While watching a sermon out of Ireland on Jesus calming the storm on Galilee, it got me to thinking about the storms we deal with. So in this article, we will look at three types of storms we encounter as Christians. One point he made I’ll throw into a section later, it changed the way i looked at the storm on Galilee.

Natural Storms

The first is the easiest to talk about. These are the storms that occur naturally but bring fear with them. I was seven during the Blizzard of 1978. It shut down a lot of the country. I’ve also lived on the east cost (South Carolina) and my mother lived in Florida. So I feel for coastal areas when hurricanes go through. I’ve seen the devastation of floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, and wildfires. These occur often.

Scripture tells us that as the end days approach, these natural occurrences will increase.“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24:7-8)

Now, before someone starts yelling ‘climate change’ rhetoric, let me say this. These patterns of increased weather related issues have been going on for ages. The magnetic poles shift, the earth cleanses itself, and there are other myriads of reasons these things happen. Carbon and methane from cars and cattle are not a huge part of the issue. Now we scream about global warming. In the 1970s, they were sure a new ice age was coming.

I’ll take the word of scripture over the talking head rhetoric and just say that it was already predicted. Christ shows the increase of natural disasters. We have seen recently about the Euphrates drying up. That was foretold by John on Patmos. “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof dried up, that the way of the kings of the east be prepared.” (Revelation 16:12)

God Given Storms

Another set of storms we deal with are those that God himself sends. These can be physical storms that seem like natural storms. The two best cases are seen in the stores of Noah and Jonah. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord...And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die...And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.” (Genesis 6:5-8,17; Genesis 7:10)

“But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. (Jonah 1:3-4)

Both of these were storms created for a reason. So was the storm of fiery hail in Egypt. These are physical storms God used for a purpose. With Egypt, it was to finally lead His people Israel out of Egyptian bondage. For Noah’s day, it was to rid the world of evil. And in Jonah’s case, it was to put Jonah where he needed to be.

We also know that God sends or allows things to strengthen us. The storms of life faced by Job were allowed storms to show Satan that not all would look to self interest and disavow God, no matter what occurred. We face these as well.

The Storms of Satan

As we have seen from the above mention of Job, Satan is allowed to send storms into our lives. However, I truly thinks he can manipulate the weather as well. I mentioned at the beginning of this article, the storm of Galilee. I stated that a pastor made a statement that made see this story in a different way. This story is in three books of the gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke).“And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (John 4:35-41)

Anyone who has been in Sunday School or been to a good Sermon has heard of this story. And has garnered from it that Christ calms the storms in our lives. However, this pastor from today made a point I didn’t see before or even consider. That is this. That Satan caused the storm. And before you scoff, let me explain why I have a tendency to agree with him.

The pastor, when talking on this story said to look at the next set of verses. So, let’s look. “And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.” (Mark 5:1-13)

When you put the storm and the immediate placement of Jesus after it together, it makes a bigger picture. Was it just a storm on Galilee like any other? Or, was it Satan trying to stop Jesus and his disciples from accomplishing the banishment of demons?

Application of Scripture

So you can view the story of the storm in two ways. The traditional look at it. Christ calming the storms in our lives. Or you can view it for I what I now believe it to be. Satan brings storms in our lives to keep us from accomplishing what God has planned for us and our mission for Him.

We see the shirts, posters, and memes that have a knight with a sword in his hand and his head bowed. The wording is is two parts. The first part is of defeat. ‘The devil thought he had won when he saw me with my head bowed.’ The second part is the part of a warrior heading into battle.’Until I said AMEN.’

So when a storm comes, remember that it can be one of three reason. Natural, which you just prepare for and pray. God given, you pray and seek the answer to what God is trying to teach you. Or the third. Satan doesn’t want us to do the will o r fulfill the mission of God. And when these third one comes, are you the first part of the knight’s message or the second. Is your head bowed in defeat? Or is it the second, and you are preparing for battle against the enemy?