Yep, There will be Storms
This might be a little lengthy today but read it, absorb it, live it…I promise it will change your life!!!
Storms….We all have them ….we will forever be facing them until that day we find ourselves with our Lord and Savior ….some big storms, some small, some draining and NEVER ENDING, some just plain irritating!!!
John 16:33 ” These things I have spoken to you, that in ME you may have peace. In this world you WILL have tribulation; BUT be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (NKJ)
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in ME. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But, take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (NLT)
” I’ve told you all this so that TRUSTING ME, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply in peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.” (MSG)
Jesus is speaking to His disciples here…the word “tribulation” comes from the Greek word thlipsis. It means pressure, oppression, stress, anguish, crushing, squashing, distress – putting a lot of pressure on that which is free and unfettered (unrestrained).
Recognize any of these words…or should I say “places” our souls like to go in times of distress and discomfort? I don’t know about you, but I have endured plenty of those places….pressure, stress, sometimes feelings of being squashed, sorrows…oh yea, plenty of that one! Hey, God said take heart….you know why?? Because WE ALL ARE IN THE SAME BOAT (no pun intended…ok, maybe a little) ….Luke 8:22-25 Jesus and his disciples are crossing the lake…In a boat….. When the STORM came….they panicked…but see…. it didn’t matter….because JESUS WAS IN THE BOAT WITH THEM!!! If you keep reading Jesus says…..”be of good cheer, I’ve overcome (I’ve conquered) the world (all it’s storms)….In other words….Jesus is saying…. I GOT THIS!!!! DON’T WORRY!! He is saying to you, I am very aware of your distress, stress, pressure, exhaustion, sorrows……I GOT THIS…LET ME CALM THE WATERS!!!!
I’m reading “The Shack” for the second time….and those that know me know that EVERYTHING’S got a message for me….yes, even a novel!!! I am always watching and listening and eagerly paying attention because GOD IS ALWAYS TALKING (that’s another message!) I didn’t even get to the second page and there was a little tid bit about storms…..God had already been talking to me about the STORMS OF LIFE when I had come across this….. The chapter title began “A CONFLUENCE OF PATHS”……it means ” a process of merging” Pay attention to the words here and let it resonate in your heart when you’ve encountered your “storms” in your life…… There is something joyful about storms that interrupt routine. Snow or freezing rain suddenly releases you from expectations, performance demands, and the tyranny of appointments and schedules. One can almost hear a unified sigh rise from the nearby city and surrounding countryside where Nature has intervened to give respite (short period of rest or relief) to the weary humans slogging it out within her purview….all those affected this way are united by a mutual excuse, and the heart is suddenly and unexpectedly a little giddy. There will be no apologies needed for not showing up to some commitment or other. Everyone understands and shares in this singular justification; and the sudden alleviation of the pressure to produce makes the heart merry.”
WHEW, PRESSURE IS OFF…..Oh what a feeling of freedom!! I know your thinking JOYFUL? Yeah, ok lady….just what I wanted to hear….I’m not in the mood (y’all ever feel that way or am I the only one that feels that way sometimes??) ….James 1:2 says “Count it all JOY, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds” ….this is Faith under pressure….faith under the demands of your daily life…..faith in letting go of the “performance” push, faith in sorrow…..When the storms of life come….Jesus is with us in the boat….there can be joy in that place if we let ourselves be INTERRUPTED from our ROUTINE and let God in to calm the waters of your life and take control. If you have to be the CAPTAIN OF YOUR SHIP….well, it probably won’t end well!!! When God INTERVENES ….peace, joy, re-established focus, wisdom, and a renewed strength will rise up!! There is something to be said about that storm that comes into our lives to destroy and diminish our faith….but actually ends up sparking, re-igniting, and catapulting/launching our faith into a new and more powerful place!! When we meet these storms we meet “confluence”….a place where our trials, stresses, and pressures merge with the PEACE, JOY, CONTENTMENT and the DIRECTION of God!!! Remember, it’s always the calmest in the eye of the storm – HE’S right smack in the middle of the mess WITH YOU!!! There may be a wake of debris….BUUTTTTT Hang in there….GOD’S GOT THIS!!!!! HE’S GOT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!!! AMEN AND AMEN!!!!
