In The Storm | Ps. Keith Pittman

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We're thankful for these digital devices that allows us to stay connected and engaged.

But there's nothing quite like being in the presence of God amongst God's people.

Can I get a good amen to that?

Alright, today we're going to be continuing in our Advent series.

Advent ultimately speaks to us about this idea of the church for centuries, has looked at the four Sundays leading up to Christmas as a time of slowing down.

Advent ultimately means arrival or coming.

So today we we stand in an ancient river with a modern thirst.

As we wait, reflect, repent, and anticipate the arrival of Christ.

Advent actually transcends time because it is in Advent that we look back to Bethlehem when the word became flesh.

We acknowledge now the Spirit of God that is with us in our everyday lives, and we also look to the future where we know that Christ is going to come and make all things new.

Our theme scripture is found in Isaiah chapter 7, verse 14.

Isaiah 7:14

We we talked about this a little bit last week, but I think it's worth circling back to it for our encouragement.

Where the word of the Lord says, Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign, and behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name is Emmanuel, which literally means God with us.

Today's teaching text is going to come from two different passages, and so you can flip over past Isaiah chapter 7 and meet me in Isaiah chapter 9, where we're going to build on a song that we just finished singing.

Isaiah 7 · chapter mention Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

And it says this at 9, verse number 6.

It says, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The Advent season is broken up with four pillars.

The first week always being a week where we slow down and we reflect and begin to lean on hope.

The second week is peace, the third week is joy, and the last week is love.

So the Prince of Peace fits right into the rhythm of Advent.

We now want to look and see practically what it looks like when the Prince of Peace is with us in every season we may find ourselves in.

So in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 4, a very familiar passage for those of us who've engaged the Word of God or read Bible reading plans, we're probably familiar with it.

Mark 4 · chapter mention

But I think that God has something unique for us today.

So starting at verse number 35, the word of the Lord says this on that day, when evening had come, he said to them, Let us go to the other side.

Somebody say other side.

And leaving the crowd, they took with them in the boat just as he was.

And other boats were with him.

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so the boat was already filling.

But he was in the stern, asleep, on a cushion.

And they woke him and they said to him, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?

And he awoke and he rebuked the wind and he said to the sea, Peace be still.

And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

And he said to them, Why are you so afraid?

Have you still no faith?

And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, Who then is this that even the wind and sea obey him?

Today I want to continue in our conversation about Emmanuel the God being with us.

And if you're taking notes, and of course you can do that in our app.

I've entitled today's thoughts, In the Storm.

Let's pray and see what it is that God wants to speak to us today.

Lord, we thank you so much for your presence.

We thank you so much for your faithfulness.

We thank you that we can rely on you being with us even in the storm.

So, Holy Spirit, we invite you to dwell amongst us.

We invite you to inspire us, to encourage us, to challenge us, to correct us, to sharpen us ultimately so that we can continue to renew our minds so that we can reflect the nature and person of Christ.

So Lord, I just pray that you give us open eyes to see you, open ears to hear you, and open hearts to receive everything that you have for us.

It's in Jesus' name that we pray.

Amen.

Amen and amen.

You know, ever since I was a young child, I've always enjoyed traveling.

I remember my parents would actually, my first, my first vacations I recall or coming to Orlando as a small child, and I've always appreciated the family time.

I've always appreciated even the process of getting on a plane, but I also remember that at a young age, I guess we had some form of turbulence that kind of created a little bit of a little anxiety in me.

So as I got older, I love to fly, but I've always felt a little uncomfortable when it comes to turbulence.

So I began to develop in my adult years a rhythm that kind of gives me a sense of uh a peace.

And so every time I get on an airplane, even to this day, as I'm walking down um the jetway and I put my hand on the plane as I'm walking in.

I don't care who's behind me, I don't care how long the line's been waiting there, I put my hand on a plane as I'm walking, and I say, Lord, in the name of Jesus, I pray that you bless this plane.

If there's any mechanical issues, I pray that it doesn't even start up.

