One time I went sword fishing at night and got caught offshore smack dab in the middle of a raging storm some forty miles out to sea. Lightening was hitting in the water, winds were raging and 20 foot seas were crashing over the bow of my boat and threatening to sink it. The boat seemed like a tiny little toy and it made me realize just how small it (and I) was.
If matters weren’t bad enough one of the twin engines of my boat went out and the situation got even bleaker. It was not a good feeling. I fought through the storm all night and finally was able to maneuver my wounded boat into the safety of the harbor at 8 a.m. the next morning.
I was drenched in salt water, tired, and haggard. I barely survived.
Lately I’ve been totally overwhelmed and this morning my troubles and problems brought my storm saga to mind. My current situation reminds me of how forlorn everything looked, (especially when it seemed that things were not going to work out favorably and that I would probably end up “swimming with the fishes”).
I pride myself in being organized and have always worked according to a schedule, but I have so much to do that it is discouraging just to look at it. I spent several hours trying to return e-mails this morning and I was getting more of the blasted things back in than I could answer.
A good friend of mine told me that I’m a victim of my own success. Honey Lake has taken off like a rocket and our staff is running ragged trying to keep up. We are trying to hire additional workers, but similar to my e-mail dilemma, the problems are arising faster than applicants are applying.
Right in the midst of that chaos, our ministry is likewise beginning to take off and we are struggling to keep up with the demands created by it. Too I’ve been donating my book to all of the prisons in the country and as they get distributed into more and more states, more and more inmates read it, and I get more and more correspondence. My speaking schedule is heating up and I dread leaving even for a day or two. Blah blah blah…
I feel similar to when I was caught in that raging storm. Everywhere I look I face monsters. Sigh…I want to launch a pity party for myself, but I have too much to do to organize it.
Now that is sad! Poor little ol’ me…
So I was sitting here this morning and I tried something I haven’t done in a long time. I randomly opened my Bible and looked for some reassuring guidance from my Papa in heaven. I was hoping I could turn right to something that would encourage me.
I opened my Bible to the following verse: Philippians 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
I looked across the page and read the following beginning in Phil. 4:6:Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Yikes! The hair on my neck always stands on end when this happens to me.
Don’t ever think God won’t speak directly to you. He does in a number of ways and trust me this is one of the most dramatic of them.
Now I have a choice. I can either continue to wallow in self-pity and stress myself out trying to work through and resolve my problems alone, or I can take the Lord up on His direction to me. He told me to make my requests known to Him and I intend to do just that. As soon as I finish this up, I will be getting in my pickup truck and going down to Honey Lake Church to get down on my knees and pray. (I love doing that anyway.)
God is going to supply my needs today. I intend to put my faith in Him and trust in Him and I know that as soon as I do the raging sea that surrounds me will begin to subside and the ocean of problems facing me will smooth out like a glassy sea where I can see for miles and miles and miles…
Life is sometimes difficult and we all wonder why God didn’t just make everything “vanilla”. Then we read Genesis and understand that God did create it to be that way, but it came with a condition. We had to obey His commands.
If we want peace in our lives we must come to God.
If we want joy in our lives, we must come to God.
If we want love in our lives, we must come to God.
If we want hope in our lives, we must come to God.
Just like “in the beginning” we must obey God’s commands if we want our lives to be “vanilla”. Have we learned nothing in all these years?
I’m thankful that I don’t have to rely on me to solve my problems, because I simply cannot do it alone. Without God I will sink and drown in the raging sea that often surrounds my chaotic life.
How about you? Do you want to go it all alone? Or do you want almighty God to lend a hand. Silly question isn’t it, and yet we all seem to overlook that option. Okay either sit at your desk, or car, or go somewhere like Honey Lake Church and get down on your knees and ask God to help out a little… (Or do as I’m going to do and ask Him to help out a LOT!)
We had a great church service at Honey Lake this weekend; I wish you all could’ve been there. The following link will take you to the last two services. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. http://www.livestream.com/honeylakeplantationchurch
John 14:27
“I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”