Good morning. I pray you all are
doing well and this finds you wrapped in the arms of Jesus. It is a beautiful
day and I am thankful God allowed me to see one more. Can you say that it is a
beautiful day no matter what the weather outside is doing?
Today’s topic is something
that we all are either in, has been in, or is going through now. I’m not talking
about just the weather. I am talking about the storms of life. You know, the
bank messes up your account and a check bounces. Or, you are all dressed up and
on your way to work and you have a flat tire. Storms come in many shapes, sizes
and categories. What is a storm for you may be nothing to me, and vise versa.
Let’s take a moment to see how God’s Word encourages us.
John
16:33 say, “These
things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you
will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Matthew
14:24-32 says, ‘24 But the
boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was
contrary. 25 Now in the
fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw Him walking
on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for
fear. 27 But
immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be
afraid." 28 And Peter
answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the
water." 29 So He said,
"Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to
go to Jesus. 30 But when he
saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried
out, saying, "Lord, save me!" 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His
hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you
doubt?" 32 And when
they got into the boat, the wind ceased.” Mark 4:37-41 says,
“37 And a great
windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already
filling. 38 But He was
in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher,
do You not care that we are perishing?" 39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and
said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great
calm. 40 But He said
to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to
one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey
Him!"
We all have storms going on all around us. Our churches are experiencing a large reduction in attendance and this is causing great turmoil in the body of Christ. Families are facing the storms of financial issues; trust issues, relational issues as well as faith issues. Unemployment is at an all time high. People have not only lost their jobs, but they have lost their careers.
People are losing their homes, their insurance and their vehicles. Retirement funds that took years to build up have vanished in a seemingly matter of days.
Storms are all around us. God knew that we would face these and that is why He reminded us in His Word that in this world, we would have trouble and trails, but He has overcome this world, and if our faith and trust is in Him then we will overcome as well. We must always remember that we serve and are under the protection of a God that speaks to the wind, to the sea, to our neighbor, to our boss, to our vehicles and to us. There is nothing that God does not have control over, or is greater than He. We must remember to tell our storms how big our God is.
Have you ever been in a plane flying high above the land and looked out to see how small things are? Just imagine how much smaller the view looks from God’s height. What maybe a mountain to us, is nothing more than a bump to Him.
Remember: The next time a storm brews up, hand it over to the Lord and watch Him say, “Be of good cheer, it is I, do not be afraid. Peace, be still.”
Until next time, please continue to pray for each other, and me, as I continue to pray for you.
Love in CHRIST.
Brian Hanvey
Associate Pastor
Bethel Baptist Church
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