Fear No Storm

 

Proverbs 29:25 (KJV)

The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.

Storms of every kind will come into our lives; but, he who trusts in the Lord does not have to fear. The Lord is with you and will guide you through every storm.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Water And The Word

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

                                                                               (Isa 55:9-11 KJV)

Finally, a good storm! This spring has seen very little rain. The pond in my yard is looking pretty low. The little minnows have not had much chance to grow in such little space. The trees also have been looking pretty thirsty. Way too many of the Palm trees' fronds have turned brown. But; finally, we have a good rain!

Even as the waters come down encouraging growth and life so does the word that comes from the Lord. Listen to Him and grow in your life, living each day more fully in Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Vengeance Is God's

"God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet." 

                                                                          (Nahum 1:2-3 KJV)

Nahum prophesies against Nineveh. He warns that His enemies (in this case the people of Nineveh) will not go unpunished. 

In reading some of these prophesies it sounds awfully vengeful and hurtful. Understand that vengeance is the LORD's to take and while it may appear to be really bad news to those who worship false idols and persecute those who worship the LORD, it is good news to the people of God. Those who find themselves attacked and persecuted by God's enemies have no other place to turn for hope and salvation except to the LORD and to His promise that He will deliver them from the hands of their enemies.

He will deliver us! It is the LORD who saves! Thanks be to God!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Listen To Him!

Stormy day on Huron Bay, U.P.

And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;

And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.

For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. 

                                                                                (Acts 27:18-24 KJV)

The sailors had not listened to Paul when he warned them that it was to dangerous to set sail. Now, in the midst of the raging storm that he'd warned them about, they are ready to listen. They ran their ship aground and ultimately their lives are spared. God is with them. He has plans for Paul. He wants Paul to stand trial before Caesar in order for him to testify about Jesus.

When we find ourselves in the midst of storms because we failed to heed the warnings about the direction that we were heading. It is not too late. Listen to God. Listen to where He would have you go and what He would have do. God has plans for you! He will do all to ensure that His plans are carried out. But, listen to Him!

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Weary Will Rise Up With Wings Like Eagles

Even youths will faint and be weary,

and the young will fall exhausted;

³¹ 

but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:30-31 NRSV)

I am no longer a youth. There are days that cause me to wonder why I have not fallen completely exhausted. There are days when I would like to. But, for those who are called by the Lord to serve, we do not fall. We might lie down for a bit; but, we do not crumble to the ground. We may have to wait a bit until the Lord has completely renewed our strength. We do not give up because we know that if we wait upon him, he will surely lift us up.  

While kayaking along the shore of Lake Superior, years ago, I got caught in a storm. There were no roads; no towns; not even houses for many, many miles. I had my cell phone on me; but, there was no cell service along that stretch of the shore. I kept paddling for as long as I could because my husband was waiting for me about ten miles down the shore with lunch and I knew he would be panicking when he didn't hear from me. The going was very slow. It finally got so rough that I finally had to pull onto a sandy beach. I was hesitant in doing so because I knew although the landing would go okay; I wasn't sure how I'd launch again if the wind and waves did not calm down.

I pulled the kayak up under a tree and ate lunch. I lay down to watch the water. It didn't take me long to fall asleep. When I opened my eyes, I was looking into the eyes of a bald eagle. He was sitting in the branches above me, watching me. He was so close that I could see every single wet feather on his head. He, too, had taken a break from the storm. When he finally flew back out over the water, I knew that I had rested on that shore long enough. Although the winds had not slowed down much, my strength had been renewed. I was ready. As expected, I got pretty wet launching the kayak and it took twice the time it should have to get to where my husband was waiting and worrying. But, I was ready to go.

According to the prophet Isaiah: even youth will grow weary; but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength and we shall mount up with wings like eagles. 

May you be granted the peace that comes with knowing that God is with you and no matter what the storm, the Lord will lift you up.

God's Peace - Pr. J

A Good Storm

When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. (Acts 27:13-18 NIV)

We rarely appreciate a good storm; especially not when we're being battered about like a ship on a stormy sea.  Paul was being taken to Rome as a prisoner. His future did not look very good. He could either be drowned in the storm or be put to death in Rome. 

Indeed he was eventually put to death; but, in the meantime his course, as rough as it was, turned out for the good for many sick people on Malta. Ship-wrecked on Malta Paul was given the opportunity to witness to the power of God by healing many in the name of Jesus. Later, when as a prisoner, he arrived in Rome he had great opportunities to proclaim the Good News of Jesus. 

God had a plan for Paul; a plan for the good of many people. Through the storm on the sea and of life, Paul was a witness to the gift of life through Jesus the Christ.