Lord, I pray for the pilot that he is alert and clear-minded and that he's not like Denzel in that movie and had a night that he was up too late.

I pray that he's sharp-witted, and if not, I pray that you get him up out of here.

Lord, I pray for the flight attendants.

I pray for everybody and allow us to make it to our destination safely in Jesus' name.

I do this every single time without fail.

Of course, I kind of do it internally, but it goes without fail.

But nonetheless, every now and then when I still hit that turbulence, it can it can get the best of me because we've all seen enough movies and enough things on the news that can recognize that we're trying to make it to a destination, but sometimes we don't feel like we're in control.

A friend of mine who's uh a pilot, he took me up on his plane once, and it wasn't like one of these mega jets, it was kind of like a prop plane, but he he took me up and he was taking Meg and I from Jacksonville to um to Miami.

And so I'm up there with him and we're talking, and I began to kind of have a conversation with him around the process of flying because it really is fascinating to me.

And so he began to talk to me uh about the training that he endured, all the things that he went through, and and and ultimately he began to talk about the plane.

And he said, Listen, Keith, he said, I want you to think of air the same way that you think about water.

He said, You know, like when in the water there's waves and those ripples, and if you're in a vessel, sometimes it can get a little bit bumpy.

It doesn't mean that the ship is going down, but it just means that you're hitting some waves.

He said, Well, the air operates the same way, like we're in the air, and we though we don't see it, that there's all these moments where there's a downdrift and and sheer winds, and and sometimes the turbulence is just basically the result of wind that's a little unstable.

You're gonna be okay.

The plane has been conditioned and built for this.

He said, Now look over there to the right.

So we look outside of the windshield and he says, See over there, about five miles away, we can see a storm developing, a storm cell developing.

And he said, Now, naturally, we don't fly into the storm intentionally, but just because there are storms, it does affect us.

So we'll feel the roughness of the wind, and so ultimately when we feel it, we'll try to rise above it or we'll change our pace.

But he said this to me.

He said, But be encouraged in knowing that I've been trained for this, and this plane has been built for this.

It has been built to endure the storm.

He doesn't realize how much that resolved my spirit, but then he hit me with this one line.

He said, Keith, here's what I've learned.

He said, if you want to fly at this altitude, you're going to have to face turbulence, but it's built for this.

He he spoke a word to me, didn't even realize it.

So when I got into my next commercial flight, did my same thing, laid hands on the plane, sat in my seat, and the the the the turbulence hit us.

And I immediately wanted to start speaking in the spirit, which is never a bad idea to do that.

But then I was reminded by the words of my friend.

He said, Listen, when you're flying at certain altitudes, you are going to face turbulence.

But remember the training and that it has been built to endure the storm.

Those words were so comforting to me.

And interestingly enough, it reminds me of something that Jesus says.

See, in John chapter 16, verse 33, Jesus says these things to his disciples.

John 16:33

He says, In this world you will have tribulation.

Said another way, in this world you will have trials, in this world you will have turbulence, in this world you will have storms.

But take heart, I have overcome the world.

Jesus is helping us to recognize that we live in a world where storms and pain and suffering are a part of our reality.

When Christ returns, which is what we're looking forward to, he's going to remove all of these things.

In fact, the book of Revelation says that there will be no more tears, that we're going to live in total shalom and peace.

But until then, we live in a world where turbulence and storms are a part of our everyday reality.

And we have to learn to condition ourselves to be reminded what Jesus says, but take heart, I have overcome the world.

Because unfortunately, when we do feel that bump of turbulence, when we do feel that drop in the air, that that that thing that we didn't see coming, our body reads it as danger.

And then the algorithm loves to monetize our panic.

And we begin to believe that because I don't feel God's presence, that must communicate that He's absent.

But it's in those moments that I believe we should allow the words of our perfect pilot to speak to us and say, trust that I'm in control, trust that I am with you even in this season, and trust that you're gonna make it to your destination.

It's in these moments that we have to recognize that peace is not found in the absence of the wind, but it's found in a person.

