In the Middle of the Storm, God Speaks and says, "I AM"

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?

Jesus is Praying for You

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).

Crossing Over

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.