When you walk through a storm
There’s an old hymn I used to sing at school. It goes like this;
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Navies of the world have adopted this hymn as their anthem including the US and British navies. And there are versions for the air force, the army and for those left behind at home.
I don’t know why but I have had this song on my mind for a while now. Last week, I turned on Songs of Praise and they were singing it then.
I used to live in a seaside town in England called Southend-on-Sea where we had the longest pleasure pier in the world – one and a third miles long. At the end of the pier was a lifeboat sitting up in a shed. When someone was in trouble, the alarm would go off, the crew would board, the doors of the shed open and the lifeboat would slide down the ramp into the sea in a midst of spray. It was a sight to behold.
The brave men would then go out into the storm to rescue those who were in trouble.
It’s hard to imagine in Perth but in England the seas are often very rough and stormy and it can be very dangerous. We lived near the North Sea which lies between England, the Arctic and Scandinavia and which is a particularly cold, grey and violent sea.
So these men facing the rough stormy seas have to trust in their skills, trust in one another and ultimately trust in God.
There have been some pretty big storms in the world.
The largest storm ever recorded was Super Typhoon Tip in 1979 which spanned a diameter of approximately 2,220 km but fortunately, less than 100 people were killed in this storm.
Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 had wind gusts up to 382 kph.
Cyclone Bhola in 1970 is estimated killed 3 to 400,000 people.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina was the most expensive with costs estimated over $80 billion but not many people were killed..
But the weather is not the only kind of storms you can experience. There are storms, tribulations, trials in just about every area of life.
Did you think that when you become a Christian all your problems would disappear, you would suddenly have enough of everything, everybody loves you and nothing goes wrong.
The abundant life’!
If only that were true. In fact often things just seem to get worse not better, we have more problems, more disasters, more opposition and not enough of anything.
I’m sure many of you feel as if you are going through a major storm right now or that you have just been through one. For the rest of you, be patient storms will come.
I used to think abundant life meant abundance of good things and I know a lot of people interpret it to mean money but I think abundance means a full life. Full of meaning, full of blessings, full of hope, full of problems and full of adversity but with the promise of better to come.
Beware, the storms are coming. The Bible says we will have trials.
James 1:2-4 (NKJV)
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various
trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may
be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
It doesn’t say if you will fall into various trials but when.
Paul one of Christ’s
greatest servants faced numerous storms throughout his ministry.
2 Corinthians 11:23-28 (NKJV)
…..I speak as a fool--I am
more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more
frequently, in deaths often.
24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes
minus one.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned;
three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in
perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in
perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the
wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger
and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness--
28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep
concern for all the churches.
The abundant life
indeed!
There are different types of storms. There’s rain storms, hail storms, wild storms, cyclones. Some just make you wet, Some blow debris around which could injure you. Others can pick you up and drop you hundreds of feet away and kill you.
And we have to face the storms whether they are just a nuisance or major disasters.
Even those who try to escape the storms get caught in the end like Jonah ending up in the sea and in the belly of a whale.
As the Mamas and the Papas sung, ‘the darkest hour is just before the dawn’ And it’s true. Dawn always follows the darkness, spring always follows winter.
Even though things look really dark now, there will be a breakthrough if we stick it out.
Incidentally, the
Mamas and the Papas song ‘Monday Monday’ also pointed out that even though on
Monday morning everything seemed to be fine, by Monday evening it wasn’t.
That’s how fast storms can come.
So why do we have storms? Why do things go wrong?
Sometimes storms come as a result of our own actions. If we keep spending money we don’t have, a financial storm will come our way.
Sin will produce a storm in your life.
But when these things happen we must be careful not to turn away from God but to come closer to Him.
Sin will always try to drag you away but the answer is always to turn back just as the prodigal son did.
But storms don’t just come as a result of our own foolish action.
It seems that the devil has some sort of right to test us. If we say we are no longer a member of his kingdom then he has a right to test that.
A story I never understand is where God allowed Satan to test Job;
Job 1:6-12 (NKJV)
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present
themselves before the LORD, and
Satan also came among them.
7 And the LORD
said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and
fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."
8 Then the LORD
said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is
none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and
shuns evil?"
9 So Satan answered the LORD
and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing?
10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household,
and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his
hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has,
and he will surely curse You to Your face!"
12 And the LORD
said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do
not lay a hand on his person." So Satan went out from the presence
of the LORD.
God admits Job was a blameless and upright man, who fears God and shuns evil and yet He still allowed Satan to test him..
