The Storm
“His
disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Lord,
save us! We are perishing!’ But He said to them, ‘Why
are you fearful, O you of little faith?’
Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea. And
there was a great calm” (Matthew 8:25-26)
Years ago, while living in
Tucson, Arizona, USA, we experienced thunderstorms
that were massive compared to anything I had ever
seen. You can tell how far away the lightning has
struck by the time difference between the “flash” of
the lightning and the “bang” of the thunder. During
one such storm, there was an extremely bright
“Flash,” followed almost immediately by the “Bang.”
The one came after the other, much like a left jab
and then a quick right punch in a boxing match.
That strike was VERY close! And it was LOUD!
The telephone rang. It was a
call from my son, Christopher, who was across the
street visiting with his friend, Christian. He was
anxious about the storm (me, too) and I encouraged
him to come home – he would feel better. But he was
nervous and wouldn’t leave Christian’s house. We
continued to talk about the loudness of the thunder
and I was just reassuring him that all was OK, when
there was another “Flash”–“Bang!” An electrical
jolt stung my ear where it was touching the phone
and I involuntarily dropped the receiver. I was
startled, but reached for the phone and put it back
to my ear. I said “Hello,
Chris…” just as the door burst open and there
was my Christopher, dripping-wet and staring into
the room with wide, troubled eyes.
“Storms” in life can be
literal, but the word can also refer to the various
troubles that come our way. Our friend, Howard, in
Phoenix, Arizona, has been going through a “storm”
in life for quite some time. We’ve not yet met him
in person, but he previously had us on his radio
show (by telephone) in Phoenix, introducing our
Church On The Net through his “New
Vision Ministries” outreach. Part of what
Howard does is maintain a “medical
lending closet,” providing canes, crutches
and other equipment for those in need of them. He
has a convalescent home ministry in which he
provides weekly church services for the elderly,
along with a clown ministry, where he dresses up as
a clown and cheers up the patients. He’s a busy man
who reaches out to others – a lot!
He also a legally blind man and
his “New Vision Ministries” is a great way of looking at life for us
all. Howard’s seeing-eye dog is no longer with him
as of some months ago and he hasn’t been able to get
a new one. His key problem right now is a broken
arm – two functional arms are needed for a
seeing-eye dog. One thing leads to another – he was
recently walking on the property of a church in
Phoenix and fell off the loading dock because he
could not see where he was and had no dog to guide
him. He broke his arm, his wrist, his elbow in four
places, and the radial nerve was damaged. He can’t
bend his arm back fully and is unable to bend his
wrist, rendering him ineligible for another dog.
Howard needs additional surgery
on the arm, which is scheduled for the middle of
this month, and financially, things are not going
well at all. There are many hospital bills and he
has no way to pay them. His wife is gone from his
life, he cannot work at this time and he is having
trouble with transportation. Right now, he needs to
buy another unlimited bus pass and pay his bill at
the transportation service. You’ll be interested in
Howard’s response to his circumstances: “God
is teaching me through this.” He loves the
Lord and even though the “storm” in his life is
difficult and is very real at this time, He knows
that God will bring him through. Additionally he is
convinced that God His Father has a good purpose in
all that is occurring.
We have been meeting a lot of
people who are in very bad situations, and most are
in difficulties that hit them out of nowhere. Life
just “happened” to them. The need is very real,
whether caused by imprisonment, the loss of a loved
one, cancer and other illnesses, the limitations
that come through old age, financial distress or
whatever.
Why can Howard smile at His
troubles and reach out to help others in the midst
of his difficulties? – It’s because He knows that
the Lord is with Him in the storms of life. He is
aware that His Savior is “in the boat” with him in
the “seas” of his troubles and He has Howard’s
ultimate deliverance in mind. He understands that
Jesus Christ is headed for the “boat” Howard is in,
and the Lord intends to eventually rebuke “the
winds and the sea,” bringing “a
great calm,” with Him. Howard’s physical
deliverance may or may not be here on earth, but it
certainly will happen for him in eternity.
Not unlike your situation. The
human tendency we all have is to crave deliverance
from whatever is wrong – RIGHT NOW! We want to be
RELEASED from prison! We want our loved one to be
RESTORED to us! To be HEALED! To be YOUNG AGAIN!
To be able to PAY OUR BILLS once more! Jesus wants
it also, just as much as you want it. Probably even
more than you do, but He realizes that the problem
is much deeper than you and I typically see.
Trouble makes us AFRAID and He intends to deliver us
from fear. The “storm” is allowed so we will call
out to our Lord.
Yes, there is much to be
concerned about in this world. All you have to do
is look at those who were close to Jesus to discover
that this not world of happy endings. John the
Baptist was beheaded by Herod (Matthew 14:1-12).
Stephen was the first martyr of the church (Acts
6-7). Others suffered at that time (Acts 8:1).
James, John’s brother was “put
to death with the sword” (Acts 12:2). Philip
was martyred in Phrygia. Matthew was killed in
Nadabah. James, the leader of the church, was
clubbed to death in Jerusalem. Matthias was
beheaded at Jerusalem. Andrew, the brother of
Peter, was crucified. Mark was killed by a mob in
Alexandria. Peter and Paul were murdered in Rome.
Jude (Thaddeus) was crucified at Edessa.
Bartholomew and Thomas were killed in India. Luke
was hanged in Greece. Simon the Zealot was
crucified in Britain. Barnabas was killed. Only
John died of old age. But at the Last Supper, Jesus
had promised His followers a “kingdom”
in which they would be alive forevermore (Luke
22:29) – and his followers had learned that God
keeps His promises. All of us will leave earth –
the real question is: do you trust in Him?
Jesus’ original followers are
safe with the Lord. Howard is secure right now,
though in difficult circumstances. My son,
Christopher, is safe and does not need to fear. You
are being protected also and don’t need to be afraid
when you trust in the Lord. He will bring “a
great calm” to you; now and for all
eternity. Do you have faith in Him? Let’s pray:
Lord, I trust in You. Heal my
fear & then “rebuke” my “storm.” In Jesus Name.
Amen.