When I recognized when I was on that flight and we hit the bumps, and I heard the captain speak and say, Hey, we're hitting some turbulence, but we're gonna be okay, we're gonna rise above the storm and change our pace just a little bit.

My peace didn't come because the winds had gone away.

My peace came because there was somebody who was equipped in the cockpit.

I want to encourage you guys right now that maybe you're in the midst of a storm.

Maybe it's bumpy for you right now, maybe there's a turbulent season that you're facing.

But I want you to be encouraged in knowing that God is with you even in this storm.

So, what do we do while we're in the storm season?

We worship even when there's wind.

Church, I want you to hear me that worship is not denial, but worship is defiance.

It's how your spirit tells your storm that it doesn't get the mic in your life.

We don't wait for the waves to behave before we give God glory.

We worship when the wind is loud.

We worship when the numbers don't add up.

We worship when our marriage is in distress.

We worship when we find ourselves even in the midst of sickness.

We worship and we declare God's word over our situation, and we wait with anticipation of seeing our breakthrough take place.

We worship in the wind.

I want you guys to hear me.

This is the main thought of all of this.

There is peace in your storm because God is with you.

Let that resonate.

That the storm may be still be present, the discomfort still may be a part of your reality, but peace is still available because God is with you.

The text tells us that Jesus has just got finished preaching all day.

And as he's declaring God's word and he's leading people to a space where they can place their faith in God, it's been a long day, and so he then tells his disciples, let us go to the other side.

It's evening time, but he still has work to do.

If you really do a deep examination of the words and the way that Jesus speaks, he's not talking about taking a scenic route, but he's literally using mission language.

The other side that he's referring to is called Decapolis.

This area is a Gentile region, strongly influenced by Greek culture, which included being heavily populated with polytheism and pagan religions.

And Jesus says, Let's go over there.

Jesus says to the very environment that we would often define as godless, to the very people that are away from God, but Jesus' heart posture is saying, but we need to go over there to serve them.

Who are the over there people in your life?

The people who have a different culture than you, the people who live a different lifestyle than you, the people who have different beliefs than you, people who have different politics than you.

Come on, I'm stepping on some toes now.

Every person that we allow the algorithm and social media and politicians to place label ons to justify being indifferent and dehumanizing people, those are the very people that God is saying that we are called to go and reach.

How is it possible that we feel that God is using us to reach people if they're not within reach?

How can we care for people if we don't care about people?

So we're allowing our theology to be shaped by our fear, and then we vilify the very people that God is commissioning us to go and serve.

Can I talk to some of us in here for a moment?

And y'all aren't gonna say no because I have the microphone.

But but can I can I be real for a minute?

Like, I am so grieved, annoyed, frustrated, and angered at the Western martyr mindset of a Christian.

We are quick to believe that our faith is under attack.

Our faith is under attack.

We gotta we gotta take a stand for Jesus.

Okay, sir, what happened to you?

I was at Publix and they said happy holidays instead of Merry Christmas.

Is is that what we're talking about right now?

Have you not read the Bible in church history?

The body of Christ has endured the literal death of Christ in his resurrection.

It has endured the Emperor Nero, it has endured people who were being boiled alive and fed to lions.

I promise you, Jesus is gonna be okay.

I promise you, the body of Christ is gonna be okay.

God is calling us to live a life that we're light in the midst of darkness, but if we vilify the very people we're supposed to reach, how are we supposed to allow them to experience the loving presence of God?

I'm a I'm concerned that we've allowed our prejudice to shape our theology.

And and there's people who have become influencers with blue check marks that justify their hatred and they use scripture as disguise to deal with their own insecurities.

I'm just getting started.

If you read the Bible, I want you to understand, and if maybe you're new to all of this, I'm here to encourage somebody.

There's a big difference of the Jesus of America and the Jesus of the Bible.

Sean, I thought more people would clap.

The nine o'clock was shouting me down, and there was like 10 people there.

Let me say that again.

I'm gonna keep saying it until y'all get it.

