December 8th, 2025
by Pastor Luke
by Pastor Luke
When God Creates the Storm: Finding Security in Divine Dependence
The parting of the Red Sea stands as one of the most dramatic moments in biblical history. But have you ever stopped to consider what actually happened that day? It wasn't just a miracle of deliverance—it was a storm of epic proportions. Thunder crashed, lightning flashed across the sky, wind howled with supernatural force, and rain poured down as God literally bent the laws of physics to rescue His people.
The psalmist captures this moment beautifully: "When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid. Indeed, the deep trembled. The clouds poured out water. The skies gave forth thunder. Your arrows flashed on every side... Your way was through the sea, Your path through the great waters. Yet your footprints were unseen" (Psalm 77:16-20).
What strikes me about this passage is the raw power on display. God didn't just calmly part the waters with a gentle wave of His hand. He created a storm so intense that the very waters trembled at His presence. And yet, despite all that power and chaos, He left no footprints. His ways remain mysterious, His methods beyond our full comprehension.
The God Who Calms and Creates
We're familiar with Jesus calming the storm in Mark chapter 4. The disciples, terrified as their boat was being tossed by wind and waves, woke Jesus and cried, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" Jesus stood, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still." Immediately, there was a great calm.
But here's the paradigm shift we often miss: God doesn't just calm storms—He creates them too.
This truth challenges our entire perspective on the difficult seasons of life. When we face circumstances that feel chaotic and out of control, our natural response is to pray for God to calm the storm, to remove the difficulty, to make life easier. And sometimes He does exactly that. But other times, God is the very one who created that storm in the first place, not to harm us, but to rescue us from something far more dangerous: self-reliance.
The Israelites needed to learn this lesson the hard way. After God miraculously delivered them through the Red Sea, they soon found themselves hungry in the wilderness. God provided manna and quail, but with specific instructions: gather only what you need for one day. Trust Me for tomorrow.
Yet what did they do? Many gathered as much as they could, hoarding food in their tents out of fear that God wouldn't provide the next day. And what happened? The excess rotted and became worthless. Their attempt to secure their own future through self-reliance literally turned to decay in their hands.
The Illusion of Control
We live in a culture obsessed with control and security. We're told to have emergency funds, backup plans, contingency strategies, and safety nets upon safety nets. And while wisdom certainly has its place, there's a dangerous line we cross when our pursuit of security becomes rooted in self-reliance rather than God-dependence.
The reality is that control is largely an illusion. We can't control other people's decisions or actions. We can't control the economy, the weather, or countless other factors that impact our lives daily. The only control Scripture emphasizes is self-control—the last fruit of the Spirit—which is really about surrendering control to God's Spirit within us.
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He included this simple yet profound request: "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). Not weekly bread. Not monthly bread. Not a year's supply of bread. Daily bread.
This prayer acknowledges a fundamental truth about the Christian life: we are called to live in daily dependence on God. Not because He's incapable of providing abundantly, but because daily dependence keeps our hearts aligned with His, our trust anchored in Him rather than in our own resources.
The Evidence of Anointing
Here's another perspective shift that might challenge you: spiritual warfare isn't evidence of God's absence—it's evidence of His presence and anointing on your life.
When God does a new thing, when He calls you to step out in faith, when His Spirit moves powerfully in your life, it irritates the enemy. Resistance intensifies not because you've been abandoned, but because you're walking in divine purpose. If you're not experiencing any resistance, you might want to ask yourself: am I doing anything worth resisting?
We weren't called to a soft, comfortable faith. Scripture calls us soldiers. There's a spiritual battle raging in realms we cannot see with physical eyes, but we feel it in our spirits. And we wage this war not with physical weapons, but through prayer, fasting, and worship.
When you feel that resistance, when spiritual warfare intensifies, don't interpret it as God stepping away. Recognize it as confirmation that God is with you in power and that your faithfulness matters in the kingdom.
The Danger of Grumbling
The Israelites had a chronic problem: they grumbled. Despite witnessing miracle after miracle—the plagues in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, water from a rock, daily provision of manna—they complained constantly. They wanted what they didn't have and took for granted what they did have.
Their grumbling revealed something deeper than mere discontent. It revealed a fundamental lack of trust in God's goodness and provision. And the consequences were severe. In one instance, 23,000 people died in a single day because of their rebellion and grumbling.
