“May the GOD OF HOPE fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, SO THAT YOU
may OVERFLOW WITH HOPE by the Power of the Holy Spirit.”- {Romans 15:13}
Who IS At the Helm?
During the days of the pilgrims a Ship was traveling across the ocean when a Storm broke out. People were screaming and panicking. A little girl woke up and asked, “Mommy, what’s happening?” Her Mom replied “We’re in a storm.” The little girl asked, “Mommy, Who’s at the Helm?” Her Mom replied, “Your FATHER IS.” WITH THAT, THE LITTLE GIRL ROLLED OVER AND WENT BACK TO SLEEP…At Peace and Resting.
With God our Father at the helm, we can rest IN the Storm, Knowing He is the Great Navigator and He will get us to the Place He desires for us in the VOYAGE of LIFE.
1. – SOME TIMES GOD SENDS US INTO THE STORMS AND COMES AND RESCUES US FROM THE STORMS
In the midst of this present storm perhaps you are in consider the disciples in Mark 4:31-39 we read that they were in a boat, storm tossed on the waters, fearing for their lives and at the 4th watch of the night which was the darkest hour of the night,…HE came…walking on the waves, they were in subjection to Him as He walked on top of them and He CONQUERED the WIND and the SEAS and CALMED the disciples hearts and they asked “Who is This …?– Why it is JESUS, Your Older Brother…who comes into your storm tossed circumstances and speak peace to you His beloved child…Sometimes He sends you into a storm and He Himself is going to come and meet you, so you will Know His Provision and Presence and Deliverance, and that NO STORM that comes to you is too much for Him to come and deliver you if He so pleases- {Psalm 135:6}
2. -SOMETIMES GOD DOES NOT DELIVER US FROM THE STORMS BUT GIVES GRACE TO SUSTAIN US “IN” THE STORM
PAUL KNEW THIS… IN 2 Cor 12:9-10 – “My Grace is sufficient for you, FOR Power is perfected in weakness, that the Power of Christ may DWELL in me. THEREFORE I am CONTENT with weaknesses, insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, FOR CHRIST’S SAKE; for when I am Weak, THEN I AM Strong.-
Instead of Paul being DELIVERED FROM his Pain and TROUBLES… GOD Gives him GRACE to SUSTAIN him IN his trial,Triumphantly gladly and also be humbled by it at the same time.
Thomas Watson – the old Puritan once said “A sick bed often teaches more than a sermon”
Indeed it is often in affliction that God teaches us compassion, care…identification, patience, kindness, long-suffering, … God uses the tool of Pain to CHISEL something of GOOD in and through the lives of his Hurting people…and IT IS IN THE STORM we develop the capacity, Compassion, empathy, to identify with others…In THEIR Storm
3. -SOMETIMES GOD USES THE STORM TO USHER US INTO HIS PRESENCE-
Jesus has Prayed for Your Presence -John 17:24
There is the desire and delight which He has for us to be with Him. In John 17:24 the Lord Jesus prayed, “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, BE WITH ME, SO THAT they may See My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
Psalm 116:15 -Says “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of one of His Godly ones.” From our perspective death is a profound loss, hurt and at times a cause for great grieving, But from the Lords sake it is a Profound Joy, as they are coming Home to be with Him.
The Word “Precious” can also be translated “EXCELLENT.” I had spoken on this passage once and my little seven year old Evan accompanied me when I spoke. Afterwards I asked him what he got from the message and he said “Death is a good thing- for JESUS SAKE.”
Your death beloved will be a “GOOD THING- For JESUS Sake. ”
WHY?
A. –Because Jesus DIED for you to be with Him .
“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, SO THAT HE MIGHT BRING YOU TO GOD.“- 1 Peter 3:18
B. –He PRAYED for you to be with Him.
” Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, BE WITH ME, SO THAT they may See My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”- John 17:24
It is HIS DESIRE for you to be with Him and HIS DELIGHT will be to “…make you stand in the presence of His Glory blameless with GREAT JOY.”-Jude 1:24
There are some whose storms are long termed illness, and He uses the Storms to usher them into His Haven of Rest. There are those whose storms are taking care of their sick loved ones, caregivers who carry the burdens and are too often forgotten about in the “storm”.
There are some STORMS where his Beloved Lose their lives for His sake and the Gospel sake…and the storm is used by Him to spread the FAME of HIS NAME and win many souls to Himself -…Some times He ushers us Home… as he did with the missionary Stephen in Acts 7:54-60. Or like Jim Elliott, who was murdered along with others for the sake of the Gospel who said,“he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
And in reality the storm cannot conquer His beloved but merely usher them into the Calmness, Loving peaceful, joyful presence of Himself.
