That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
REFERENCES: PSALM 56:3; PSALM 131:2 ESV; 1 TIMOTHY 1:7; JOHN 14:2
Even through the darkest clouds, heavy winds, and the unbearable downpour all you need is a little bit of faith. Small faith in God has the ability to speak to the largest fears. Although his presence may not always be blatant Jesus is in the midst of every storm, and with a single word, he has the authority to command the winds to calm. But will we trust him? The disciples had seen Jesus perform many miracles, yet in the middle of the sea, they still doubted. As Christians, we have a conscious awareness that walking with Jesus doesn’t exclude us from storms, but it affords us the opportunity to have faith in a God that can speak to our storm. Let’s stay focused, prepared, and ready to confront the storms of life because no matter where we find ourselves, God is there in the midst of it all. The same minuscule faith that we see in the scripture from over 2,000 years ago is the same faith that will allow us to face the challenges of today.
It’s not a matter of if you will go through a storm, its when.
While the disciples were in the boat, they had a lot of fear but not a lot of faith. God says when we are in the middle of our storm, “There is more.” Living a life of faith is understanding that storms will constantly be on the rise, but we don’t have to fear because we have a God that walks with us.
Often it’s easy to pray and believe for others without carrying that same level of faith for our own struggles. Jesus develops the confidence in us to believe. Remembering his faithfulness from the past gives us confidence in his faithfulness for our future.
As we face the storms of life, know that going through them doesn’t make us any less Christian. Being a believer doesn’t mean that the storms won’t come. No, in fact, we can expect them. But having the love of Jesus ensures that he is in the boat with us. We can redirect our focus from the rage of the wind and waves to the one who controls them all. Jesus has the power to quiet the storm and to repair all the damage. Getting to the other side isn’t about the strength of the storm, it’s about the belief we have in our savior.
Create a Storm Preparation kit. Assemble a list of encouraging Bible verses, sermon links, and other content to help encourage yourself and others when storms arise.
If someone in your Crew needs care, we want to come alongside you. Our Care Response Team is designed to equip you to walk with people in different seasons of their life.Our team is committed to celebrating life’s best moments with you and offering support through its hardest ones.We would love to come around you for the following life events:
+ Marriages
+ Births
+ Deaths
+ Hospitalizations/Illness
Please submit a request at vouschurch.com/requestcare
Serve Day is happening Saturday, July 12th, and we want to get ALL of our crews involved in loving our city so please sign your crew up for a Serve Day project! To see the projects and sign up, please click here! Please have your form in by Wednesday, July 2nd.
When: Saturday, July 12th
Where: All VOUS Locations
Time: 10:00 AM
We are having baptisms this Sunday, July 27th, across all of our locations, and on the beach.
To sign up for baptisms, please click here.
VOUS High Camp is happening July 22–25 in St. Petersburg, FL. A four-day experience for students in 6th–12th grade to grow in faith, build friendships, and have a blast. Camp includes worship, games, lodging, meals, merch, and transportation.
To sign up for VOUS High Camp, click here.
Join us for a powerful night designed just for college students and young adults. VCOM PM Chapel is where faith and community collide — a space to encounter God, connect with others, and be stirred in your calling in the community and culture of VOUS College.
To RSVP, click here.
When: Thursday, July 17th
Where: VOUS Design District
Time: 7:30 PM
Address: 77 NE 40th St, Miami, FL, 33137
VOUS SoMi
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM
VOUS City
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM
VOUS Miami Gardens
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM
VOUS Design District
10:30AM / 12:30PM
Church Online
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 5PM Español
Growth Track
After every service or join online at vouschurch.com/growthtrack