And look at what trouble did come to Job;
Job 1:13-19 (NKJV)
13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were
eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house;
14 and a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were
plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,
15 when the Sabeans raided them and took them
away--indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I
alone have escaped to tell you!"
16 While he was still speaking, another also came and
said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the
servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"
17 While he was still speaking, another also came and
said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them
away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have
escaped to tell you!"
18 While he was still speaking, another also came and
said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in
their oldest brother's house,
19 and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness
and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and
they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"
How tough is that? Later it gets even worse.
It seems the devil has some rights to test us and apart from that he is evil and delights in causing as much trouble for God’s people as possible.
We live in a battle zone – we have to expect enemy fire.
The devil will use circumstances, the news, disease, other people and even other Christians to come against you. Often other Christians can be the cause of some of the worst storms.
God also allows our faith to be tested and says in James that we are to count it all joy!
Well, I don’t know about you but joy is not the first thing that comes to mind when I am being tested.
Why do we need to be tested?
1 Peter 1:6-8
(NKJV)
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you
have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being
much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be
found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom
having not seen you love.
We have already seen
according to James that trials produce patience but let us see what Paul says;
Romans 5:3-4 (NKJV)
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that
tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
So, tribulations develop perseverance in us and it develops our character and produces hope.
And of course, without hope we can not have faith because faith is the substance of things hoped for.
God is all about teaching us to grow, developing our character and making us more capable as we rely on Him.
It is through these storms that we develop the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
There are other reasons we have to go through storms
· It’s basic training - like being in the army, they put the recruits through horrendous tough exercises to develop their physical, mental skills and their resilience. Even after basic training, the soldiers continue to train throughout their army career.
· Storms get rid of the junk that is left lying around our lives.
· They force us to change or adapt and to learn new skills
· They make us prioritise what is really important to us.
· They make us more determined to accomplish the things we really want to do before we leave this world.
· Finally and very importantly, they cause families, friends and neighbours to work together.
A 60 Minutes reporter discovered that Cyclone Katrina triggered one church to feed 16,000 people a day for many weeks, another to house over 700 homeless evacuees, another to serve as a distribution point for 56 other churches, and churches in surrounding states to send teams of people to help rebuild homes for years after the storm. More impressively he says, it broke down racial barriers of the deep south with whites, blacks, Hispanics and Asians all working together to help people.
So storms aren’t pleasant things to go through but there are also some very good reasons why we need them.
But when you are going through a storm, you don’t usually
appreciate the good reason!
Have you ever wondered where is God when you are going through a storm?
Where was God when this happened? Where was God when that happened? Where was God when I was suffering? Where was God in my sickness? Where is God in Africa or the middle east? Where is God for those children who are suffering?
When I was going through my 10 years of mental illness, I describe it now as like going through a long dark tunnel. I remember as a child traveling through the long tunnels in the Alps into Italy.
In the darkness it was hard to see where God was but He was there in the tunnel with me with His rod and His staff to protect me.
Just behind us was goodness and mercy.
Psalm 23 also says2 He will make us to lie down in green pastures; He will lead us beside the still waters. He will restore our soul; He will lead me in the paths of righteousness.
When we finally emerge
through the tunnel there is a new land with new hopes and dreams.
Like with the disciples, when we go through a storm, Jesus is right there in the boat with us.
The darkness does come to an end and a bright new day is before you. If God had not been with me, I would be dead now, or Dena would have left me and my family would have been torn apart, their faith destroyed.
But God was there and I am a better person now that I have come out of that storm.
After the storm, the rain has washed the dirt away, the sun comes out of the clouds and somehow everything looks different.
So, how do we get through the storm?
We should be able to rely on one another to help us through the dark times. But often, like Job’s friends they aren’t much help.
But we are told to love one another as Christ loves us and gave His life for us. We are told to mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice.
How much more then shall we help them when they are going through a storm.
When we go through storms, it is often hard to trust other people especially if the storm is due to another person.
We need each
other when we are going through a storm. And the first way we can support each
other is to pray for them.
We often hear of
Christians who have done something terrible, or even ministers and churches who
have got into all sorts of trouble and we are very quick to believe those
stories. But we should be even quicker
to pray for them. Our first reaction
should be to pray.
There are lots of
other ways we can help too.
There is the
physical and emotional help we can give to one another. Counsel, encouragement, supplying things to
meet their needs, looking after children, helping them to cope.
There are plenty
of things we can do to help both as a church and as individuals. Often we are more prepared to help those
overseas then we are those next door. They all need help. We all need help.
