In just 8 days, all eyes
will (for an instant) be on Jesus. But what will they see? A baby in a manger?
Will they see Jesus on the Mount teaching with authority? Or walking on the water, calming a storm, and healing the sick? Will they see Him in the Garden praying with loud crying and tears? Will they see Him
impaled on a cross, abandoned and alone. Will they see Him standing at an
empty tomb in His resurrected body? Will they see Him seated on high at God's right hand. Will they see Him as the Alpha and Omega, the I AM, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?
In consideration of these rhetorical questions, there are two much more personal questions we must ask. First, what will we see? And second, when a world of people who are blind to, and ignorant of, the real Jesus look at us, what will they see? Will they see Jesus?
On the day when Jesus told the Disciples to get into the boat, saying "Let us go over to the other side of the lake,” they launched out, most probably expecting clear sailing. But while Jesus slept, they were hit by a severe storm that threatened their lives. When they awakened Jesus, after calming the storm, He simply said, “Where is your faith?” as if to say “Didn’t I tell you we were going to the other side?” (Luke 8:22-24) In the middle of their trial, they became so focused on the present difficulty they forgot they were on a mission to the other side.
Likewise, you and I can be so focused on current conditions, we forget God has promised better things for us (Heb. 6:9). Paul says our present troubles are momentary and light compared to what is on the other side—something beyond comparison (2 Cor. 4:17).
Of course the problem for me and you is that when we are going through a time of suffering, we are often perplexed, and we do not know what is on the other side. When I lay in the hospital for 12 days last month after my surgery, I was able to look out the large window of my 9th floor room at the Phoenix skyline. While I was feeling so confined by all my tubes and needles, I just knew God was reminding me that just on the other side of my present suffering was a wide open realm of opportunity.
"So don't look at the troubles you can see now; rather, fix your gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things you see now will soon be gone, but the things you cannot see will last forever" (2 Cor. 4:18).
Does God speak today? Is He speaking now? Such questions belie the fact that God’s ‘sheep’ are supposed to be able to hear Him (John 10:27). Job says “For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it” (33:14).
As I reflected on the letter to the Hebrews the other day, I noted that the book begins (as does John’s gospel, “in the beginning was the Word”), by declaring that God speaks. Since the time of Adam and Eve, God has been speaking to man (Genesis 3:8, 10); He spoke to and through Moses and Abraham. He spoke through the Prophets. He spoke to Jesus, and Jesus became the Living Word.
That does not mean, however, that everyone will hear Him. Only those who have ‘ears to hear’ can hear Him (Mark 4:9), which becomes critically important when we realize that Satan speaks too—Peter says He roars like a lion (5:8). And you can be sure he will be roaring about Hurricane Irene—questioning God’s goodness and stirring up resentments. Will God sit by as Satan roars at the world? Not according to King David: “Our God approaches and He is not silent… and a great storm rages around him” (Ps. 50:3). When the Disciples were in the midst of a storm, they heard Jesus: “Do not be afraid: I am here”, literally "I AM" (John 6:20). Evidently, in the time of storms especially, God speaks. Can you hear Him?
In May a severe storm (tornado) hit Joplin, Mo., destroying 100s of homes and disrupting 1000s of lives. When I hear about such tragedies, I know there were many Christians praying that God would calm the storm and protect them from danger. I thought of this again the other day when I saw a picture of a church on the Missouri River threatened by flood waters. I am sure they were praying God would divert the waters. But in both cases, God did not. Homes and churches were lost. They were probably thinking of the times when Jesus calmed the storms. They probably wondered why God did not calm their storms.
When the apostle Paul was a prisoner being taken to Rome, he was in a ship that got caught in a terrible storm. In a desperate attempt to save themselves, the crew threw the cargo overboard as the wind and waves battered the ship. As they were about to give up hope, God gave Paul a vision that the ship would sink, but no one would be lost. Sure enough, the ship was destroyed, but all aboard were saved.
Paul obeyed God, yet God still allowed him to be shipwrecked. I’m sure Paul prayed for deliverance from this storm. He may have expected God to calm the winds. Instead, God promised to keep Paul safe though the storm; and Paul believed Him. Often, God allows storms to continue, but He stays beside us and promises we will not be lost. God help us to trust Him during the storms of life.
