God With Us | In The Storm
About this series:
So many words are regularly associated with Christmas: presents, family, tree, nativity, Jesus, holiday, mince pies, carols, Joseph & Mary, joy, etc. But perhaps the most precious is Immanuel. “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’),” Matthew 1:23.
As John says, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" - God himself giving himself as a man for mankind. It's completely mind blowing! So this Christmas we're going to focus on this word - Immanuel - and what it means for us that Jesus was God with us, is still with us in the person of the Holy Spirit and has won for us an eternity in which we will be with him in the perfection of the new creation.
About this talk:
Matthew 8:23-27
Matthew tells this story not only because it is amazing, but because it shows who Jesus is? The disciples ask "What kind of man is this?" The answer: he's the man who does what only God can do - commanding creation - because he is fully man and fully God. So when we inevitably face storms, knowing just who it is who is with us (Immanuel) that transforms our experience of it.
Audio only
Devotional: Immanuel in the Storm
At Christmas, we celebrate Immanuel - God with us. The God who became human, stepped into our world, and still steps into our storms.
Matthew 8 reminds us that even when we follow Jesus, storms can hit hard and suddenly. The disciples obeyed Jesus, got into the boat with Him… and sailed straight into a furious storm. They panicked. They felt helpless. They cried, “Lord, save us!”
And Jesus - calm, present, unshaken - stood up and stilled the wind and waves with a word.
Matthew wants us to see the real Jesus:
Fully man — tired enough to sleep through the storm.
Fully God — powerful enough to calm it instantly.
Immanuel — God with us.
When our own storms hit - illness, loss, fear, uncertainty - we often don’t understand the “why.” But the cross shows us what the answer can’t be: It can’t be that He doesn’t love us.
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)
So when you don’t know the reason for the storm, hold on to what you do know:
Who Jesus is.
Lord over creation.
Lord over our fears.
Lord who is always with us.
This Christmas, steady your heart with this simple truth:
The storm quiets when we see Jesus more clearly.
Discussion Questions
How do you usually respond when storms come - panic, prayer, withdrawal, seeking support?
How does remembering Jesus as both fully God and fully man strengthen your faith?
Why do you think following Jesus can sometimes lead us into storms rather than away from them?
In what ways does seeing Jesus more clearly change your perspective on your own storm?
What truths about Jesus do you/ could you hold on to in the storm?
Application: “Name the Storm, Name the Saviour”
This week, take a few quiet minutes to do two things:
1. Name your storm.
Write down the one thing that feels most stressful, painful, or uncertain right now. Be honest before God - just like the disciples crying, “Lord, save us!”
2. Name your Saviour.
Next to it, write one truth about Jesus. For example:
Immanuel — God with us.
Lord over creation.
The One who loves me.
Fully God, fully man — close and powerful.
Then pray a simple prayer:
“Jesus, this is my storm. Help me see You more clearly in it.”
Keep that note somewhere you’ll see it—your Bible, your phone, your desk.
Every time you look at it, let it remind you…
My storm is real, but Jesus is Lord in it and with me through it.
