ARE YOU BEING TOSSED ABOUT?
“. . . The boat was already a long way from land, tossed around by the waves, for the wind was against it.” (Matthew 14:24) TLV
Having been born on an island and had the privilege of living on five other islands while serving the Lord as a missionary, I had the opportunity to observe the ways of the sea. At certain times of the year, rude and blustering winds often troubled the waters. Does this not typify the stormy seasons of your life and mine? It has been a helpful lesson in life to become familiar with the Monsoon rains coming down and the flood waters rising. The stormy seasons of suffering, pain and loss in our life seem cruel, but do they not add intensity and fervor to your prayer life? Have you developed a sense of compassion and empathy for those facing such circumstances? Does it not compel you to seize the promises of God with a tighter grip? Does it not leave you and me with our character refined?
Storms of bereavement are heart-wrenching, but they are one of the times we are driven nearer to the heart of God. There in the secret of His presence, we may hear the Master’s voice distinctly speaking comfort to the core of our being. In those still, quiet moments the glory of the Lord is revealed to us, while the wind is boisterous, and the waves are tossing our little boat of faith in the tumultuous high seas of life. May this thought be engraved in the depths of our heart: Jesus Christ is NOT a security against the storm; He IS the absolute security IN the storm. His promise to us is not a calm cruise on peaceful waters, but the assurance of a safe landing amid the storm!
HIS WAY
The Sunday School Times (UK)
God bade me go when I would stay,
(It was cold within the woods)
I did not know the reason why –
Then I heard a boulder crashing by,
Across the path I stood.
He bade me stay when I would go;
“Thy will be done,” I said.
They found one day at early dawn,
Across the way I would have gone,
A serpent with a mangled head.
No more I ask the reason why,
Although I may not see the path ahead,
His way I go;
For though I know not, He doth know,
And will choose safe paths for me.