God said right
after He created man
Genesis 2:18 (NKJV)
….., "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a
helper comparable to him."
He made a helper.
We are designed to help each other to work together.
He made a woman
and together the man and women created lots of helpers.
Over the years we
have been through some pretty fierce storms. It would have been really
difficult if I had not had a helpmeet in my wife and if we had not had the help
of our church especially from our Home Group.
So I encourage
you, if you are not part of a small group, get into one or form your own. It takes time to develop relationships so
that they are there when you need them. Start now.
Like the story of
the Good Samaritan, when you are going through these storms most people – yes, even
Christians will walk past you but a few will come to help.
It was the
religious people who walked past the injured man for fear they may be attacked
or as some commentators say they did not want to risk ceremonial defilement by
being polluted touching what they thought might be a dead man.
I was in
Fremantle one crowded lunch time when a man collapsed on the pavement but
people just walked around him and even over him.
The truth is though, people will let you down, your friends will let you down. I will let you down!
It’s not something I am planning to do but the truth is it does happen.
Often we have expectations of others they can’t live up to.
Paul believed Mark had let him down and would not let him continue with him.;
Acts 15:36-41 (NKJV)
36 Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us
now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the
word of the Lord, and see how they are doing."
37 Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called
Mark.
38 But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the
one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the
work.
39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from
one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus; 40 but
Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of
God.
There was a problem here not just between Paul and Mark but
which also caused a division between Paul and Barnabus. You’ll be pleased to know though that later
Mark was able to resume his work with Paul. Paul says in
2 Timothy 4:11 (NKJV)
11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for
he is useful to me for ministry.
Our friends will let us down but we will also let ourselves down. How often have we been disappointed in ourselves?
· Maybe you were not fully ready for what comes along.
· Maybe you don’t have the right tools.
· Maybe you have been slack.
· Maybe you have done or said something wrong.
· Maybe you reacted in an unchristian way.
· Maybe your thoughts and fears get in the way.
This happened to the disciples;
They saw the storm and fear came over them
Luke 8:22-25 (NKJV)
22 Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat
with His disciples. And He said to them, "Let us
cross over to the other side of the lake." And they launched out.
23 But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came
down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in
jeopardy.
24 And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master,
Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the
raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm.
25 But He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"
So do not be
dismayed when you reach the end of your skills, your abilities or your
faith. That’s when we have to trust God!
I could come up with 7 points of how to deal with storms but in the end you will get to the stage where the only person you can trust is God. You can't rely on other people and you can't even trust yourself but you can trust God.
Moses had to trust God.
Joshua had to trust God when he took over from Moses
In fact, every
leader, every prophet in the Bible had to trust God.
We have to believe
IN God, and we have to trust God.
· We have to trust His word,
· We have to trust He loves us,
· We have to trust He has our best interests at
heart,
· We have to trust He protects us,
· And we have to trust He will guide us through
the storm.
David who faced many
violent storms in his life despite being called and anointed by God to be king
said;
Psalm 46:1-11 (NKJV)
1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help
in trouble.
I watched a TV program called ‘Air Crash Investigations’ and there was one episode which said that when an aeroplane is approaching an airport, the pilot must not look out the window but focus all his attention on the instruments instead. This aeroplane was passing through a storm at night and instead of looking at his instruments the pilot was looking out the window at the storms trying to find the airport. As a result, the plane crashed. If he had looked at his instruments he would have realised he was still 4 miles from the airport.
It’s the same with us, we shouldn’t be looking out the window at the storms, instead we should be focusing on God.
You could say that our instruments are the Holy Spirit, the Word of God and prayer.
There’s the story of a lady in London during the blitz of World War 2. Every night her neighbours would rush to the air raid shelter. After a while, they realised she wasn’t there. So when they saw her the next day, they asked where had she been and why didn’t she come to the air raid shelter. She said she was in bed and that the Bible says God doesn’t sleep or slumber so she didn’t see any point them both losing a night’s sleep!
Focus on God not on the storm.
Psalm 37:1-9 (NKJV)
1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the
workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither
as the green herb.
3 Trust in the LORD,
and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And
your justice as the noonday.
7 Rest in the LORD,
and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret--it
only causes harm.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth.
Paul was shipwrecked on his way to Italy. I’d like to read all of Acts chapter 27 but for the sake of time I wont.
But to summarize;
· This chapter describes a really violent storm that threatened the boat and the lives of all on board.
· Paul had a prophetic word that all 226 people on board would be saved.