There is a big difference from the Jesus of America and the Jesus of the Bible.

Okay, now now you're with me.

Now you're keeping up with me.

Somehow we've shaped Jesus into this, into this entity that is against people.

Jesus is deliberately sending his disciples into Gentile territory where there are pigs at, where there were swine at, things that they were defined as unclean.

But Jesus says to his disciples, we're going over there.

That is our assignment.

And while they are on this assignment, the Bible says that a great storm rose up.

And the boat was being filled already.

In other words, it was raining so quickly that they didn't even have the ability to lift the water out of the ship, so it was feeling like it was going to sink.

When Mark explains this, he's not being dramatic, but he is being diagnostic.

For the Sea of Galilee, it was 700 feet below sea level.

The water and the atmosphere there was pretty warm, but because there were mountains and cliffs and hills, that was where it was a little bit colder.

So when you have the pressure and the cold colliding with the warmth beneath, that atmosphere actually does create windstorms that would often happen and it would be overwhelming for individuals because it could happen so quickly.

Here's the translation in everyday life.

Our storms are very rarely just one thing.

It's typically the combination or the collision of high things and low things all coming together at the same time.

It's the pressure at work, plus a tired body, plus an unexpected bill, and then a text that the tone didn't come across the way that you wanted it to.

And now we find ourselves in this turbulent season and we feel as if our soul is under attack.

To make matters even worse, the Bible tells us that for the mind of the Israelite at that time, they viewed water as a place of chaos.

When they read Genesis and it speaks about how the waters were deep and murky, that was a space of chaos for them.

To take it even a step further, the Bible also tells us that when God flooded the earth, that ultimately the mindset of the Jewish believer at that time is they believed that the souls of everyone who died was still haunting the waters.

So now they're in this watery territory where they know that there's depth and there's things that are beyond their control.

Fear is rising to the surface, it's raining like crazy, and the crazy scenario about all of this, they are there because Jesus told them to go there.

Did you catch that?

They would not have even been on this water if Jesus didn't tell them we're going to the other side.

What do you do when your obedience seems to put you right in the path of the storm?

I'm doing exactly what God told me to do, and it seems like all hell is breaking loose.

I'm exactly where God told me to be, and I'm dealing with challenges as a result of being obedient to God.

Lord, I I prayed for this job, you gave me this job, and now this job is robbing me of peace.

My safe place has now become a place of danger for me.

Lord, I've been praying and believing for a marriage, and you've given me this marriage, and now this marriage seems to be it's been robbing me of my identity, Lord.

I prayed for this, you gave me this, you sent me into it, and now the very thing that you blessed me with seems as if it's a curse.

And to make matters even worse, as I'm feeling overwhelmed, as I'm feeling exhausted, as I'm feeling stretched, I'm trying to figure out where you are in all of this.

Because I could hear you so clearly when you sent me on this path, but you seem to be silent now that I'm dealing with the suffering.

They were looking around and they were saying, like, man, it's all hands on deck.

We're trying to scoop this water out of this ship so it doesn't go down, and they're looking around and like, where's Jesus at?

And this brother is knocked out.

The text tells us that Jesus is asleep.

He got a pillow there.

He was propped up, curled up, out.

And they see him there, and they're looking at him and they're saying, Okay, wait a minute.

Like, you're the one who told us to come here.

We're trying to keep ourselves from going under, and you're sleeping.

Here's a side note water was a place of chaos, right?

Water was a place of fear and anxiety and stress, and Jesus was resting.

You can highlight this, write this down, and come back to it another time.

Isn't it interesting that Jesus sleeps in the things that gives us nightmare?

That lets us know that he's in control.

But let me get back to my sermon.

Okay, so Jesus is sleep.

They come up to him and they say to him, Lord, don't you care that we're about to perish?

Don't you care that we're about to go down?

Don't you care?

Don't you see what we're going through?

Don't you see what I'm feeling right now?

Don't you care about the anxiety and the stress that I'm feeling right now, Lord?

Where are you?

