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When God Is Hard to See- Minister Max Lucado · Max Lucado Daily Sermons

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  Speaker 1: Hi friends, I'm Max Locato. Welcome to Fresh Hope. Today
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  Speaker 1: we continue a series based on my book In the
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  Speaker 1: Eye of the Storm hold type. We're headed straight into
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  Speaker 1: the storms at wreak havoc on our lives and our faith.
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  Speaker 1: You know there's a window in your heart through which
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  Speaker 1: you can see God. And once upon a time that
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  Speaker 1: window was clear. You could see God as vividly as
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  Speaker 1: you could see a gentle valley or hillside. The glass
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  Speaker 1: was clean, the pain unbroken. You knew God, you knew
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  Speaker 1: how he worked, no surprises, nothing unexpected. You knew that
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  Speaker 1: God had a will, and you continually discovered what that
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  Speaker 1: will was. Then suddenly the window cracked. A pebble broke
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  Speaker 1: the window, a pebble of pain. Perhaps the stone struck
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  Speaker 1: when you were a child and a parent left home forever.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe the rock hit in adolescence when your heart was broken.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe you made it into adulthood before the window was cracked,
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  Speaker 1: but then the pebble came. Was it a phone call,
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  Speaker 1: Maybe the officer's voice on the line said, we have
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  Speaker 1: your daughter at the station, you better come down. Was
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  Speaker 1: it a letter on the kitchen table, messy handwriting, declaring
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  Speaker 1: I've left it's over. I just don't love you anymore.
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  Speaker 1: Was it a diagnosis from the doctor saying the news
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  Speaker 1: isn't good? Whatever the pebble's form, the result was the same.
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  Speaker 1: A shattered window, a spider web of fragmented pieces. Suddenly
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  Speaker 1: God was not so easy to see. His figure was distorted.
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  Speaker 1: It was hard to see him through the pain. You
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  Speaker 1: were puzzled. God wouldn't allow something like this to happen, wouldie.
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  Speaker 1: Tragedy and travesty weren't on the agenda? Were they? Had
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  Speaker 1: you been fooled? Had you been blind? The moment the
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  Speaker 1: pebble struck the glass became a reference point for you.
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  Speaker 1: From then on, there was life before the pain and
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  Speaker 1: life after the pain. Before your pain, the view was clear.
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  Speaker 1: God seemed so near. After your pain, well, he was
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  Speaker 1: harder to see now. Maybe these words don't describe your situation.
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  Speaker 1: There are some people who never have to redefine or
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  Speaker 1: refocus their view of God. Most of us do. Most
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  Speaker 1: of us know what it means to feel disappointed by God.
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  Speaker 1: Most of us have a way of completing this sentence.
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  Speaker 1: If God is God, then and you fill in the blank,
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  Speaker 1: call it an agenda? A divine job description each of
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  Speaker 1: us has an unspoken yet definitive expectation of what God
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  Speaker 1: should do. If God is God, then there will be
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  Speaker 1: no financial collapse in my family. My children will never
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  Speaker 1: be buried before me. People will treat me fairly. My
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  Speaker 1: prayer will be answered. Now, these are not articulated criteria.
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  Speaker 1: They are not written down or notarized. But they are real,
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  Speaker 1: and they define the expectations we have of God. And
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  Speaker 1: when pain comes into our world, these expectations go unmet
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  Speaker 1: and doubts begin to surface. We look for God, but
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  Speaker 1: kent finding Fragmented glass hinders our vision, and you aren't
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  Speaker 1: quite sure what you see. The disciples weren't sure what
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  Speaker 1: they saw either. Our story picks up soon after Jesus
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  Speaker 1: fed the five thousand. On that day, Jesus failed to
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  Speaker 1: meet the disciples' expectations. The twelve had finished their training.
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  Speaker 1: They were ready for battle. They expected Jesus to let
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  Speaker 1: the crowds crown him as king and attack the city
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  Speaker 1: of Herod, where John the Baptist had been killed. They
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  Speaker 1: expected battle lands, strategies, a new era for Israel. What
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  Speaker 1: did they get just the opposite. Instead of weapons, they
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  Speaker 1: got oars rather than being sent to fight, they were
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  Speaker 1: sent to float. The crowds were sent away. Jesus walked away,
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  Speaker 1: and they were left on the water with a storm
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  Speaker 1: brewing in the sky. Now what kind of Messiah would
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  Speaker 1: do this? Note carefully the sequence of the stormy evening
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  Speaker 1: as Matthew records it in Chapter fourteen, Verses twenty two
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  Speaker 1: through twenty four. Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into
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  Speaker 1: the boat and go on ahead of him to the
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  Speaker 1: other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had
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  Speaker 1: dismissed them, he went up on a mountain side by
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  Speaker 1: himself to pray, And when evening came, he was there alone.