· They did everything they could in the natural - First of all they had to jettison the ships tackle, release the anchors, toss the cargo overboard. They had to let go of everything.
· They ate food to provide the physical strength they would need to survive.
· Verse 22 says they had to stay with the ship. In other words, stay with God, stay with God’s plan for your life.
· And finally, at the last minute they had to jump overboard and put all their trust in God to save them.
Even after they reached shore, a viper attached itself to Paul to kill him but he just shook it off.
It reminds me of the old joke about a man who falls off a cliff but as he is falling he manages to reach out and grab a branch. As he hangs there by the branch, he calls out for help but no-one comes. So he cries out to God for help. A large hand comes out of the clouds and a voice tells him to let go of the branch and grab hold of the hand. So the man shouts out ‘Is there anybody else up there?’
The point is that at some stage we have to let go and put our trust totally in God.
Romans 8:28 (NKJV) says And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
In the 1960’s there was a song sung by Elvis Presley and also
Gerry and the Pacemakers. It goes like
this;
When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of a storm is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Tho' your dreams Be tossed and blown
Walk on, Walk on, With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You can tell my
age by the music I choose to quote!
Hold your head up
high and look unto Jesus. With God you are not on your own.
Keep on walking.
Keep on hoping.
Keep on doing
what you do.
Don’t give up.
Don’t look at the
storm around you, don’t look at the wild waves, the stormy clouds, the rain,
the flying debris,. Don’t listen to the wind. Don’t trust in man. Just focus on
Jesus. Put your trust in Him.
If you are
worried about what is going on in your life, your personal circumstances, your
family, or even what is happening in the world.
Take your eyes off the horizontal and look up.
Look up to God.
Faith says we don’t doubt God, we don’t blame God, we trust fully in Him.
He is our fortress, our deliverer.
Psalm 91:1-7 (NKJV)
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall
abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD,
"He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will
trust."
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And
from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings
you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor
of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor
of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your
right hand; But it shall not come near you.
The armour of God, keeping
ourselves away from sin, praying, worshipping, meditating on the Bible will all
help us greatly to deal with the storm but they won’t stop the storm coming.
We still have to trust God.
So in summary then, if you are going through storms, focus on God not on what’s going on around you Put your trust totally in Him.
Even if the worst happens, you’ll end up in a better place.
Remember, God is there in the same boat with you.
I hope this hasn’t been too much of a negative message. That is not my intention. My intention is to help you deal with the storms that may come your way.
The storm will pass.
Maybe some of you are going through a storm now. A storm could be sickness, fear, financial, employment, mental, physical, emotional, relationships, opposition, persecution, the news, or any event that has come against you or your family or causes you distress.
I know it sounds
easy and I don’t want to make light of your problems
I’m not saying
this is what you ought to do. I’m saying this is ultimately the only thing
we can do.
It should be the
first thing we do but like the disciples in the boat, it is usually the last
thing we do.
So if you are
going through a storm right now I would love to pray with you and ask God to
rebuke the waves and the wind for you and show you whatever you need to do to
get through that storm.
So come forward now,
let it be as a demonstration that you are putting your trust in God. Don’t look
to me but look to God.
Alternate verses:
++Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
Through the great spaces in the sky.
Be with them always in the air,
In darkening storms or sunlight fair;
Oh, hear us when we lift our prayer,
For those in peril in the air!
Aloft in solitudes of space,
Uphold them with Thy saving grace.
Thou Who supports with tender might
The balanced birds in all their flight.
Lord, if the tempered winds be near,
That, having Thee, they know no fear. Mary
C. D. Hamilton (1915)
Eternal Father, Lord of hosts,
Watch o’er the men who guard our coasts.
Protect them from the raging seas
And give them light and life and peace.
Grant them from Thy great throne above
The shield and shelter of Thy love. George
H. Jenks, Jr., 1955.
God, who dost still the restless foam,
Protect the ones we love at home.
Provide that they should always be
By Thine own grace both safe and free.
O Father, hear us when we pray
For those we love so far away. Hugh
Taylor (date unknown)
O Father, King of earth and sea,
We dedicate this ship to Thee.
In faith we send her on her way;
In faith to Thee we humbly pray:
O hear from Heaven our sailor’s cry
And watch and guard her from on high! Author/date unknown
And when at length her course is run,
Her work for home and country done,
Of all the souls that in her sailed
Let not one life in Thee have failed;
But hear from Heaven our sailor’s cry,
And grant eternal life on high! Author/date
unknown