from every direction and sometimes all at once.
And what happened when Deacon Kenny stood there without any protection?
He got hit!
The balls kept coming, and there was nothing between him and everything being thrown his way.
But then something changed.
Deacon Kenny opened an umbrella.
And suddenly, although the ping-pong balls continued flying toward him, many of them bounced off that umbrella.
The storm hadn’t stopped. The balls were still coming. But now he had something protecting him.
That umbrella represents God’s presence in our lives. It represents prayer, faith, and the shelter we find when we turn to God.
And I think that is a beautiful illustration of what our relationship with God is all about.
1. God Never Promised Us a Life Without Storms
Sometimes we think that because we believe in God, because we attend church, because we pray, everything in our lives should go smoothly.
But nowhere in the Bible does God promise that following Him means we will never experience hardship.
In fact, Jesus tells us quite the opposite.
In John 16:33, Jesus says:
“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
Think about that.
Jesus doesn’t say, “If you believe in me, nothing bad will ever happen to you.”
He tells us that we will have trouble.
But He also gives us a reason to have hope.
He has overcome the world.
God doesn’t promise to remove every storm from our lives. He promises that we do not have to face those storms alone.
And that brings us to one of my favorite stories in the Bible.
2. Jesus Calms the Storm
In Mark 4:35–41, we read about Jesus and His disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee in a boat.
Now, several of those disciples were experienced fishermen. They knew the water. They understood the weather. They had probably been through storms before.
But this particular storm was different.
The wind began to blow fiercely. Waves crashed against the boat. Water began filling the vessel.
The disciples were terrified.
They genuinely believed they were about to die.
And where was Jesus during all of this?
He was asleep!
Imagine that for a moment.
The boat is being tossed around. Water is coming over the sides. Everyone is panicking.
And Jesus is sleeping peacefully on a cushion in the back of the boat.
Finally, the disciples wake Him and say:
“Master, carest thou not that we perish?” — Mark 4:38
In other words:
“Jesus! Don’t you care that we’re about to die?”
How many of us have asked God something similar?
“God, don’t You see what I’m going through?”
“Don’t You see how much I’m struggling?”
“Don’t You care that I’m frightened?”
“Why aren’t You doing something?”
But here is something important about that story.
Jesus was in the very same boat as the disciples.
He was experiencing the same wind, the same waves, and the same storm.
Yet He wasn’t afraid.
Why?
Because Jesus knew something the disciples had forgotten.
The storm was not greater than the power of God.
Jesus stood up and spoke to the wind and the sea:
“Peace, be still.” — Mark 4:39
And immediately the wind stopped, and the sea became calm.
Then Jesus turned to His disciples and asked:
“Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” — Mark 4:40
Notice something remarkable here.
Jesus didn’t prevent the storm from happening.
He didn’t turn the boat around before the storm arrived.
He allowed the disciples to experience the storm.
But when they called upon Him, He answered.
And through that experience, the disciples learned something about faith that they might never have understood on a perfectly calm day.
They learned that even when everything around them seems out of control, Jesus is still there.
3. God’s Presence Is Our Umbrella
Now, let’s return to Deacon Kenny and his umbrella.
When he opened that umbrella, did all the ping-pong balls suddenly disappear?
No!
They were still flying toward him.
But the umbrella provided protection.
And that is what God’s presence does for us.
It doesn’t necessarily eliminate our financial problems.
It doesn’t guarantee that we will never become sick.
It doesn’t mean that we will never lose someone we love or experience disappointment.
But through prayer, meditation, faith, and seeking God’s guidance, we gain something incredibly valuable.
We gain the strength, courage, and peace to weather the storm.
Psalm 46:1 tells us:
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
I love the words a very present help.
Not a distant help.
Not a help that might show up someday.
A very present help.
God is with us right now, even in the middle of whatever storm we may be facing.
And in Exodus 33:14, God tells Moses:
“My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”
What a beautiful promise!
“I will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
God doesn’t say, “I will make sure your journey is easy.”
He says, “I will go with you.”
And sometimes, isn’t that exactly what we need?
We don’t necessarily need someone to solve every problem immediately.
Sometimes we just need to know that we are not alone.
That someone is walking beside us.
That someone is holding our hand.
That someone is there when we feel we cannot take another step.
And God promises to be that presence in our lives.
4. We Don’t Always Know God’s Plan
One of the hardest parts of faith is accepting that we don’t always understand what God is doing.
We pray for healing, but healing doesn’t always come the way we expect.
We pray for financial stability, but the bills keep arriving.
We pray for peace, but the world around us remains divided.
And sometimes we wonder, “God, what is Your plan?”
The truth is, we don’t always know God’s plan.
Isaiah 55:8 reminds us:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.”
We see only a small part of the picture.
God sees the whole picture.
And sometimes the storms we experience teach us patience, compassion, humility, or a deeper dependence on Him.
That doesn’t mean every tragedy is something God deliberately sends to teach us a lesson.