It sounds a lot like Mary and Martha when they came to Jesus and said, Lord, if you just would have been here, then I wouldn't be here.

See, this is exactly how anxiety works.

Our nervous system reads danger, and our heart rate begins to spike.

Our breathing shallows and our muscles brace, and then our mind begins to rush to try to explain it.

And then we begin to see the worst case scenario and everything.

And watch this our brain becomes velcro for catastrophe.

Anything that's bad can happen.

Begins to attach itself, and then we begin to replay that scenario on repeat, and we get stuck in the future without considering God's presence.

And when we don't feel his presence, we assume that there's absence.

And so, what do we do when we think that God is absent?

We begin to take matters into our own hand and we try to seize control.

We grab our phones and we begin to scroll through social media.

We grab our phones and we begin to put our symptoms inside of WebMD or Chat GBT, and now what was a cough is throat cancer.

It's amazing how we begin to feed our symptoms into a search engine and we won't call on the Prince of Peace in those moments.

I remember back in 2020 when God had called Megan and I to simultaneously lead Celebration Orlando and Celebration DC at the same time.

I've shared this story.

Prior to us coming here, we spent two years up in DC where I served as the executive pastor, had great relationships and community there.

And what I recall is when we moved here and God was leading us to be the lead pastors here, the pastor that was up there stepped down.

And so now that church was a sheep without a shepherd.

And so I felt like God had told us, I want you to step in and bring stability, and then we're going to identify new leadership that can hopefully transition the church to it.

And I remember specifically, it was October of 2020.

I flew up there to meet with the staff to see how everyone was doing.

We were already gathering after not gathering for six months due to the pandemic.

They had not started gathering yet, so I was able to try to manage both with the schedule.

But I still vividly remember when I got up there to the DC area, I remember meeting one on one with every staff member.

And y'all, can I tell you, in one day, we had 11 staff members quit.

Some were going with the pastor, and others were just leaving altogether.

So a staff of about 20 people was cut in half instantly.

And as I'm using this microphone now, I remember this moment where.

Let me get this off my head so I can start feeling like I'm getting controlled.

Control.

Okay.

Don't give it up for Madison.

Thank you so much, Madison, for stepping in.

I remember, I still remember that moment where I'm I'm I'm sitting with staff member after staff member saying, Hey, I feel like God's calling me to go somewhere else.

I feel like God's calling me to go somewhere else.

I didn't take it personal, but it was just you're in this space, and I still remember vividly going back to the hotel that night.

And as I as I laid in the bed, I was tossing and turning, and I and I couldn't sleep.

And I had the very same moment that the disciples had because I said, Lord, don't you care about your church?

I I thought you asked me to come in to bring stability and to help this community, but people are leaving, and it seems like this ship is going down.

Where are you in all of this stuff?

I began to to Google search and I began to look at varying things, and I began to recognize that maybe God isn't calling me to try to help both churches.

So I crafted this beautiful email to our senior pastor, letting him know, like, hey man, like I can't do this because I was feeling a weight that was robbing me of my sleep.

But then the words of my pilot friend began to resonate in my soul when he said, If you're gonna fly at this altitude, you're going to experience turbulence, but you're built for this.

It shifted my perspective in that moment, and then the and then an ambivalence began to rise up on the inside of me.

I began to recognize that this was a demonic attack.

I closed my phone, I put my hand on my heart and another on my stomach, and I said, I will breathe deeply, recognizing that God is with me and we're built for this.

So then I decided, I made a choice, not a feeling, to rest in Christ.

In the same way we saw God resting in Christ on that ship, I knew that God was inviting me to begin to rest in him.

I'm so glad that I rested in him instead of responding and reacting based off of my feelings.

I want to encourage somebody right now that even though the storm has volumes, Christ has the final setting.

So before you react, rest in him.

Before you quit, rest in him.

Before you turn around, rest in him.

Rest is warfare that tells the storm you will not dictate my future, you will not rob me of rest.

I'm going to rest in him, and I'm allowed the peace of God to surpass all understanding to take root in my life.