Grumbling is never rewarded by the Spirit. It's not a fruit of the Spirit, it's not a spiritual gift, and it's certainly not a practice that builds faith. Instead, grumbling demonstrates that we've forgotten who God is and what He's done for us.
When we complain about our circumstances, we're essentially saying, "God, You're not doing enough. You're not providing adequately. I know better than You what I need." It's the height of pride disguised as legitimate concern.
Trusting the Rock
Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, connected all these Old Testament stories to Christ. The physical rock that provided water for Israel in the wilderness? That was a picture of Christ, the true Rock, from whom living waters flow.
When we're spiritually parched, when we feel dry and depleted, the answer isn't to seek refreshment in entertainment, achievement, relationships, or any other substitute. The answer is to return to the Rock, to sit at the feet of Jesus, and allow the waters of His presence to flow back into our lives and refresh us completely.
First Corinthians 10:13 offers this powerful promise: "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
Notice it doesn't say God will remove every temptation or make life easy. It says He provides a way of escape so we can endure. Endurance requires faith. It requires trust. It requires daily dependence on the God who both calms and creates the storms of our lives.
Living by Daily Bread
So what does this look like practically? It means waking up each morning and consciously choosing to trust God for that day. Not obsessing about next week, next month, or next year, but trusting Him for today.
It means when you face a storm—whether relational, financial, physical, or spiritual—you don't immediately assume God has abandoned you. Instead, you ask: "God, what are You teaching me through this? How are You inviting me to trust You more deeply?"
It means resisting the urge to secure your future through self-reliance and instead building your life on the solid foundation of God's faithfulness.
It means recognizing that the Christian life isn't meant to be easy—it's meant to be dependent. And in that dependence, we discover the sufficiency of God's grace, the abundance of His provision, and the security that comes only from trusting the One who holds tomorrow in His hands.
The Israelites' stories were written down as examples for us, warnings about the dangers of self-reliance, grumbling, and testing God. But they're also testimonies to God's unwavering faithfulness, His miraculous provision, and His commitment to His people even when they fail.
You serve a God who creates storms to rescue you, who provides daily bread to sustain you, and who stands as an unmovable Rock in the midst of life's chaos. The question isn't whether He's faithful—He always is. The question is whether you'll trust Him enough to live by daily bread, to weather the storms He allows, and to find your security not in what you can control, but in the One who controls all things.
stay salty. be bright.
Pastor Luke
The psalmist captures this moment beautifully: "When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid. Indeed, the deep trembled. The clouds poured out water. The skies gave forth thunder. Your arrows flashed on every side... Your way was through the sea, Your path through the great waters. Yet your footprints were unseen" (Psalm 77:16-20).
What strikes me about this passage is the raw power on display. God didn't just calmly part the waters with a gentle wave of His hand. He created a storm so intense that the very waters trembled at His presence. And yet, despite all that power and chaos, He left no footprints. His ways remain mysterious, His methods beyond our full comprehension.
The God Who Calms and Creates
We're familiar with Jesus calming the storm in Mark chapter 4. The disciples, terrified as their boat was being tossed by wind and waves, woke Jesus and cried, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" Jesus stood, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still." Immediately, there was a great calm.
But here's the paradigm shift we often miss: God doesn't just calm storms—He creates them too.
This truth challenges our entire perspective on the difficult seasons of life. When we face circumstances that feel chaotic and out of control, our natural response is to pray for God to calm the storm, to remove the difficulty, to make life easier. And sometimes He does exactly that. But other times, God is the very one who created that storm in the first place, not to harm us, but to rescue us from something far more dangerous: self-reliance.
The Israelites needed to learn this lesson the hard way. After God miraculously delivered them through the Red Sea, they soon found themselves hungry in the wilderness. God provided manna and quail, but with specific instructions: gather only what you need for one day. Trust Me for tomorrow.
Yet what did they do? Many gathered as much as they could, hoarding food in their tents out of fear that God wouldn't provide the next day. And what happened? The excess rotted and became worthless. Their attempt to secure their own future through self-reliance literally turned to decay in their hands.
The Illusion of Control
We live in a culture obsessed with control and security. We're told to have emergency funds, backup plans, contingency strategies, and safety nets upon safety nets. And while wisdom certainly has its place, there's a dangerous line we cross when our pursuit of security becomes rooted in self-reliance rather than God-dependence.