Life can get pretty rough whether you are on land or water. When you find yourself in the midst of the storm remember "....that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Rom 8:28) It may not always feel so good at the moment; but, trust God to work it out. He does have a good plan for you.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Patience

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Pet 3:9 NIV) 

Everything will happen in it's own time. So often it seems like things can get delayed forever and ever. But, they don't. Yes, sometimes God says no and it simply doesn't happen. But, often things are delayed for a time; sometimes for years. We just have to be patient and wait on the Lord and trust that His timing is perfect.

There have been many days that I wondered why the Lord was not just ending it all and taking us home to be with Him. Why not now? Why delay? He already knows who will be saved in the end and who will not. But, that's not His will. Instead; in patience, he waits for us to repent and to love Him as He loves us.

Patience is lovely virtue. But, it does not come so easily to humankind as it does to God. Patience does not come without trials. Through trials we learn to be patient and to wait on the Lord and on His time. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Thunderous Voice

Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
   ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
   worship the Lord in the splendor of his 

   holiness.
The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
   the God of glory thunders,
   the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
   the voice of the Lord is majestic.

                                    Psalm 29:1-4 NIV

I awoke to the sound of powerful thunder over the mighty waters last night. I love to listen to the skies quake and the oceans roar. I love to hear the sound of the thunder; to hear the pounding of the rain upon the roof; to sit in the darkness watching the lightning light up the sky in the darkness of the night.

The sound of thunder in Flagler Beach is not quite like the sound it makes in Michigan. It sounds so much closer to the earth here. It roars like the ocean roars in the midst of a storm. At one point last night it sounded as though maybe the ocean had decided to roar over the land so much that I felt obliged to get up and check to see if the water  was rising and how fast. It is not that it causes me fear. It reminds me that we should all have just a little more fear and respect for the one who has power over all things; even the storms. Storms remind me of the beginning; of how the Spirit of God hovered over the darkness; over the deeps; over the chaos. And, as God spoke with his mighty voice He created all things out of all that darkness and chaos.

I do appreciate a good storm now and then. I enjoy listening to the roar of the water and the thunder. It reminds me of who God is. It reminds me that He is all powerful. He is majestic. Let us all give God the glory due His name!

God's Peace – Pr. J    

Patience

"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Eph 4:1-3

There are times when my patience really wants to fly out the window. It can be a struggle to be patient with those who continue to make the same mistakes over and over again and wonder why they are having such a hard time in life.

A friend of mine once warned me that I should be very careful what I asked God for because He answers our prayers and we may not like the way in which He answers them. She was warning me against asking God to give me patience. She had asked for patience in caring for her family and He had answered. He helped her to learn to be patient by refining. As things grew even more troubled in her family, she learned to be patient with others even as she continued to care for and love them. She also learned to trust God in all things.

My friend has gone through a lot of trials. Yet, she is patient and kind and has an uncanny gift for maintaining unity in the bond of peace.

May we all bear one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Listen to the Storm Warnings!

Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.  Acts 27:9-11 NIV

The sailors did not listen to Paul when he warned them that it was to dangerous to set sail. They set sail anyway and found themselves in the midst of the raging storm that Paul had warned them about. For days they were battered about. They threw their cargo overboard to keep from sinking. Finally, they are ready to listen to Paul. But, is it too late? They ran their ship aground, as he advised, and ultimately their lives are spared. God is with them. He has plans for Paul. He wants Paul to stand trial before Caesar in order for him to testify about Jesus to Caesar and the court..

When we find ourselves in the midst of storms because we failed to heed the warnings about the direction we were heading in, it is not too late. Listen to God. Listen to where He would have you go and what He would have do. God has plans for you! He will do all to ensure that His plans are carried out. But, you must listen to Him!

God's Peace - Pr. J

My Light And My Salvation

Hunting Island Lighthouse, SC

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me
    to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
    they shall stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,
    my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
    yet I will be confident.

                                          Psalm 27 NRSV

 

The southern shores of the United States have been buffeted this fall with some major storms. There is yet another one, soon to be named Nate, brewing in the Gulf. In years gone by, lighthouses were placed strategically upon the shore to help anyone who found themselves caught in a storm upon the waters.

 

Life brings about many storms of many kinds. Some are small and some are huge. But, no matter what kind or how large the storm you are facing; no matter who brings it; no matter how dark it gets; there is a light shining to help you find your way. The light of Christ will always shine in the darkness to bring you to safe harbor. Follow the light of Christ and walk in the confidence that no matter who or what storm is attempting to bring you down; you will survive; you will live in God's presence for all eternity.

 

The Lord is our stronghold. We have no need to fear anything or anyone. God is with all who believe in Him.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Patience

"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

                                                       (Eph 4:1-3)

 We all go through various storms in life. For many people it seems that life is nothing but one big storm or a series of storms right after another. It can be a struggle for me to be patient with those who continue to make the same mistakes over and over again and wonder why they are having to weather another of life's storms. 