But it does mean that even in our most difficult moments, God can work within our circumstances and help us find strength and purpose.
And here is something else worth thinking about.
How often do we try to handle everything ourselves?
We worry. We make plans. We search for solutions. We exhaust ourselves trying to control situations that may be beyond our control.
And only when we have tried absolutely everything else do we finally turn to God and pray.
Isn’t that interesting?
We have access to the greatest source of peace and strength imaginable, yet sometimes prayer becomes our last resort instead of our first response.
God knows our needs even before we ask. But He also invites us into a relationship with Him through prayer.
If we never seek His guidance, we may find ourselves struggling through life’s storms relying only on our own limited strength.
Prayer doesn’t inform God of something He doesn’t know. Prayer opens our hearts to the help, wisdom, and peace He wants to give us.
Just as Deacon Kenny had to open his umbrella, we need to make room in our lives for God’s presence.
5. Jesus Offers Us Rest
There is another beautiful invitation from Jesus in Matthew 11:28:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Think about those words.
“Come unto me.”
Jesus doesn’t say, “Come to me when you have everything figured out.”
He doesn’t say, “Come to me when your life is perfect.”
He doesn’t say, “Come to me only when you are strong enough.”
He says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden.”
That means the exhausted.
The worried.
The sick.
The grieving.
The overwhelmed.
The people who feel like they are barely holding everything together.
Jesus is inviting every one of us to come to Him and find rest.
And that rest is not necessarily the absence of difficulties.
It is the peace of knowing that whatever happens, we are not facing it alone.
Remember Jesus sleeping in the boat?
While everyone else was panicking, He was resting.
His peace did not depend on the weather.
And through faith, He offers us that same kind of peace.
Not a peace that depends on having enough money in the bank.
Not a peace that depends on perfect health.
Not a peace that depends on everything going according to our plans.
But a peace that comes from trusting in God, even when life is uncertain.
6. Are We Remembering to Open Our Umbrellas?
So here is my question for all of us this morning.
When the storms of life begin throwing things at you, do you remember to open your umbrella?
Do you turn to God in prayer?
Do you take a few quiet moments to meditate, reflect, and listen for His guidance?
Do you trust that He is present, even when you cannot immediately see a solution?
Or do you stand there, like Deacon Kenny at the beginning of our children’s message, trying to absorb every ping-pong ball that life throws your way?
Sometimes we forget that we have an umbrella.
Sometimes we know it is there, but we leave it closed.
And sometimes we become so focused on the storm that we forget to look toward the One who can help us through it.
But here is the wonderful thing about God’s love.
Even when we forget about Him, He does not forget about us.
Jesus was already in the boat before the disciples called out to Him.
He didn’t suddenly appear when they prayed.
He was there the entire time.
And I think that is something we should all remember.
God is not absent simply because our lives become difficult.
And God is not indifferent simply because our prayers are not answered immediately.
He is with us, inviting us to trust Him and to seek His peace.
Conclusion: The Storm Is Not the End of the Story
As we leave church today, I hope you remember those colorful ping-pong balls.
Because tomorrow, or next week, or perhaps even later today, life may throw another one your way.
Maybe it will be a financial worry.
Maybe it will be a health concern.
Maybe it will be an argument, a disappointment, or something happening in the world that leaves you feeling uncertain about the future.
And when that happens, remember Deacon Kenny opening his umbrella.
Remember the disciples in the boat.
Remember Jesus sleeping peacefully while the storm raged around Him.
And remember the words God spoke to Moses:
“My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”
We cannot always control the storms that come into our lives.
We cannot always understand why they happen.
And we cannot always predict when they will end.
But we can choose where we place our faith.
We can choose to pray instead of surrendering to fear.
We can choose to seek God’s guidance instead of relying entirely on ourselves.
And we can choose to remember that the same Jesus who calmed the Sea of Galilee is still offering us peace today.
Jesus does not promise that there will never be another storm. He promises that we do not have to face the storm alone.
And sometimes the greatest miracle is not that the storm around us disappears.
Sometimes the greatest miracle is that, through God’s presence, the storm within us becomes calm.
So whatever storm you are facing today, remember to open your umbrella.
Turn to God.
Trust in His presence.
And listen for the words of Jesus:
“Peace, be still.”
Amen.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father,
We thank You for being our refuge, our strength, and our shelter in the storms of life.
Lord, You know the struggles that each of us carries. You know our fears, our worries, our illnesses, our financial burdens, and the troubles that weigh heavily upon our hearts.
We know that You have not promised us a life without storms. But You have promised that Your presence will go with us and that You will give us rest.
Help us to remember to turn to You, not only when life becomes difficult, but every single day.
Give us the wisdom to seek Your guidance, the patience to trust Your plan, and the courage to face whatever challenges may come.
And when the winds grow strong and the waves seem overwhelming, remind us that Jesus is still in the boat with us.
Calm the storms within our hearts.
Fill us with Your peace.
And help us become a source of comfort and shelter for others who are weathering storms of their own.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
