I had a radio interview yesterday and was asked about success. I mentioned two things as being essential to coming out on top and they were perseverance and faith. Too many give up and accept defeat; (some at the first sign of darkness, and others after the battle has raged for a while). Often an entire series of bad things seem to hit in rapid succession and everywhere we look there seems no clear solution and no end is in sight. The “natural” thing is to just give up and quit and it is normal to do just that.
I suppose I’m not normal, because I’m bulldog determined not to quit. In fact it’s akin to when I played sports. If we started losing a game it didn’t make me want to quit, I just got madder and madder, and fought harder and harder, and became more determined than ever to win. For some strange reason I just could not bring myself to accept defeat.
I hate to lose.
As long time readers of this devotional will attest, this is not to say that I don’t occasionally get discouraged or frustrated, but it is to say that it’s almost always short lived. I feel sorry for me, and sometimes throw myself a little pity party, and chant “poor little old me” a few times, and after shedding a few, (much appreciated), tears for myself, I end my little “celebration” and go back to work.
I don’t know why bad things happen to “good” people, but they do. (If you don’t believe that just take a look at our country ending up with the Obama and Biden team – Sorry I just couldn’t resist that one).
I’ve found in life that things are seldom as bad as we think they are. This is because we have our heads stuck down in the weeds and when we do… duh… weeds are all that we can see.
When the rains and foul darkness accompanying the storms of life descend upon us, we should not be interpret it that God has abandoned and turned His back on us. No, just the opposite, it means that God is drawing us closer to Him. If you look at it from that angle, you most certainly should agree that it is a good thing when almighty God is drawing you near to Him.
The key to surviving hard times and indeed thriving is not to keep our heads down in the weeds. We need to lift them up. Invariably there are flowers blooming above the weeds, but we can’t see them if we don’t look for them. Look for God and you will find Him high above the weeds of this world that try to choke Him out of our lives. I often look ahead all of the way to spending eternity in paradise with Jesus to obtain my comfort.
I say keep the faith and pray that relief will come sooner rather than later. We cannot control the storms of life, but God can.
I think that is why Jesus commanded the Disciples to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee and then promptly went to sleep. Surely He had foreknowledge that a storm would come, but He wanted to make a point that is still relevant today. When the storm began to rage, the Disciples were scared out of their wits. Jesus was sleeping soundly and in their panic they awoke Him and He ordered the storm to subside and it did. This example taught me that though WE cannot control the storms of life, JESUS can. His example shows that we need to go to Him during difficult times and petition Him to save us. Also we must have faith in HIM and not rely on ourselves alone.
Though your life today might be akin to a blinding, freezing, blizzard fiercely raging; don’t lose hope, because soon there will be a crisp bluebird sky and fresh fallen snow of jaw dropping beauty surrounding you. Remember the Lord turns a storm into calm, and causes trials to end in gladness.
Think about the Disciples asking, “What kind of man is this? Even the waves and winds obey Him.” I can answer that question; Jesus is God and He can do anything He wants including saving our sorry tails.
I’m a big fan of Matthew Henry and here is his take on this event:
Those who are passing with Christ over the ocean of this world, must expect storms. His human nature, like to ours in everything but sin, was wearied, and he slept at this time to try the faith of his disciples. They, in their fear, came to their Master. Thus is it in a soul; when lusts and temptations are swelling and raging, and God is, as it were, asleep to it, this brings it to the brink of despair. Then it cries for a word from His mouth, Lord Jesus, keep not silence to me, or I am undone. Many that have true faith, are weak in it. Christ’s disciples are apt to be disquieted with fears in a stormy day; to torment themselves that things are bad with them, and with dismal thoughts that they will be worse. Great storms of doubt and fear in the soul, under the power of the spirit of bondage, sometimes end in a wonderful calm, created and spoken by the Spirit of adoption. They were astonished. They never saw a storm so turned at once into a perfect calm. He that can do this, can do anything, which encourages confidence and comfort in him, in the most stormy day, within or without.
He loves us more than we can comprehend; so much so that He sent His only Son to die that we might live. His plan for our lives is a good one and He promises all through the Bible never to abandon us, (no not even on the darkest day or in the midst of the most vicious storm).
I like it…
Selah…
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!
Matt. 8:23
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”