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  Speaker 1: But the boat was already a considerable distance from land,
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  Speaker 1: buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
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  Speaker 1: Matthew is specific about the order of events. Jesus sent
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  Speaker 1: the disciples to the boat, then he dismissed the crowd.
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  Speaker 1: Then he ascended a mountainside. It was evening, probably around
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  Speaker 1: six pm. The storm struck immediately, the sun had scarcely
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  Speaker 1: set before typhoon like winds began to roar. Note that
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  Speaker 1: Jesus sent the disciples into the storm alone, even as
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  Speaker 1: he was ascending the mountain side. He could feel and
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  Speaker 1: hear the gale's force. Jesus was not ignorant of the storm.
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  Speaker 1: He was aware that a torrent was coming that would
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  Speaker 1: soon carpet bomb the sea's surface. But he didn't turn around.
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  Speaker 1: The Disciples were left to face the storm alone. The
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  Speaker 1: greatest storm that night was not in the sky. It
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  Speaker 1: was in the disciples hearts. The greatest fear was not
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  Speaker 1: from seeing the storm driven waves. It came from seeing
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  Speaker 1: the back of their leader as he left them to
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  Speaker 1: face the night with only questions as companions. It was
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  Speaker 1: this fury that the Disciples were facing that night. Imagine
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  Speaker 1: the incredible strain of bouncing from wave to wave on
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  Speaker 1: a tiny fishing vessel. One hour would weary you, Two
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  Speaker 1: hours would exhaust you. Surely Jesus will help us. They
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  Speaker 1: thought they'd seen him still storms like this before, on
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  Speaker 1: this same sea. They had awakened him during a storm,
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  Speaker 1: and he had commanded this eyes to be silent. They'd
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  Speaker 1: seen him quiet the wind and soothe the waves. Surely
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  Speaker 1: he will come off the mountain. But he doesn't. Their
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  Speaker 1: arms begin to ache from rowing. Still no sign of Jesus.
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  Speaker 1: Three hours, four hours, the winds rage, the boat bounces
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  Speaker 1: still no Jesus. Midnight comes. Their eyes search for God
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  Speaker 1: in vain. By now the disciples have been on the
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  Speaker 1: sea for as long as six hours. All this time
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  Speaker 1: they have fought the storm and sought the Master. And
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  Speaker 1: so far the storm is winning, and the Master is
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  Speaker 1: nowhere to be found. One of them cried, where is he?
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  Speaker 1: Another yelled has he forgotten us? A third muttered, he
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  Speaker 1: feeds thousands of strangers leaves us to die. The Gospel
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  Speaker 1: of Mark adds a compelling insight into the attitude of
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  Speaker 1: the disciples. In chapter six, in verse fifty two, Mark
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  Speaker 1: says they had not understood about the loaves. Their hearts
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  Speaker 1: were hardened. What does Mark mean? Simply this, the disciples
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  Speaker 1: were mad. They began the evening in a huff. Their
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  Speaker 1: hearts were hardened towards Jesus because he fed the multitude.
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  Speaker 1: Their preference, according to Matthew fourteen fifteen, had been to
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  Speaker 1: send the crowds away, and Jesus told them to feed
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  Speaker 1: the people. But they wouldn't even try. They said it
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  Speaker 1: couldn't be done. They told Jesus to let the people
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  Speaker 1: take care of themselves. Also, keep in mind that the
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  Speaker 1: disciples had just spent some time on center stage on
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  Speaker 1: a mission for Jesus, performing miracles and his name. They
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  Speaker 1: had tasted stardom. They were celebrities. They had rallied the crowds,
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  Speaker 1: they had recruited an army. They were no doubt pretty
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  Speaker 1: proud of themselves. With chests a bit puffy and heads
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  Speaker 1: a bit swollen, they had told Jesus Ah just send
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  Speaker 1: them away. Jesus didn't. Instead, he chose to bypass the
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  Speaker 1: reluctant disciples and used the faith of an anonymous boy
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  Speaker 1: and his meager lunch. What the disciples said could not
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  Speaker 1: be done was done in spite of them, not through them.
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  Speaker 1: So they pouted. Rather than be amazed at the miracle,
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  Speaker 1: they became mad at the Master. After all, they had
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  Speaker 1: felt foolish passing out the very bread they said could
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  Speaker 1: not be made. Add to that Jesus's command to go
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  Speaker 1: to the boat when they wanted to go to battle.
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  Speaker 1: And it's easier to understand why these guys are burning.
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  Speaker 1: One am no Jesus, Two am no Jesus. Peter, Andrew,
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  Speaker 1: James and John have seen storms like this. They are fishermen.
