Trust and Obey

Are You Ready for the Storm?

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Many years ago, when I was working at a home in upstate New York, the owner invited us downstairs to take a look as his foundation. On reaching the bottom step, he turned and smiled, then flicked on the lights and pointed. There to our astonishment we saw that the entire back wall, consisted of an enormous rock ledge.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-25 ESV

In New York, building your house on rock is a curiosity, but here in Florida it would be a miracle. Here we have nothing but sand, and while we have lived here, I have learned it is wise to keep an eye on the forecast from June through September because that is hurricane season. They advise us to have extra water on hand, keep our cars filled with gas, buy a generator, and have an evacuation plan in place. Just like our weather forecasters, Jesus warns that storms are coming, and the question is not whether they will arrive, but whether we are ready. How I wish that the Christian life was like one long sunny day at the beach. But the reality is that health crises come, car accidents happen, and sometimes people we trusted walk out on us. Real life has only three forecasts. We are either in a hurricane, have just come out of one, or a storm is on the horizon. Jesus says that we cannot change the forecast, but we can be prepared by putting into His words practice. Loving our enemies, forgiving one another, turning the other cheek, and spending time in prayer; are not just nice suggestions, good ideas or wonderful ideals. Putting these words of Jesus into practice is the rock foundation that prepares us for the hurricane. Don’t wait for the storm to arrive. Turn to Jesus right now, confess any sin, and ask Him to be Lord of your life. He is the Carpenter of Galilee and only He can help us build our house on the rock!

At His Word

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And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” -  And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. Luke 5:5; 11 ESV

Like the farmer who has just finished his spring planting only to have his field washed out by a rainstorm, Peter was discouraged after spending the entire night casting his nets and laboriously pulling them in again and then returning home exhausted and empty handed. All of us are sometimes forced to face our inabilities and failures that have happened in spite of our best efforts. Maybe we were fired from our job because we failed to make a quota, our marriage is struggling, and it seems we don’t have even one friend. Whatever we are facing, is how Peter felt that morning when he met Jesus. But Jesus hadn’t come to call Peter because he was the best fisherman, and He doesn’t only call the best fathers, mothers, or pastors for His kingdom work. Jesus often picks people for His team who have worked all night with nothing to show for their efforts. And Jesus hasn’t showed up just to demand that we try harder, He only asks that we believe and obey His word. Peter didn’t understand why Jesus said to launch out, and he even pointed out that it seemed foolish to throw out his nets again, but he chose to obey anyway. Then, when he cast that heavy net out just one more time, it became so full that it took all the efforts of Peter, and his friends to pull it in. But this story is about more than just blessings. The real blessing and call of Jesus, both then, and now, is to leave everything by faith and come follow Jesus wherever He asks us to go!

Who Are You Going To Trust?

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The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 ESV

Even some of my American friends may not know that here in the United States our national motto is “In God We Trust.” Ironically, this motto appears, neither on our flag, nor in our constitution but on our money, and was introduced not at the height of our prosperity, but during the darkest days of our Civil War. It came about in response to a letter from a Reverend Watkinson appealing to the Treasury Secretary, that we as a nation needed to publicly acknowledge God if we were to receive His help. Though the letter was sent in 1861, it took three years to be instituted. Finally in 1864, when, despite the many victories of the Northern States, the painful reality was that both sides were suffering devastation, death and tragedy on a scale never seen before in our history. Then, just when our hopes were at their lowest “In God We Trust” was introduced on the 2-cent piece. This national decision at that pivotal time, should be a wake-up call for us in the midst of social upheaval, violence, and division. We need to realize that we will never be blessed as “One nation under God” until we remember that our trust in God must not be a bold boast, but a cry to Him for help. Today’s verse reminds us that our greatest hope is not in victory, nor in success, but in the promise that our God will hear our cry. He is our hope this morning and for every morning. Whatever our disappointment; Whatever our despair; whatever our weakness: God has promised to hear us, to come to us and to comfort us, if we put our trust in Him. Of course, that doesn’t imply that everything in our lives will wonderful when we trust God, but that whatever we face, He has promised to be right by our side because we belong to Him!

“We cannot always trace God's hand, but we can always trust God's heart.”
Charles Spurgeon
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