You will be amazed at when we learn to rest in God, how peace will land in us before it lands around us.

So when I can rest in him, I can have peace in him, and then I can walk in his strength.

Jesus gets up and he rebukes the wind and he says, Peace, be still.

He tells them to be quiet.

The language that Jesus uses is the same language that he uses when he was dealing with demonic spirits.

I want to take a side note here because this is something that may mess with our theology a little bit.

But I want y'all to hear me.

Every storm isn't from the enemy.

Some storms are the consequence of our own decisions.

Let me say this again.

Let's say hypothetically, you have an important meeting tomorrow morning.

You get out to your car in the morning and you're low on gas.

And you won't make it to your destination without you stopping to get gas first.

The enemy didn't siphon your gas, you just didn't get gas the night before.

I just want to help somebody.

And here's and here's why here's why I'm taking time to do this.

Because I feel like we've turned the enemy into an idol, and we've given him so much power and authority that every bad thing that's in our life, oh, the devil did it, oh, that the enemy did it, the enemy have we lost sight of the Bible where it says, Greater is he that's in you than he that's in his word?

Have we lost sight of the fact that the Bible says that we are the head and not the tail?

Have we lost sight of the fact that we are co-heirs with Christ and that he has placed all things under our feet and we're able to walk in the dominion and the authority of Christ Jesus?

Can we stop giving the enemy so much power in our lives?

He only has the power that we give to him.

So the Bible tells us that he has given us dominion over the enemy.

But the expense of contradicting myself, this storm was because of the enemy.

Because the text tells us that he rebukes the wind as if it's a demonic spirit.

I want you to recognize something.

That they were on mission, they they were going a certain direction that God was sending them in, and this storm rose up.

Paul reminds us in Ephesians chapter 6 for us to put on the armor of God and recognize that we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers and wickedness and high authorities and and and high places, this is the unseen realm.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

But it's so much deeper than that.

Because when Jesus said, Let us go to the other side, when he gets to the other side, in that Gentile environment, there's a man who is bound, literally in the midst of a graveyard, a man who would have been defined as unclean.

So when Jesus says, Let us go to the other side, he is saying there's somebody over there that needs our freedom.

And while they were on their journey to bring freedom to this man, the storm rose up.

I want to submit to you that maybe the storm in your life is the reaction to the enemy knowing that on the other side of this storm, there's a breakthrough that's coming.

On the other side of this storm, there's chains that are going to be falling off.

On the other side of this storm, there's freedom that is going to be burst.

Come on, I'm talking to somebody's family.

Maybe you're dealing with a storm in your family, but don't give up because on the other side of that storm, there's going to be freedom and joy and peace.

So we don't muzzle people, but we do muzzle the panic.

We don't silence the lament, but we do silence the lie.

We speak Jesus' word over every situation.

We bring ourselves into his alignment and we anchor ourselves in his truth, and we recognize that I'm going to wait on the Lord until I see my breakthrough.

I will not let go until he blesses me.

I will not let go until I see the favor of God in my life.

This is what it looks like to experience God's peace.

And Jesus turns to his disciples after he rebukes the wind and he says, Why are you so afraid?

Do you still not have any faith?

Jesus isn't shaming their startle, but he is challenging their lack of surrender.

What fear ultimately means is that the enemy has knocked and we let him right in.

What fear ultimately means is that we've placed belief in an outcome and we didn't consider God's presence.

So Jesus is asking the question Do you park your faith in the waves or in my word?

Because fear is faith, it's just faith without God.

So the question that he's posing to us is, Is your faith in the waves or in his word?

Because from the very beginning, Jesus said, Let us go to the other side.

Jesus has already set the direction on where they're going.

He already told them that we're going to make it to the other side, but the storm rose up.

And if we're not careful, we'll begin to allow the waves to prophesy to something that conflicts with what God said.

Jesus said, We're going to the other side.

So guess what?

We're going to make it to the other side and make it a little bit bumpy and make it a little bit rocky and make it a little bit uncomfortable.