In Matthew 14, Jesus, knowing the Disciples were going into a storm, constrained then to get into their boat and cross the Lake. He was not worried that they would be battered by waves and tossed about by the wind. Why? Because He was up on the mountain praying for them not to fail the test he knew they must go through. Before Peter was to face the trial of his life, Jesus told him: “I am praying for you that your faith won’t fail” (Luke 22:32).
Not only does Jesus pray for us, but He comforts us with His Presence. While the Disciples were straining to keep their boat afloat, they saw ‘someone’ walking on the water. It was Jesus coming to their aid. In Hebrews, we are given two promises of Jesus current ministry of Prayer and Presence (manifested). First in Hebrews 2:18 we are told “since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.” Then in Hebrews 7:25 we are told that Jesus “always lives to make intercession for [us].”
If you are feeling battered and tossed about today, take comfort. Jesus is praying for you and will come to your aid just as you are tempted to give up. His promise: "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).
From the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic, people are on tornado watch today. By all accounts, this is the worst tornado season in recorded history. And the worst of it all may be yet to come since tornado season doesn’t reach its peak until May.
Severe storms find their parallel in human trial and tribulation that blow through our lives, often leaving us feeling destroyed. Our faith seems tested beyond what we can endure. It is at these times, we must stand firm in our faith (1 Cor. 16:13; 1 Thess. 3:8). But unless we are grounded in the Word, really believing what God says, we will “be tossed and blown about” (Eph. 4:14) when the trials come.
We must have a telescopic vision, magnifying Jesus who can make everything ‘good’ (Ro. 8:28). We must keep looking to our future hope when Jesus “will wipe every tear from [our] eyes,” when there will be “no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.. [when] all these things are gone forever" (Rev. 21:4). People of faith will not be blown off track when things don’t make sense. Listen to what David Wilkerson says today:
To those going through the valley and shadow of death, hear this word: Weeping will last through some dark, awful nights—and in that darkness you will soon hear the Father whisper, “I am with you. I cannot tell you why right now, but one day it will all make sense. You will see it was all part of my plan. It was no accident. It was no failure on your part. Hold fast. Let me embrace you in your hour of pain.” Hold fast to your faith. Stand fast in his Word. There is no other hope in this world.
A perfect storm is an expression to describe weather conditions that happen to hit at a region’s most vulnerable area, resulting in the worst possible damage. The term is also used (metaphorically) to describe an event where a rare combination of circumstances will aggravate a situation drastically.
I read a letter in the Mercury’s Editorials this morning describing current conditions in America this way: “We are facing a perfect storm of an aging population affecting both Social Security and Medicare, unpaid war expenditures, declining oil supplies, and increased tax burden for the middle class and wealthy.” And I can immediately think of many more present conditions that could be added to that mix.
Today David Wilkerson wrote: “Beloved, if we’re going to face the coming storm, then we need to be prepared so nothing disturbs our spirit. And the only way to do that is to spend time in the Father’s presence beholding His face. We have to be shut in with Him—on our knees, practicing His presence, seeking Him—until we’re thoroughly persuaded He’s at our right hand.”
I have set the Lord always before me; because You are at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad; my flesh also will rest in hope. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16: 8-11 abbreviated).
The Atlantic and Gulf states are in the middle of hurricane season. And the next big one is Igor—a storm as big as Texas. And right behind it is Hurricane Julia. At the same time, there have been two huge fire storms in the West—a natural forest fire in Colorado and a gas explosion fire in San Bruno, California.
When Jesus and the disciples encountered a life-threatening storm, Jesus slept (Luke 8:23). ‘Naps’ and ‘storms’ don’t have much in common—metaphorically, the former a sign of rest; the latter suggesting the opposite. But Jesus was obviously free from anxiety, because He was sleeping, until His disciples awakened Him. Jesus’ response "where is your faith?" (8:25) reveals the key to a proper disposition during life’s storms—a faith in God that overcomes fear.
