Sunday, April 27, 2008

God Has his way in the the Storm

Hello Friends!

Man, I know I said I would get better at updating this blog, and I'm sorry that I fell through on that promise thus far, but I am going to get better, I don't have but one week left here at college and I foresee alot of nights up ahead where I won't have a whole lot to do. One thing that will help me, if you want to help me of course, is to see some comments on here. If nothing more than "Hey, I saw you wrote something, I didn't really read it, but I saw it" it would suffice I just want to know people have made it here.

There is no panic that goes through a person's heart, like the panic that a preacher feels 4 hours before a service and they still don't know what they are going to say. This is the worst feeling as far as preaching goes I have felt to date. This past Wed. I had to preach and although I've had plenty of good thoughts before Wed. all of them fell through. Nothing seemed to fit what the Lord had in mind. For some reason I just couldn't get it together, though I prayed, and though I fasted. I ended up trying to rush God, and of course, God is going to do what he wants when he wants it. So about 3 I decided that I needed to take a shower because I hadn't taken one yet because I was focusing so hard on trying to get a message. We all say to trust in God, he will deliver you in his time, but its funny how something so easy to say is so hard to do. So when I got in the shower, I started to cry because of my frustration and told God that I can't do this, He was going to have to do this because I literally can't. Its always a problem when we try to do things ourselves and not let God show us the way that we need to go. It wasn't long after He put a thought in my heart, something that I had not thought of, nor have heard before. From the book of Nahum 1:3.

"The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet."

God has his way in the storm; He has power in the storm. He can do what he wants. When you have your way, its done according to your will. I remember the storms in my life, and how I wonder sometimes if I will make it through. We all say I can do all things through Christ, but we seldom act on it, we seldom let it not bother us. Sometimes those storms in our lives are from God to cause us to grow or to help us get on the right path, because we don't have our way in the storm, God does. A good example of this is Jonah, we have all heard this story from the time we were old enough to hear Sunday school stories. But the reason Jonah was in a storm is because he was running from the will of God. So God had to put Jonah in a situation where he had no control, nor could run away anymore. Jonah had to submit himself to God, but not only him, but the people on the ship with him also. They had to submit to throwing Jonah into the sea, which they weren't going to do at first. But when everyone submitted to God, and they threw Jonah into the sea, God calm the storm. Storms don't always mean that you are disobedient, sometimes the storm comes because you are obedient. It rains on the just and the unjust alike. Think of the disciples, there are two stories in the Gospels that talk of them on a stormy sea being in the will of God. But God has his way in the storm. Remember, in one story they were going across the sea with Jesus in the boat but he was asleep. A storm arose, and the boat started to fill with water, When the disciples saw this they woke Jesus up, and as we all know, He calmed the storm. He rebuked them later because of their faith, or the lack of it. It was not that they woke Jesus to calm the storm, it was the way they asked him. They asked Jesus if he cared that they perished, instead of coming to him and telling him "Lord, I know that you can take care of this and I trust that you will." Jesus cares more for us than we can ever know in this carnal flesh. Remember while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. I don't know about you but I wasn't a nice sinner, I was atheist remember. He died for me, when I didn't believe in him, He called me, when I denied him in ignorance. If we trust in him, and ask him, He will calm the storm. Again, another place in the scripture, Paul was on his way to Rome remember? Acts chapter 27 and 28 are good places to read for this. The storm came up, so strong it has a name.
(Euroclydon, Acts 27:14) This time, the ship He sailed on was destroyed, but does that mean he was out of the Will of God? Of course not, remember Paul was called to go to Rome, but there were some Barbaric peoples that needed to hear of God. There are many things that could be said here, like how we need to stay in the ship when we are in the storm, though it may be destroyed on the rocks, God still saved them. He has his way in the storm. I'm just going to talk about one more place in the scripture.

Psalms 107:23-31

"They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

This is one of my new favorite verses. It explains so much of how I feel in the storms of my life, in the trials. I feel like that, I feel like I don't know which way is which, I'm just staggering around hoping I don't fall out of where I'm suppose to be. Notice that God brought about this storm. Remember the trying of our faith worketh patience. Lots of the time, I feel like I'm at my wits' end, I just can't take it anymore, my ship is filling up, I need you Jesus! But He rises up, He calms the storm in my life, He has his way in the storm, He has control! He will bring us to the place that we need to go, For Jonah he brought him to Nineveh , for the disciples across the sea, for Paul to Rome, and He will leads us to heaven for you and me. I trust him even in the storm, Even though, I'm afraid and don't' know what to do next. But I will always remember, that my God, the one that died for me, the one that set me free, is in control of the storm.

Sorry for being so long, and for leaving out alot of details, I noticed it was getting long so I left some stuff out, But I hope I gave you enough to get the point.

I love y'all, God Bless

Jerald

3 comments:

Yvonne said...

Don't apologize for long posts silly it's your blog! You saw my horribly long ranting session on my blog. That's what blogs are for ranting and raving and letting out your thoughts and feelings. I'll admit I only skimmed your blog because well I'm suppose to be writing 2 papers right now (I'm sitting in the library). But I loved the thought and will finish reading it once I actually have a moment to breath.


TAKE LUCK!

Jerald Mills said...

You know how I am lol.

Yvonne said...

I demand that you blog on a more regular basis!!!!!! LOL