But Jesus said we're going to the other side, and Emmanuel is with me, so I can have peace even in the midst of this storm.

The destination was spoken before the storm was ever seen.

And sometimes we need to remind ourselves and anchor ourselves in that truth.

As I close, I want to share these things with you.

You are not alone in your storm.

I was reading this passage just yesterday, and something stood out to me that I had never seen before.

But at verse 36, it says that when Jesus set out to shore with his disciples, it literally says other boats were with them.

I've been walking with Christ for almost 30 years, and I never considered that when they went out into the storm, they were not the only ship that was out there.

There were others with them.

Here's what that means for us.

We can often believe that the storm we're going through, we're all alone.

But the reality of it is, not only is Emmanuel with you, but you have a community of people that are with you as well.

Your church, your family, your friends, your therapists.

This community that we need to learn to lean on so that we can recognize we're not called to row alone.

The other thing that is so strong to me is that the promise precedes the pressure.

Let us go across Cain before the wind arose.

So we set directions, recognizing that we're not going to let the wind set our emotions.

And then the last thing is we need to let our holy fear replace circumstantial panic.

What you'll notice in this text is that it goes from there was a great storm to there was great calm and then there was great awe.

That means great reverence, great worship.

Notice great storm Jesus speaks.

Now there's a great calm, and now there's great worship.

How do we move from great panic to being in awe of the presence of God as we allow his wickedness in us to turn dread into devotion and panic into praise?

This is how we fight our battles.

Church, I want you to stand with me.

Because in just a moment we're gonna go back into worship and choose to worship even in the wind.

But I do want to declare God's word over us.

If you're with us right now and you would say that you're experiencing a little bit of turbulence, whether it's a full-on storm, whether it's just some bumps, some things that make us uncomfortable, some challenges.

I want to remind you that you're not alone.

So if that's you, I would love for you to lift a hand so I can declare God's word over you on the count of three.

One, two, three, going through some challenges, going through some storms, going through some situations.

Amen.

Amen.

If you can look around, and this is this is personal, but it's not private.

Look around and see that you're not alone.

Not only are there other people that are also going through storms, but there's also other people in here that are gonna pray God's word with you.

In moments like this, I always defer to God's word.

Psalm 46 is a powerful passage that really puts into perspective the magnitude of God.

And I can't think of a better way for us to go into worship than for us to declare God's word together as a community.

So I want us to read Psalm 46 together out loud as a community, declaring it, saying it loud enough so that our spirits believe it, but also with enough boldness that the enemy loses his grip on our life.

Starting at verse number one, counting down, let's read this.

One, two, three.

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.

Let the oceans roar and foam, let the mountains tremble as the waters surge.

A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High.

God dwells in that city, it cannot be destroyed.

From the very break of day, God will protect it.

The nations are in chaos and their kingdoms crumble.

God's voice thunders and earth melts.

The Lord of heaven's armies is here among us.

The God of Israel is our fortress.

Come, see the glorious works of the Lord.

See how he brings destruction upon the world.

He causes wars to end throughout the earth, he breaks the bow and snaps the spear, he burns the shields with fire.

Be still and know that I am God.

I will be honored in every nation, I will be honored throughout the world.

The Lord of heaven's armies is here among us.

The God of Israel is our fortress.

Church, do you believe that the God of Israel is among us?

I want you to know that when God is in our midst, anything is possible.

That when God Emmanuel is with us, that freedom takes place.

That when God Emmanuel is with us, that chains are broken.

That when God Emmanuel is with us, healing takes place, miracles take place, signs and wonders take place.

So we know that Emmanuel is with us and peace is available to us.

So we're gonna worship even in the wind.

So as a family, as a community, let us engage the presence of God with an expectation, knowing that God is for us.

And if God be for us, there's nothing that can work against us.

Let's worship God.

Thank you for joining us to learn more about Celebration Orlando, a church devoted to reaching the lost, equipped in the found, and helping the hurting.

Follow us on social media using the handle at celebrationorl or visit our website, celebrationorl.org.