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  Speaker 1: The sea is their life. They know the havoc These
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  Speaker 1: gale force winds can reek. They've seen the splintered holes
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  Speaker 1: float to shore. They've attended the funerals. They know better
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  Speaker 1: than anyone that this night could be their last. Why
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  Speaker 1: doesn't he come? They ask, Well, finally he does. Matthew
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  Speaker 1: fourteen twenty five says, during the fourth watch of the night,
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  Speaker 1: which would have been between three and six am, Jesus
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  Speaker 1: went out to them walking on the lake. Jesus came.
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  Speaker 1: He finally came, but between verse twenty four, being buffeted
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  Speaker 1: by the waves. In verse twenty five, when Jesus appeared,
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  Speaker 1: a thousand questions are asked. Questions you've probably asked two.
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  Speaker 1: Perhaps you know the angst of being suspended. Between verses
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  Speaker 1: twenty four and twenty five, maybe you're riding a storm,
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  Speaker 1: searching the coastline for a light, a glimmer of hope,
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  Speaker 1: and you know that Jesus knows what you're going through.
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  Speaker 1: You know he's aware of your storm, But as hard
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  Speaker 1: as you look to find him, you can't see him.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe your heart, like the disciples' hearts, has been hardened
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  Speaker 1: by unmat expectations. Your pleadings for help are salted with
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  Speaker 1: angry questions. In the first part of this series, we
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  Speaker 1: talked about stress in the final part where addressing storms.
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  Speaker 1: Stress attacks your nerves, storms attack your faith, Stress interrupts,
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  Speaker 1: storms destroy. Stress comes like a siren, storms come like
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  Speaker 1: a missile. Stress clouds the day, storms usher in the night.
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  Speaker 1: The question of stress is how can I cope? The
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  Speaker 1: question of storms? Where is God? And why would He
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  Speaker 1: do this? If the pebble of pain has struck the
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  Speaker 1: window of your heart, if you've known the horror of
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  Speaker 1: looking for God's face and seeing only his back as
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  Speaker 1: he ascends a mountainside, the next episode of the series
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  Speaker 1: is for you. I'll tell you a story about a
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  Speaker 1: father who learned of trust not during six hours on
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  Speaker 1: a boat, but during a six hour drive with three children.
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  Speaker 1: The message when you can't see him, trust him. The
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  Speaker 1: figure you see is not a ghost, and the voice
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  Speaker 1: you hear is not the wind. Jesus is closer than
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  Speaker 1: you've ever dreamed. Thanks so much for joining me today,
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  Speaker 1: my friends. I hope you'll come back next time as
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  Speaker 1: week conclude this series based on my book In the
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  Speaker 1: Eye of the Storm. Until then, please remember, no matter
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  Speaker 1: how stormy your day or restless your night, God knows
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  Speaker 1: how you feel and he understands.
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  Speaker 2: You don't have to stay close. As long as you're
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  Speaker 2: somewhere out there. That's enough for me.
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  Speaker 3: I don't need to hold you near me, don't need
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  Speaker 3: promises to keep just the thought that you are breathing
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  Speaker 3: somewhere in this world I see, even if I'm not
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  Speaker 3: beside you, even if you never know, there's a quiet
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  Speaker 3: kind of comfort just.
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  Speaker 4: In knowing you still glow. I don't need forever, I
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  Speaker 4: just need you to exist.
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  Speaker 5: You don't have to stay with me.
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  Speaker 4: You don't have to feel the same.
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  Speaker 6: Just as long as you're still out there, calling softly
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  Speaker 6: through mondays.
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  Speaker 5: You don't have to look my way.
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  Speaker 4: You don't have to be my home. It's enough to
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  Speaker 4: know your little in the world. I'm not alone.
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  Speaker 6: I won't chase you through the distance, won't disturb your
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  Speaker 6: chosen life.
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  Speaker 4: I'll just keep you.
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  Speaker 3: In my silence, like a star that shines at night.
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  Speaker 4: Through the darkened, through the blue.
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  Speaker 5: I still think of you.
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  Speaker 4: You don't have.
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  Speaker 6: To stay with me, You don't have to feel the same.
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  Speaker 6: Just as long as you're still out there, calling softly
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  Speaker 6: through my days.
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  Speaker 5: You don't have to look my way.
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  Speaker 6: You don't have to be in my home It's enough
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  Speaker 6: to know you're living in a world.
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  Speaker 4: I'm not alone. I don't need to be your light.
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  Speaker 4: I don't need to cross your mind. All I need
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  Speaker 4: is just the truth that you're somewhere, still alive.
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  Speaker 5: You don't have to stay with me, you don't have
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  Speaker 5: to feel the same, just as long as you're still
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  Speaker 5: out there, calling softly through my days. You don't have
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  Speaker 5: to look my way.
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  Speaker 1: You don't have to be my home.
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  Speaker 4: It's enough to know you're living.
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  Speaker 1: In a world.
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  Speaker 5: I am not alone.