A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 17:22 NKJV
In the last two and a half weeks, we have been through two hurricanes, an evacuation, a flood and are hosting a lady and her dog who lost their home. (Did I mention no garbage pick-up or mail!) With so much craziness it is easy to lose sight of the blessings that God has showered us with during this time. So, I thought now would be a great time to list a few of the blessings we have to be thankful for.
!) Banjo our foster dog and my new walking buddy –
2) A beautiful swan along with his buddies the ducks who greeted us at our evacuation home.
3) The lemon tree dropped enough lemons to make lemonade!
4) In the middle of all the disasters around us we never lost power!
5) I found a place to buy coffee this morning!
6) Friends, family members and neighbors we haven’t heard from in a while called to check in on us.
7) God has been with us every step of the way, kept us in health and taught us to count our blessings through everything ahead!
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, āTeacher, do You not care that we are perishing?ā Mark 4:37-38 NKJV
Usually, we come to this portion of scripture and race ahead to the end where Jesus marvelously stands up and orders the winds and waves to be calm. But there was another miracle taking place, even before that. In the middle of all the panic, waves and wind, Jesus actually fell asleep! Let’s try for a moment to imagine that scene from the perspective of the disciples as they feverously worked to keep the ship afloat, while shouting to one other over the wind:
“Row harder John!”
“Leave me alone Peter. You just keep bailing!”
“Matthew! What are you doing? This isn’t a tax collector’s booth. Grab an oar and help out!”
“James, since you aren’t doing anything else, won’t you at least go wake up Jesus? Maybe He knows what to do!”
All the while as they struggled, and in spite of the waves that were washing over the side of the boat, Jesus slept soundly on a pillow in the stern. Some have presumed that Jesus was just pretending to sleep, but the Bible makes no such statement. After a long day of preaching, praying for thousands of people, and then walking miles down to the boat Jesus was just flat out exhausted. But neither the demands of HIs ministry nor the immediate commotion around Him in the storm, caused Him to miss the opportunity to rest.
Maybe some of us have problems with our relationships, our jobs, and even our health because we miss the opportunities that God gives us to rest. We don’t have to wait for vacation time, some religious event or the weekend to rest. We don’t have to row harder, bail faster or run around in a panic. God’s peace is just as available to us right where we are, as it was for Jesus in the storm. When we can fully trust God’s control over every problem that we face, then we can rest in Him. He knows what to do. He won’t let our boat go down. His plan will be completed in His way. He is the Master of our seas. Winds and waves still obey His will, and His love still lifts us up so that we can rest in Him!
For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, 24 and he said, āDonāt be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! Whatās more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.ā. Acts 27:23-24 NLT
I had meant to write part two to this series sooner, but with our last two days filled with evacuating and setting up forty miles inland, things have been a bit busy. But as we await the arrival of hurricane Milton, I thought of the Apostle Paul who weathered a storm so long ago. Paul’s storm experience, unlike Jonah’s was not because of disobedience. He was there because of the decisions of others. Yet, in that storm, even as a prisoner chained below deck in a Roman ship, Paul continued to trust God. Meanwhile, topside, even the sailors were in desperation. They had battled through that tempest, without even being able to see either the sun or stars for two weeks. Yet when all hope seemed lost to everyone else, God sent an angel with a message for Paul, “Don’t be afraid Paul… God has granted you safety!”
To me one of the most amazing and wonderful thing about this message is that the deliverance that Paul was promised included even the very people who had put him in that storm! And even though it may feel frustrating being thrust into problems that you didn’t cause, God has a plan for good, and not only for you. Maybe that is you today. Your problem, your storm, and your dilemma has stuck you in a corner that you cannot get out of. But the good news is that we don’t need to figure a way out: God in HIs grace already has! Yet, in spite of the fact that God is going to do all the miraculous stuff that only He can do in our storm, He has given us something to do. “Don’t be afraid!”, or in the words of Jesus from John chapter fourteen, “Don’t let your heart be troubled!” God will do all the saving we need in any storm, but we must do the trusting. Jesus will calm the highest strongest winds and highest waves, but our part is to believe. Jesus has promised to be with us even to the end of the world. He will be by our side through this hurricane and by yours in whatever storm you are facing. Even if like Jonah, you brough this storm on yourself, God still has a way out and a way back to Him. Or if like Paul, others have made decisions about things that are out of your control, God has grace enough to help both you and them, if we will simply trust Him, encourage one another with His message and then do the small things that He asks for us to do.
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