Facing The Storm Of Fear

It is easy to speak these words but it is not always easy not to be afraid.

Illus: Have you heard about the man who owned a parrot that swore like a sailor? This parrot was so terrible, it could swear for five minutes straight without repeating itself. One day the man finally got tired of this parrot's horrible speech, and decided to do something about it.

He grabbed the parrot by the throat, shook it really hard, and yelled, "QUIT IT!" every time the parrot said something ungodly. But this just made the parrot mad, and it swore more than ever.

Next the man tried locking the bird in a kitchen cabinet. This really aggravated the parrot, and it clawed and scratched furiously until the man finally let him out (upon which the bird released it's fury in a torrent of language so horrible it could never be repeated).

At that point, the man was so frustrated that he threw the parrot into the freezer. For the first few seconds the parrot made a terrible amount of noise in protest to this treatment, kicking, clawing, and thrashing about. But after a few moments it suddenly went very quiet.

As the silence grew longer the man started to think that the parrot may be hurt. After a couple minutes of silence, he became so worried that he opened up the freezer door. The parrot calmly climbed onto the man's outstretched arm and said, "Awfully sorry about the trouble I gave you. I'll do my best to improve my vocabulary from now on."

Of course, the man was astounded. He could not understand the transformation that had come over his unruly parrot. Then the parrot asked, "By the way, what did the chicken do?"

It does not matter how big a man might be there are times in his life when he is fearful.

Illus: A big man had a fear that he was afraid to tell anyone about. However, this fear got so bad at night he could not sleep so he finally decided to go see a psychiatrist.

? The psychiatrist asked, “How can I help you?”

? The man said, “Doc, I have this fear every night that someone is hiding under my bed and I cannot sleep. Do you think I'm going crazy?"

? The doctor said, “No, you are not going crazy, just put yourself in my hands for one year. Come talk to me three times a week and we should be able to get rid of those fears."

? "How much do you charge?"

? "Eighty bucks a visit," replied the shrink.

? The man said, "Wow, that's expensive, I'll sleep on it."

? Six months later they met on the street. "Why didn't you ever come back to see me about those fears you were having?" he asked.

? I finally broke down and told my problem to that old man that lived across the street and he cured me.

? "Is that so!” The psychiatrist said, “What kind of advice did he give you to cure you?

? "He told me to cut the legs off the bed! Ain't nobody under there now!"

Illus: A man went to the psychiatrist because he had a fear of thunder.

? The man said, "Doc, I don't know what to do!"

? The doctor replied, "That's ridiculous. Thunder is a natural phenomenon - nothing to be afraid of. Whenever you hear thunder, do like I do: Put your head under the pillow and it will go away."

We all have to deal with fears.

The disciples had to deal with fear. They encountered a PHYSICAL STORM and a SPIRITUAL STORM at the same time. They were on a boat when a dreadful storm came. It was so bad, that those experienced fishermen thought that they were all going to a watery grave that day.

But the Lord appeared before those FEARFUL DISCIPLES, and when He was finished with them, those FEARFUL DISCIPLES became the PEACEFUL DISCIPLES.

As these disciples faced this deadly storm, notice three things that the Lord dealt with:

I. HE DEALT WITH THEIR FEAR.

Look at their fear in verses 47-50. We read, “And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, BE OF GOOD CHEER: IT IS I; BE NOT AFRAID.”