A friend of mine once warned me that I should be very careful what I asked God for because He answers our prayers and we may not like the way in which He answers them. She had warned me against asking God to give me patience. She had asked for patience in caring for her family as many of them were going through some pretty rough storms in life due to very careless decisions. There was no way she could help them any longer when they kept making the same poor choices no matter what she did to try to save them. She had asked for patience and He had answered. He helped her to learn to be patient by refining. As things grew even more troubled in her family she learned to be patient with others even as she continued to love them. She also learned to trust God in all things and to wait patiently for His will to be done.

My friend has gone through a lot of trials. Yet, she is patient and kind and has an uncanny gift for maintaining unity in the bond of peace.

May we all bear one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Leviathan

 Huron Bay the last time Cassie and I went Kayaking together

"In that day, the Lord will punish with his sword—his fierce, great and powerful sword—Leviathan  the gliding serpent,  Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea." (Isa 27:1 NIV)
 

Leviathan, the great sea monster, is mentioned a few times in Scripture. In addition to Isaiah 27, you can find mention of Leviathan in Job 3:8, Job 41:1, Job 41:12, Psalm 74:14, and Psalm 104:26.

 

On the rare occasions that I've found myself out on the lake in the midst of a storm I've thought of God overpowering Leviathan. OK - so they are not rare occasions. It seems like the wind picks up almost every time I am out on a boat (big or small) on a large mass of water. I actually warn people that they should not take me fishing unless they want a storm or their motor to conk out... Others should not take me out with them if they don't want to play with Leviathan, or maybe it's God, out in the middle of the water. I don't mind the storms. I know that the LORD is with me, even in the storms. The rushing wind reminds me of the power of the Holy Spirit. God is big enough to destroy Leviathan. He is big enough to protect me, if that is His will. But, if I'm not up to another storm, I stay as close to home as I can with my kayak...

 

Symbolically, the sea refers to a large number of people. So, for those of you who are big into the Revelation of John, the dragon that comes out of the sea in the book of Revelation most probably refers to the fact that the evil one will come from among the people. "The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name." (Rev 13:1) We are not looking for a literal dragon to come out of a literal sea, but an evil that comes from the midst of the people. Revelation is filled with symbolism. Please, do not take it literally.

 

The picture of the evil one may be a bit alarming; but, remember the promise found in Isaiah today: The LORD will slay the evil one in the midst of the people. There may be times when things seem just awful. There may be times when your leviathan decides it's time to play with you. But, know this: the LORD will surely rescue His people. He is our very help in the time of trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

In The Storm With Jesus

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

                                                                       (Matt 8:23-27 NIV)

It would be very nice if we encountered no storms in life. Or would it? If there were no storms how would we recognize peace? How would we know quiet? Quite often people have the mistaken idea that once a person accepts Jesus as their Lord all will be well with their lives. There will be no more storms. Everything will go smooth from here on out. That is just not so.

The story of Jesus calming the storm reminds us that the storm did not even begin until Jesus got into the boat. Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:34 that he did not come to bring peace; but a sword. Troubles will come in this world. They came to Jesus. They will come to his followers. But, we can also be assured that in the midst of those troubles we can know the peace of heart and mind that comes with trusting Jesus. St. Paul wrote to the Philippians:  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-8)

Yes, the storm began after Jesus got into the boat with the disciples. But, do not fear the storm. God hears your pleas and Christ is with you in the midst of every storm so that as you trust in him, you will know the peace that comes from being in the presence of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Storms Of Life

"God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’" Job 37:5-6 NIV

When storms break out and they do all of the time we often find ourselves angry or sad. Storms can do a lot of damage to what we perceive to be good. But, God has a better plan and sometimes the storms that are brought into our lives are God's way of cleansing our hearts and minds so that we are able to welcome the gracious gifts that He so desires to give us.

Do not fear the change that storms will bring. God's way is not our way. The great things that He does is beyond our understanding. Have patience and trust that He has good plan for those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:28)

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Spirit Goes Where It Goes

"You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:7-8 NIV

Well, it is raining. The wind is blowing. Who knows when the winds of "Hermine" will end? She's been tracked for a while now and no one has been sure where she would actually go until she went.

So, it is with those of us who have been born of the Spirit. Not even we know where the Spirit will take us from day to day or hour to hour. I had plans today. I was to teach a class on preaching. I'm thinking since we are in a tropical storm warning and all the state offices and schools are closed in the county; it's probably not a good idea to ask others to be driving today.

But, of this I am sure: It's all good! The Spirit will lead us wherever the Spirit of Christ wants us to go.

May God help us to follow.

God' Peace - Pr. J