God’s Hope

Asleep in the Storm – 2

/ pastorpete51 / 8 Comments 
For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, 24 and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’. 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.

It is Well

/ pastorpete51 / 15 Comments

This Sunday our beloved daughter-in-law, Melinda was called home to Jesus. We are grieving, but in this time we are trusting God. In these times of sorrow, where even simple conversation can become too painful, God often gives us a song. “It is Well” is for me the hymn that has been precious to my heart in those moments. Whatever you are facing today I pray it’s message may also give you peace and hope. Especially in our sorrows it is more true than ever that God is good all the time and in Jesus Christ, it is well with our soul.

The Solid Rock

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments 
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 ESV

Back in 1976, I worked for a company in charge of tree trimming for Connecticut Light and Power. Though by then I had a few years of experience clearing the right-of-way, nothing prepared me for the devastation of Hurricane Belle. Huge oaks, ancient maples and towering pine trees were snapped off or uprooted and on top of the power lines for our entire region. Over the following week we would often drive our trucks into neighborhoods that had been without power for days where the people would come out and cheer, as if we were conquering heroes. But if they could have read our minds, they would have heard thoughts like, “What in the world are we going to do?” or ” How are we going to get this done without getting hurt?” We were facing a huge challenge, but Joshua was coming up against the even more overwhelming task of leading the people of Israel, into a battle of conquest for the land that God had promised them. Unknown enemies lay ahead, and the tombs of those who had disobeyed God in the wilderness lay behind. Now that Moses was dead Joshua was in charge, and maybe like me, he wondered what to do. He recalled that Moses had met God at the burning bush and spent forty days in the cloud of glory receiving the ten commandments, but all Joshua had done was to watch from a distance. How would he be able to do what God was asking of Him?

Sometimes I try to encourage people facing major challenges by saying, “God knows what you are going through.”; but while that is true, it misses the most important point. The reality, for those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus, is that God not only knows, what we are going through, but that He has planned for every step of our journey. Our real hope: is not that we can handle what lies ahead, but that God has promised to be with us and on that solid rock of God’s promise, we can be courageous, no matter what comes our way!