The reality is that control is largely an illusion. We can't control other people's decisions or actions. We can't control the economy, the weather, or countless other factors that impact our lives daily. The only control Scripture emphasizes is self-control—the last fruit of the Spirit—which is really about surrendering control to God's Spirit within us.
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He included this simple yet profound request: "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). Not weekly bread. Not monthly bread. Not a year's supply of bread. Daily bread.
This prayer acknowledges a fundamental truth about the Christian life: we are called to live in daily dependence on God. Not because He's incapable of providing abundantly, but because daily dependence keeps our hearts aligned with His, our trust anchored in Him rather than in our own resources.
The Evidence of Anointing
Here's another perspective shift that might challenge you: spiritual warfare isn't evidence of God's absence—it's evidence of His presence and anointing on your life.
When God does a new thing, when He calls you to step out in faith, when His Spirit moves powerfully in your life, it irritates the enemy. Resistance intensifies not because you've been abandoned, but because you're walking in divine purpose. If you're not experiencing any resistance, you might want to ask yourself: am I doing anything worth resisting?
We weren't called to a soft, comfortable faith. Scripture calls us soldiers. There's a spiritual battle raging in realms we cannot see with physical eyes, but we feel it in our spirits. And we wage this war not with physical weapons, but through prayer, fasting, and worship.
When you feel that resistance, when spiritual warfare intensifies, don't interpret it as God stepping away. Recognize it as confirmation that God is with you in power and that your faithfulness matters in the kingdom.
The Danger of Grumbling
The Israelites had a chronic problem: they grumbled. Despite witnessing miracle after miracle—the plagues in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, water from a rock, daily provision of manna—they complained constantly. They wanted what they didn't have and took for granted what they did have.
Their grumbling revealed something deeper than mere discontent. It revealed a fundamental lack of trust in God's goodness and provision. And the consequences were severe. In one instance, 23,000 people died in a single day because of their rebellion and grumbling.
Grumbling is never rewarded by the Spirit. It's not a fruit of the Spirit, it's not a spiritual gift, and it's certainly not a practice that builds faith. Instead, grumbling demonstrates that we've forgotten who God is and what He's done for us.
When we complain about our circumstances, we're essentially saying, "God, You're not doing enough. You're not providing adequately. I know better than You what I need." It's the height of pride disguised as legitimate concern.
Trusting the Rock
Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, connected all these Old Testament stories to Christ. The physical rock that provided water for Israel in the wilderness? That was a picture of Christ, the true Rock, from whom living waters flow.
When we're spiritually parched, when we feel dry and depleted, the answer isn't to seek refreshment in entertainment, achievement, relationships, or any other substitute. The answer is to return to the Rock, to sit at the feet of Jesus, and allow the waters of His presence to flow back into our lives and refresh us completely.
First Corinthians 10:13 offers this powerful promise: "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
Notice it doesn't say God will remove every temptation or make life easy. It says He provides a way of escape so we can endure. Endurance requires faith. It requires trust. It requires daily dependence on the God who both calms and creates the storms of our lives.
Living by Daily Bread
So what does this look like practically? It means waking up each morning and consciously choosing to trust God for that day. Not obsessing about next week, next month, or next year, but trusting Him for today.
It means when you face a storm—whether relational, financial, physical, or spiritual—you don't immediately assume God has abandoned you. Instead, you ask: "God, what are You teaching me through this? How are You inviting me to trust You more deeply?"
It means resisting the urge to secure your future through self-reliance and instead building your life on the solid foundation of God's faithfulness.
It means recognizing that the Christian life isn't meant to be easy—it's meant to be dependent. And in that dependence, we discover the sufficiency of God's grace, the abundance of His provision, and the security that comes only from trusting the One who holds tomorrow in His hands.
The Israelites' stories were written down as examples for us, warnings about the dangers of self-reliance, grumbling, and testing God. But they're also testimonies to God's unwavering faithfulness, His miraculous provision, and His commitment to His people even when they fail.
You serve a God who creates storms to rescue you, who provides daily bread to sustain you, and who stands as an unmovable Rock in the midst of life's chaos. The question isn't whether He's faithful—He always is. The question is whether you'll trust Him enough to live by daily bread, to weather the storms He allows, and to find your security not in what you can control, but in the One who controls all things.
stay salty. be bright.
Pastor Luke
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