I know many people going through some Texas-sized storms right now. Maybe you are one of them. Maybe you are feeling the wind blowing so hard and shaking you so violently, you are completely disoriented. Or maybe it feels like the heat of a fire storm is about to destroy you. Jesus promises that in the midst of the storm you are being exercised in faith. God is developing in you a deeper humility, a greater sorrow for sin, a heightened hunger for his righteousness. Any experience which makes you feel your need for Jesus can't be bad. How can we resist anything that causes us to set our affections on things above” (Col. 3:20)?
Just when we think our lives have settled down with certain predictability, something ‘out of left field’—out of nowhere— shows up. Our first reaction is to think, or to say, “God, why?” And it is precisely at these moments that we gain respect for God’s sovereignty—He does what He does. And what He does is not only good (by virtue of His goodness), but necessary for our sanctification (Heb. 10:36; 12:10-11).
Toward the end of Abraham’s long journey where he must have thought he ‘knew’ God, God said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." (Gen. 22) Don’t you think Abraham had at least a moment of doubting whether this word, which seemed to come out of left field, was really God? But as much as he loved Isaac, He trusted God. And though it made no sense that God would kill the ‘son of promise,’ Abraham passed the test: trusting himself to God's sovereignty (not trying to figure Him out!).
Jesus’ disciples learned through many experiences (Jesus stops a storm that almost sinks their boat; Jesus invites 5,000 people to dinner; Jesus has a 'forbidden' conversation with a lone Samaritan woman) that He was unpredictable. So why are we surprised when something we never-could-have-expected happens to us? At moments like these, either we can waste time trying to figure God out, or we can submit to His sovereignty and accept His unpredictability.
In my last blog post, I referred to the story of the disciples leaving the safety of the shore, crossing the lake (at Jesus’ behest) and encountering a life-threatening storm. The point of my writ was that leaving one’s safety zone is, well, risky. Little did I know I would be, in fact, faced with a life-threatening storm on our way to Belize.
Tropical Storm Alex took an unexpected turn on Saturday—the day of our flight. Just minutes from the Belize Airport, the pilot came on the overhead speakers and announced that we could not land due to the heavy rain. He said an earlier American Airline plane that day had been diverted to Cancun. Now as much as I might like Cancun, I knew that was not our destination (destiny). The Lord told the disciples they were crossing the lake on way to Galilee (he told us Belize!). The storm was a test. Would they (we) believe Him if He said they (we) were going to reach the other side: their destination?
Well, I did. Did I have a moment of doubt (as in, why did we get on this plane)? Yes, and then I recalled my own words: you cannot know His protection, presence, and power if you don’t encounter storms. When the Lord says you are going to the other side. Don’t let a little (or big) storm distract you. He is with you. He will get you to the other side.
Noah’s ark is a picture of salvation in Jesus. It also pictures faith in Jesus. It took faith to build the boat and faith to get into the boat. It even took faith to stay in the boat until it was time to receive what God promised! Faith is the boat (the vehicle) that gets you to the promises of God. But you have to stay in it.
One time, Jesus told the disciples to get into the boat because they were going to the other side of the lake. Then unexpectedly, a severe storm threatened to capsize them. They must have wished they had never gotten into the boat. Similarly, when unexpected ‘storms’ occur in our lives, we question whether we really heard the Lord—our faith is challenged—and we wonder if this ‘boat’ (our faith) will save us.
Jesus rebuked the storm; then He rebuked them for their lack of faith. Like those disciples, we must get into faith if we are to reach the place of our calling. The challenge we all face is to stay in faith. It is when you are in the boat (faith) in the middle of a storm that your faith is either shaken or proven. (Sadly, too many people panic, and their faith is shipwrecked!)
Undoubtedly though, there will be times you wonder if you got on the wrong ‘cruise.’ But don’t, instead follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises because of their faith and patience (Heb. 6:12).
Will they see Jesus on the Mount teaching with authority? Or walking on the water, calming a storm, and healing the sick? Will they see Him in the Garden praying with loud crying and tears? Will they see Him
impaled on a cross, abandoned and alone. Will they see Him standing at an
empty tomb in His resurrected body? Will they see Him seated on high at God's right hand. Will they see Him as the Alpha and Omega, the I AM, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? 
