In the Storm
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
1 Kings 19:9-18 and Matthew 14:22-33
August 9, 2026
By Pastor Jane Shelton, CRE
Knowing that Jaxson will be heading off to the University of Oklahoma to pursue a major in Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, I will not deny it was a big reason that I chose this sermon title today; however, I will point out that these scriptures were on the liturgical calendar waiting to be chosen for Jaxson.
Elijah has taken refuge in a cave, which brings to mind a scene from the movie “Cast Away” that I recently saw again, but I digress.
In the stillness of the night, the Word of the Lord came to Elijah and asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Have you ever been somewhere and heard that very question being asked of you?
Elijah answers that he has been zealous for the Lord – he’s energetically and purposefully seeking God because Elijah is concerned that the Israelites have forsaken God’s covenant, destroyed God’s altars, and killed prophets.
If I were Elijah, I would be relentlessly seeking the Lord also.
In the turmoil, this storm of chaos, Elijah finds himself alone and afraid. However, in the seeking, God gives Elijah instructions on what he is to do.
Elijah’s faith in God prompts him to respond and follow God’s instruction. Oddly, though, as Elijah stands on the mount, the Lord passes by him. Then comes a great wind, an earthquake, and a fire, but the Lord is not to be found in any of these.
Elijah continues seeking.
Then, in sheer silence, Elijah “hears” it. He hears the voice of the Lord and covers himself before God.
The question comes again, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”
Elijah responds again with the details of chaos of the people of Israel, and how he fears for his life.
What happens next is often words none of us want to hear. “Return to the wilderness.”
But notice God does not send Elijah back into the wilderness without instruction or protection. The Lord lays out a specific plan which Elijah is to follow. A plan to anoint others who will carry out God’s plan.
In these scriptures, we witness how God comes to us outside the chaos, in the silence after the storms, and delivers us through his faithful word and guidance.
We continue to see this commitment by God through Jesus in the New Testament when Jesus walks on the water.
Have you ever tried to walk on water?
In this story, Jesus has left the crowds and gone to the mountain to be alone to pray. Perhaps Jesus is familiar with the sheer silence for which he seeks to find his Abba Father.
What I find fascinating about this story is that although Jesus has gone up to the mountain to be away from the crowds, to find silence for a few moments, he never takes his eyes off the disciples. Although Jesus is alone, he is faithfully watching. He is not distracted from being faithful to those he cares for.
This causes me to pause and hearken back to last week’s sermon where we learned that God has compassion over all he has created.
Jesus, in his compassion to watch over those for whom he cares, sees the disciples in their boat far from the shore as the wind blows against them and batters the boat.
Interestingly though, Jesus doesn’t come running down the mountain screaming and yelling with arms flailing. Instead, he waits.
Waits?!
Maybe we need to read that again. Jesus is praying in the evening and sees the boat far from land being battered by the wind against them and doesn’t come to them until early morning.
Perhaps Jesus waits so that he can finish praying. Perhaps he needs a little more time with God the Father. Perhaps it is just a difference in wording between evening and early morning. Perhaps we could all have a different theory on why the scripture doesn’t say that Jesus came racing down the mountain to save them immediately.
Maybe he wanted to see if they had faith to trust God to calm the waters.
Jesus, however, comes on his timetable and walks faithfully toward them.
When they see Jesus, they don’t respond like I might have, “Oh thank God you are finally here!”
Instead, they see him walking toward them, thinking he is a ghost. They are afraid, terrified, in fact.
But Jesus immediately speaks to them, saying, “Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid.”
Jesus not only calms the waters, but he also calms the disciples by saying, “Don’t be afraid. I am here for you!”
Peter, who you must love as being the one who is always up for a challenge, responds by saying, “If it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
Let me just say, if I were Peter, I might have been looking for another volunteer from the boat other than myself!
I believe, though, that Peter had seen enough of Jesus’ miracles that he had faith in his commands.
When Jesus says, “Come,” Peter willingly, and I think bravely, steps out of the boat and begins walking on the water toward Jesus.
Now I don’t know about you, but I’m really impressed with Peter. He is walking on water, but like so many of us, we take our focus off Jesus, we get distracted by what’s going on around us, and we also begin to sink.
When we take our focus off Jesus, like Peter, we find ourselves crying out, “Lord, save me!”
Here we see an immediate response from Jesus as he reaches out his hand and catches Peter.
Jesus asks, “Why did you doubt?” And as they step back into the boat, the wind ceased, and the disciples worship him, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”
How many times do we feel far from shore with the wind against us? We might feel tossed about, dislodged from reality, and wondering where we might land or even if we will survive.
Jaxson, I’m sure you might also encounter plenty of storms in your future occupation.
As all of us journey in life, may we never lose focus or be afraid to cry out to Jesus for help when we feel ourselves sinking. The God of compassion will always be there watching us in the storm, waiting for us to reach out and be delivered from trouble as we are brought into sheer silence and calm in his loving arms of rest.
To God be the glory!