Are you going through a storm in your life? Then take encouragement from this   story from the Bible and may it encourage you, even as it encouraged me. Small story- Great principles.  A story of a storm which the disciples encountered when Jesus was not in the boat with them.

Mark 6: 45 – 53    Jesus Walks on the Water
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night[a] he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore.
Principles:
Principle No 1: You can encounter a storm, even when you are walking in total obedience to God.
Much of Jesus’ ministry occurred around the Sea of Galilee, a beautiful sea set in the fertile and prosperous region of northern Israel. One of the more noteworthy aspects of this body of water, was its great susceptibility to sudden and extremely violent storms. Storms often developed when an east wind dropped cool air over the warm air rising from the sea. This sudden change produced surprisingly furious storms in a short time
Jesus asked his disciples to go over to Bethsaida ahead of him. They obeyed him and got into the boat to cross over. Jesus being All Knowing, would certainly have known that his disciples were about to walk into a furious storm. Yet he sent them.
Point to Note- The disciples were in the perfect will of God when they encountered the storm.
When we face challenges in our life, we often tend to question God. This text teaches us that sometimes it is the perfect plan of God for us to be in the eye of a storm.
Principle No 2:   His eyes are on us.
When the disciples were in the storm, the Bible says-Jesus saw them.  Jesus had His eyes fixed on them.
One of the names of God is El Roi- The translation of El Roi is commonly “The God Who Sees”. El Roi is a descriptive epithet for God using the word “El” (God) and a modifier indicating a quality of God.
It was first mentioned in the Book of Genesis (Genesis 16:13), by Hagar, mother of Abraham’s eldest son, Ishmael.
Genesis 16:13 says “She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”
Psalm 34:15 says The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;
Principle No 3: Recognize Jesus!
The disciples were trapped in a difficult situation. Though they were only to travel a short distance from where they were, the storm was so violent that despite all their efforts to control their boat, by the “fourth watch of the night” – that is, somewhere between 3:00 to 6:00 in the morning – the disciples still had not advanced any more than just three or four miles across the vast lake.  They knew the danger they were in and were at the mercy of elements that were “outside their control”. They were mentally tired and physically exhausted with all the rowing.
Add to that, the fact that during storms everything looks hazy. Due to their exhaustion and poor visibility caused by the storm, the disciples could not identify Jesus, as he came toward them. They literally thought that he was a ghost and were more terrified than ever.
What is amazing here is that inspite of having had a close walk with Jesus, they failed to recognize Him when they were in trouble. It is the same with us.
During troubled times, our vision becomes hazy, we feel tired and lose focus, we fail to recognize Jesus. We fail to sense his presence near us.

Principle No 4: Let fear level dip and faith level rise.
The disciples were filled with fear at their situation. And as the level of their fear increased, their faith level dipped. Jesus noticed that and so he addressed their fears. “Do not fear. It is I.” He wanted them to cast out their fear so that their faith would increase.
Hebrews 11:6 tells us 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him:
He gives them the revelation of who He is. He says- Come on now look at me.I Am.
I AM all that you need. I AM all sufficient.
When we go through trials, our faith level dips and panic sets in. Jesus is telling us today, just like he told the disciples – I AM. I AM all that you need. Do not fear. I AM here to help you. He is the ‘Great I AM’
Principle No 5: Give God total control
Jesus walked on water through the storm and met the disciples at their point of need. It says here that he climbed into the boat with them and immediately the storm died down. As soon as we allow Jesus to take control, we don’t have to struggle and toil to cross over. He will calm the storm and give us peace.
Principle No 5: Do not forget God’s past faithfulness
What is interesting to note here is, just before this miracle, Jesus had fed the 5000 people with 2 loaves and 5 fish. The disciples had seen this miracle before their own eyes. But it says here that they failed to consider that miracle, their hearts had grown callous. Similarly when we face challenges, we easily tend to forget the big miracles that we have experienced in the past. And that’s exactly what the devil wants.
During the storms in our life, we need to remember God’s faithfulness to us in the past and know that this time too he will bring us through.
Psalm 103: 2 says– bless the Lord o my soul and forget not all his benefits.
And then we see how they reach safely to the shore.
To conclude-
We all face challenges in our life. They come without any warning; it just takes a split second for things to change. One minute everything is just fine and the next instant you don’t know what has hit you.
Storms can come in the areas of our relationships, jobs, health or finances – A sudden loss in the family, a sudden health problem or  losing a job.
Whenever we go through challenges in our life we need to remember-
  1. It is His perfect plan at work.
  2. He is watching over us.
  3. He will meet us at the point of our need.
  4. He is in control of the storm. He is bigger than our storm.
  5. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He will take us through.