4. – SOMETIMES THE LORD SEND HIS STORMS TO GET OUR ATTENTION.
Jonah 1:3-4 – “But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.”
5. – SOMETIMES HE USES THE STORMS TO DEVELOP US SPIRITUALLY.
God uses trials to develop us, James said “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. “-James 1:2-4
God uses Trials to “perfect” us, the word means “mature” us. When we respond right by obeying his four commands in the passage – 1. “Rejoice” Immediately Commence Rejoicing, is the first command. The next three command explains why we can rejoice in our trials. 2.“Knowing” -This command has to do with our mind, our understanding. We are to understand what God is doing, He is “maturing” us. The Next Command “Let”– has to do with our Will. Submit To God, his Word and his dealings with you, and the 4th command “Ask,” He commands us to ask For wisdom for the situation that we may know what to do, how to apply His Word and He promises He will impart wisdom. James 1:5:6,” But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith…”
God uses Trials, the storms of Life to Develop our Character and Confidence in Him No matter what happens in this life…whatever the “Storms” which come our way, God will use it for our eternal benefit as Paul says, ” Light affliction...eternal weight of glory”
Some times He sends us INTO THE STORMS…Some times God saves us FROM The Storms...and Sometimes He does not save us but GIVES us Grace to Sustain us “IN” the storm triumphantly...and like the little girl who asked in the storm at sea, “Mommy, Who’s at the Helm?” And whose Mom replied, “Your FATHER IS.” And with that Assurance, THE LITTLE GIRL ROLLED OVER AND WENT BACK TO SLEEP…At Peace and Resting.
Dear beloved of God, you too must remember in the midst of your Own STORM… YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS AT THE HELM OF YOUR PRESENT “STORM.” HE MAY DELIVER YOU FROM IT…OR HE MAY GIVE YOU GRACE TO TRIUMPHANTLY ENDURE IT…But He is in Control of all the “storms” and all are under His authority, and none can come into our lives apart from His permission. Just as satan had to ask for permission to “sift” Peter, and also with Job, so even he cannot touch Gods own apart from Gods approval, to do so.
With God our Father at the helm, we can rest IN the Storm, Knowing He is the Great Navigator and He will get us to the Place He desires for us in the VOYAGE of LIFE. Praise God, He is COMPETENT and CONQUEROR for every storm we go through, isn’t He?
WE KNOW GOD causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to his purpose”- Rom 8:28. He know you LOVE Him, because He first loved you, and He is “WORKING ” your storm for “good” because you LOVE HIM!
APPLICATION; 1. – How is Hope “birthed?” Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for OUR instruction, So that through perseverance and Encouragement of the Scripture we might HAVE HOPE.”
As you persevere…keep doing what is right from Gods Word and Keep coming to the Scriptures and persevering in them and applying them you will have Hope.
2. – WHERE does the ABILITY to Persevere and Encouragement come from? Rom 15:5– “Now may the God who GIVES perseverance and Encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus.”
God Gifts uswith the capacity and ability to persevere and encouragement. Ask him to encourage you, ask Him to and He will…and Keep persevering…He uses His Word to do so. 3. – PRAYER FOR HOPE – FOR THOSE IN THE STORM. Rom 15:13- “Now may the God OF HOPE Fill you with ALL JOY and PEACE in Believing, So That You WILL ABOUND IN HOPE, by the Power of the Holy Spirit.”
What a prayer, What God, The Holy Spirit and the Word of God imparting the hope that you may OVERFLOW with that Confident certainty, expectation, which God alone can give and Does Give to His own that they may have – Hope For the Storm.
4. – PICK OUT SOMEONE YOU KNOW WHO IS PRESENTLY IN A STORM AND PRAY Romans 15:13 FOR THEM Meditate on this passage, Memorize it, pray it and Thank GOD He is your Hope for the Storms of life.
Perhaps today you are Storm tossed on the sea of emotions and circumstances but remember beloved, we have HOPE In Christ Jesus.With God our Father at the helm, we can REST IN the Storm, He may Deliver us from it, He may Give us Grace to Endure it, He may use it to usher us or a loved one Home to be with Him. He may use it to get our attention, He will use it to Develop us if we respond His Way in the Storm. But, we can confidently say, by His Grace, according to His Word “WE KNOW” With our Father at the Helm, “all things will work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose…” Rest On Him and Rest IN His Word…
