From the sermon preached on November 1, 2026
Trusting God through storms means holding on to who Jesus is when you cannot see how the night ends. In John 6, Jesus sends His disciples into a storm, lets them row for hours, then comes across the waves saying, "It is I. Do not be afraid." Faith over fear is not the absence of panic; it is keeping your eyes on the One who rules the waves.
Pastor Jan Vezikov, lead pastor of Mosaic Boston, opened this sermon with a question most of us would rather skip: how close have you come to dying? At six or seven, the oldest child of an immigrant family from the former Soviet Union, he had never been taught to swim; he went under in the deep end of a public pool until an older kid pulled him out.
Most storms are less literal but no less real: a health scare, a bill you cannot cover, a future that suddenly looks blank. The disciples in John 6:16-21 knew that feeling, and that night shows three things: Jesus sends His people into storms, often waits until they run out of options, and uses the storm to reveal who He is.
Why God Allows Trials When You Are Doing Exactly What He Said
Jesus had just fed a crowd Pastor Jan estimates at 15,000 people, and they decided He would make a better king than Caesar or Herod Antipas and tried to crown Him by force. Satan offered the same temptation in the wilderness: a crown without a cross.
Matthew 14:22 says Jesus "made the disciples get into the boat," a word that can mean He compelled them. He sent them into the night while He climbed the mountain to pray. That raises the question of why God allows trials for people who are simply obeying Him.
The answer in this passage is trust. Earlier, in another storm, Jesus slept on a cushion in the boat and calmed the sea with a word; this time He deliberately stayed on shore so they would learn to trust Him rather than their feelings about Him. Pastor Jan compared it to a mother eagle nudging her fledglings out of the nest.
The disciples were not in trouble because they disobeyed; they were in trouble precisely because they obeyed. Jonah's storm, by contrast, was judgment for running the opposite direction. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that storms hit the house built on rock and the house built on sand alike, so the real question behind why God allows trials is whether Christ is in the boat with you.
Today, write down one storm you are facing and ask honestly whether you got there by following Jesus or by running from Him; trusting God through storms starts with that honesty. Part of understanding why God allows trials is admitting which boat you are actually in.
Finding God's Presence in Suffering When Help Seems Late
Matthew and Mark both describe a contrary wind, and rowers face backward, so that wind meant pulling as hard as possible for almost no progress. The Sea of Galilee sits about 600 feet below sea level with hills rising roughly 2,000 feet around it, which is why storms there can be fierce and sudden. If the disciples launched around 9 p.m. and Jesus came in the fourth watch (between 3 and 6 a.m.), they rowed for six to nine hours; ten minutes on a rowing machine left Pastor Jan sore in muscles he forgot he had.
Mark 6:48 adds the detail that changes everything: from the mountain, Jesus saw them straining at the oars. They felt abandoned, yet God's presence in suffering was never in question; He was watching the entire time.
When Jesus finally came walking on the waves, they thought He was a ghost and screamed. Hours earlier they had carried the miraculous bread, but fear erased the memory. We do the same when we stare at the pain.
Jesus waited when Mary and Martha asked Him to heal their brother Lazarus, and Job, the Old Testament sufferer, endured 41 chapters before saying in Job 42, "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you." As the old saying goes, man's extremity is God's opportunity. God's presence in suffering often becomes clearest at the very end of our own strength.
Tonight, name one small kindness from this week you may have missed and thank God for it out loud. Learning to see God's presence in suffering starts with noticing the help that has already arrived.
Overcoming Fear With Faith Begins With Who Jesus Is
In John 6:20, Jesus says, "It is I," which in Greek is ego eimi, literally "I am." The disciples would have heard the name God gave Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3, and this happened near Passover, when Isaiah 43:1-2 was read: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you." Jesus is not claiming to have existence; He is claiming to be its source.
