storms

Two Men and Two Boats

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Two Men in Two Boats

To the sea one day two men went down

Paul as a prisoner and Jonah skipping town

“I’m out of here!” was all Jonah could say

Then he slept through the storm when he should have prayed

 

But prisoner Paul cried to God in his boat

Till an angel came down with a message of hope

Then with determination he encouraged his friends

Saying Jesus would keep them all safe in the end

 

It took a big fish to get Jonah to go

Tell others of mercy and God’s love for the world

But our friend Saint Paul shows us the right way

That if God sends the storm we must trust and obey!

 

 

 

 

Through the Storm

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you. Acts 27:23-24

Everyone goes through storms; whether self-inflicted  blunders or ones over which we have no control like sexual abuse. God doesn’t give us much guidance in how to live storm free, but the Bible is chock full of ideas on how the make it through them.

beach black and white clouds dawn

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Paul found himself in just such a situation as he was being shipped off in chains to stand trial because of his faith. He discovered the helplessness we all experience when we are not the captain of our ship. As his ship sailed off to sea Paul was to the outward observer the person least in control of the ship. The ship’s owner was in a hurry and the captain decided the weather was fine. The sailors hoisted up the sails and the paying passengers just enjoyed the sunshine on the deck. But no matter their position in that ship, they all were headed towards the same storm.

People use all different ways in facing difficulty. The Owner yelled at the captain to get things under control. The captain yelled at his crew to work harder. The soldiers aboard probably complained that the sailors had no idea what they were doing and the passengers huddled in fear below decks. But when the waves came sloshing into the boat Paul just kept doing the same things he did on sunny days. Paul served God and prayed. The question isn’t what kind of storm we are facing, but  can find a way to keep praying and serving God right in the middle of it?

Where is Your Hope?

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The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?        Psalm 27:1 NKJV

The drowning man was flailing in the waves just 100 yards from the beach. Two men ran up to the shoreline. The first on the scene was a business man who while passing by had heard the shouts and seeing the man going under he threw out 50 yards of line and shouted to the man, “that’s all I can afford. Swim for it!” The second man on the beach that day happened to be a politician listening to the commotion. He grandly stepped up with a smirk and threw 1000 yards of line toward the drowning man who was now going under for the second time. Then he dropped the rope and walked away shouting, “Somebody ought to grab that rope!”

Just as the man began to sink for the third time, Jesus came walking out on the waves, took the drowning man by the hand and whispered, “It is I, don’t be afraid!”

beach during daylight

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Where is your hope today? Is it in your past success? Is your hope in what others think about you or what money you have in the bank? The Bible tells us that the only thing we can hold onto when everything and everyone is failing is our faith in Jesus Christ.