Keep Going When the Storm Gets Long

You followed the direction God gave you, but the way forward has become exhausting. When the answer takes longer than you expected, it is easy to wonder whether you heard Him correctly or should return to what feels safe. In Matthew 14, the disciples faced a long night on the water after Jesus told them to cross the lake.

Jesus had constrained them to get into the boat and go to the other side. They could see a storm coming and had resisted, but they obeyed. His direction was clear before the wind turned contrary. Andrew Wommack teaches from this passage that trouble alone does not mean you have missed God. The disciples were in that storm because they were going where Jesus had sent them.

Keep the Promise in View

Jesus did not tell the disciples to go halfway and drown. He told them to go to the other side. When a crisis takes over your attention, the problem can begin to feel more certain than God's word. You may measure how little progress you have made and forget the direction that brought you there.

The disciples could feel the waves and wind, but neither one changed what Jesus had told them. Andrew connects this with Israel's journey from Egypt. God did not bring His people out to leave them in the wilderness; He brought them out to bring them into the Promised Land. God does not call you and send you in a direction just to watch you fail. Remember what He has actually said when circumstances are loud.

Let God's Word guide you. Ask what Scripture says, seek wise counsel when you need it, and keep the next clear step in view. Fear can make you focus on the problem until you lose sight of the promise. Returning your attention to what God has said gives you a sound place to stand.

Slow Progress Is Still Progress

Under normal circumstances, crossing the Sea of Galilee took two or three hours. The disciples left around sunset, but the fourth watch of the night was between three and six in the morning. Nine to twelve hours later, they were only halfway across. Matthew describes the boat as being tossed by waves because the wind was contrary.

They could have turned the boat around, raised the sail, and let the wind carry them quickly back to the shore they had left. Instead, they kept heading in the direction Jesus had given them. They had struggled for hours, probably rowing simply to keep from being blown backward, yet they persevered.

The familiar shore can look especially appealing when you are tired. You know what is there, and turning back may seem easier than continuing through resistance. But the disciples' long crossing reminds us that slow movement is still movement. You do not need to see the entire route to take the next faithful step. The first post in this series considers what it means to leave the shore; here, the disciples show what it can look like to keep going after you leave it.

Opposition Does Not Prove You Missed God

Many people assume that following God means everything will line up easily. If there is resistance, they decide they must have missed Him. But opposition by itself cannot tell you whether a direction is right. Daniel 9 describes Gabriel arriving with an answer while Daniel was still praying. In Daniel 10, Daniel waited three weeks, and the messenger described the spiritual opposition that delayed him. Sometimes an answer comes quickly, and sometimes there is resistance.

Some storms do come from acting against what God has told you. If you recognize that you are moving contrary to His direction, change course. But the presence of trouble alone does not prove that you are outside His will. The disciples were doing exactly what Jesus had instructed, and the wind was still against them.

Andrew also points to the contrast between the feeding of the five thousand and Jesus later feeding four thousand people with seven loaves. When Jesus asked how the crowd could be fed, He was involving the disciples. They had seen Him multiply food before, but they looked at their natural resources instead of remembering what He had done. A difficult moment can become an opportunity to use the faith God has already given you.

Remember That Jesus Sees You

Jesus knew the disciples' situation. He was in the same storm and had sent them onto the water. In Mark's account, He saw them straining at the oars. The disciples may have felt alone, but they were not beyond His attention.

When hardship lasts, it can feel as though God does not know how tired or worried you are. Scripture says He will never leave or forsake you. His presence does not mean every difficulty ends on your preferred schedule; it means you are not forgotten in it. Jesus knew where the disciples were before He came to them in the fourth watch.

Andrew believes Jesus waited because He wanted the disciples to exercise their faith and authority. He had given them His word to reach the other side, and they had already watched Him multiply the loaves and fishes. They could have acted on what He had given them instead of relying only on their strength as fishermen. James 4:7 (NKJV) says, “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Jesus had defeated the devil, and believers can stand on the authority He has given.

Recognize Help When It Comes

When Jesus came walking on the water, the disciples were troubled. They thought He was a spirit and cried out in fear. They had been praying for help, yet when the answer came in an unexpected way, they could not recognize Him.

The same kind of response appears in Acts 12. Believers were gathered and praying for Peter's release from prison. An angel brought Peter out, and he went to the house where they were praying. When Rhoda announced that he was at the door, the others did not believe her. They were asking for an answer they could not accept when it arrived.

It’s possible to pray for an answer and still be startled when it shows up. Stay rooted in God’s Word so fear doesn’t keep you from recognizing His answer when it comes near.

Use the Faith God Has Given You

Fear is faith pointed toward a negative outcome. People may say they have no faith while being convinced they will stay sick, never recover, watch a marriage fail, or never have their needs met. God created people as faith beings. We can believe the negative things the world presents, or we can believe His Word and exercise the faith He has given us.

Jesus told His disciples where to go before the storm began. They could not control the wind, but they could remember His word and continue toward the other side. Their long night began with that direction still in front of them.

The disciples had Jesus' word before they had calm water.

This post draws from How to Become a Water Walker, Episode 3 by Andrew Wommack. Watch the full teaching on YouTube.