“After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals” (Judges 2:10:11).

Charles Spurgeon wrote: “It was God’s Word that made us; is it any wonder that his Word should sustain us?”

For the Christian, God’s Word is essential.

The book of Judges is the story of the Israelites conquering the Promised Land. We are told, “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors…” That’s just a nice way to say after that whole generation died.

What generation? What is the reference for that whole generation?

The writer of Judges is talking about Moses and Joshua’s generation. One of the unique things about Moses and Joshua’s generation is that there was probably not a single person in that generation who didn’t know God.

• Every one of them were there when God sent the ten plagues to Egypt
• Every one of them were there when God split the Red Sea
• Every one of them saw the Manna fall from heaven everyday to sustain them for forty years in the wilderness
• Every one of them saw the pillar of cloud leading them in the day, and the pillar of fire at night

No one in that generation wondered if God were real. They knew. They saw. They were there.

But, that entire generation died. And our text tells us that another generation came after them.

I want you to pay close attention to the ways that the author of Judges describes this generation who came after Moses and Joshua’s generation.

• They knew neither the LORD – they did not know God
• Nor what he had done for Israel – they did not know God’s history

When you have a generation that does not know God nor his history recorded in the Bible, this is the result – “Then the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD by worshiping the Baals.”

When a generation does not know God nor his history, that generation sins.

When we do not know God’s word, we sin.

For the Christian, God’s word is essential. It is the word of God that made us Christian. It is the word of God that will sustain us.

Spend time with God and his word.

“One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger” (Luke 8:22-23).

One of the biggest misunderstandings of God’s will is when Christ-followers thinking that all storms in life are of the devil. Not all storms are of the devil. In fact, some storms are caused by our stupidity and actions. And then, get this, some storms are sent by God!

Whoa…

Look at our text. It was the will of Jesus that the disciples set sail and cross the lake. Oh. The sailing just happened to be a sailing that would send the disciples right into the middle of the storm. But, don’t miss the fact that Jesus sent them out there.

Notice. Jesus is present with them on the boat, but we are told that they were in great danger. We know that, in the end, Jesus calms the storm. But in the midst of the storm, the danger was very real and very present.

Never miss this: there was never a moment when Jesus was not present with the disciples.

So, what can we learn about storms we encounter in our lives?

• Some storms are of the devil. The devil hates God and loves to wreak havoc.
• Some storms have nothing to do with the devil. Some storms are our own creations. Our stupid decisions, our stupid actions, our stupidity is the cause of a good number of storms in our lives.
• Some storms are sent by God to help us to grow in trust and faith.

Here’s the million dollar question: how does one know when it is of God, the devil, or our stupidity?

1. Are you in the will of God? Are you doing what God asks of you? If you are doing God’s will, if you’re doing what God is asking of you and you find yourself in a midst of the storm, keep seeking God in the storm. You are not alone. God is there with you.
2. If you are doing God’s will, confess and repent. Get out of there. You don’t belong there. Even there, you are not alone. God is with you. Seek God and follow him.
3. If the storm is the result of your stupidity…look at number 2.

No matter what, the key to facing storms in life is to know that you are not alone because God is with you. Seek God in all circumstances. And stay clear of blaming all storms on the devil. That’s poor theology.

You don’t just get one verse today. You get a bunch of verses!

Jesus told his disciples that the world will come to know that we are followers of Jesus when we do this one thing: love one another.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

An Egyptian poet Mufstafa Ibrahim writes:

May you never be the reason why someone who loved to sing, doesn’t sing anymore.
Or why someone who dressed so uniquely now wears plain clothing.
Or why someone who always spoke so excitedly about their dream, is now silent about them.
May you never be the reason someone gave up on a part of themselves because you were demotivating, non-appreciative, hypercritical, or even worse – sarcastic about it.

Encourage one another.

Love one another.

Our world needs followers of Jesus to follow Jesus.