Matthew 14:27-33 adds what John leaves out. Peter asked Jesus to call him out onto the water, stepped out of the boat, and walked while his eyes stayed on Jesus. Then he saw the wind, fear crept in, doubt pushed out faith, and he began to sink.
Nobody pointed Peter to the waves; the doubt came from within, as much of ours does when we neglect the habits that feed faith. Overcoming fear with faith is not a technique; it is seeking Jesus with the eyes of your heart and continuing what He began.
Peter's prayer was three words that sum up faith over fear: "Lord, save me." Jesus caught him, climbed into the boat, and immediately the boat reached land. That is overcoming fear with faith in its simplest form.
Jesus compared Himself to Jonah in Matthew 12:40-41 for a reason. Jonah's storm was God's wrath for disobedience; on the cross, Jesus, who never disobeyed, took the storm of God's wrath that would sink every one of us for eternity. He took what we deserved to give us forgiveness we do not deserve, the deepest ground for overcoming fear with faith.
When panic rises today, pray Peter's prayer, "Lord, save me," and then read John 6:16-21 slowly before you do anything else.
What John 6 Teaches About Trusting God Through Storms
John 6 gives a pattern for trusting God through storms and choosing faith over fear when the wind turns against you. Three truths from the sermon stand out:
1. Storms Can Come Through Obedience
What it looks like: You follow Jesus faithfully and still face opposition, loss, or exhaustion.
Why it matters: A storm is not automatic proof that you are out of God's will; it may be the classroom where He builds your trust.
2. Delay Is Not Absence
What it looks like: You pray and nothing seems to change for hours, weeks, or longer.
Why it matters: Jesus watched the disciples the whole night, and His timing brings Him the most glory and His people the most joy.
3. Revelation Replaces Fear
What it looks like: You look away from the waves and toward who Jesus says He is.
Why it matters: Faith over fear grows when you know the great I Am is in the boat with you.
Pastor Jan named the ordinary practices that keep doubt from taking root:
Reading the Scriptures regularly
Worshiping with other believers
Taking communion
Praying, even in three-word prayers
Spending unhurried time seeking the Lord's face
Where to Find a Church Family for the Long Nights
Storms rarely announce themselves, and they feel heavier when you are rowing alone in the dark. Mosaic Boston gathers every Sunday morning at Longwood Towers in Brookline, near the Green Line D, with neighbors from across Norfolk County and Suffolk County. Whether you live in Brookline or Jamaica Plain or work in the Longwood Medical Area, there is room in the boat for you.
Faith Over Fear in Every Storm
The disciples did not get calm seas that night; they got a clearer sight of who Jesus is. Trusting God through storms means remembering that He sent them, watched them, and came to them walking on the waves. As Pastor Jan said, keep rowing, because Jesus is growing you, and He will not let you sink.
Sunday worship at Mosaic Boston is the simplest place to hear this with real people beside you, so plan your visit here.
Our connection card lets someone from Mosaic follow up personally, so get started here.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Remember that feeling alone is not the same as being alone. In John 6, the disciples rowed for hours without Jesus in the boat, yet Mark 6:48 says He saw them the entire time. Trust grows when you rest on who Jesus is rather than on whether you can feel Him nearby.
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Scripture does not always explain God's timing, but it shows a pattern. Jesus waited until the disciples were exhausted and waited before raising Lazarus, so that His people would depend on Him fully and see His glory clearly. Delay is not absence; He is working the whole time.
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It means the storms that frighten you are under Jesus' authority. By walking on the waves and saying "It is I" (literally "I am"), Jesus showed He is God, the Lord over chaos. He may not remove every storm, but He will not let His people sink.
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The Greek phrase ego eimi echoes the name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. When Jesus uses it on the water, He is claiming the divine name and backing that claim with a miracle. It means the One in the boat with you is not merely powerful; He is the source of all power and life.
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No. The disciples ended up in the storm precisely because they obeyed Jesus, and the Sermon on the Mount says storms hit every house. What following Jesus does mean is that He is with you in the storm and will bring you through it.