“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
I live in Alabama where the weather can change quickly and dramatically. One day it can be 87 degrees and sweltering and the next morning it can be 25 degrees and freezing. As dramatic as that is, it has nothing on tornado season in Alabama. These storms arrive and wreak all sort of havoc and create all kinds of damage.
I can think back a few years and we experienced one of the worst tornadoes that I can recall when a large one hit in Tuscaloosa and went all the way across the state leaving in it's path death and destruction. When daylight came the day after we were all shocked by the path of utter destruction this storm left in its wake. Property was damaged and lives were lost.
The same thing can happen in our lives. A "storm" can blow up out of nowhere and leave behind it a path of death and destruction.
I was fortunate to have a conversation with someone recently and they shared with me how they had felt close to God years ago and were pretty active in their church but then he experienced a significant loss in his life and questioned why God would allow this to happen to someone that was so faithful. He fought back the tears and shared with me a question that has frankly speaking, haunted me.
"How can I worship a God that I can't trust?"
The question above is one that I have asked myself on more than one occasion and it hits at the heart of one of life's biggest decisions. Will we trust God is good even when life isn't? The response to pain and challenges in life will determine so much about our future.
As I study, I have learned that faith in anything requires some form of trust in something or someone. And neither is predictable by human standards. If I am honest, I would say I want irrefutable proof of God's presence in my life and I would say that most of those that read this would say the same thing.
“Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe." Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."” John 20:24-29 ESV
Folks, this isn't a new thing. Remember Thomas? After Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, Thomas said he wouldn't believe it unless he saw it for himself. Jesus could have got mad and told Thomas to hit the bricks for his evident lack of faith but He didn't. He did the opposite. He took Thomas by the hand and showed him the places where the nails had pierced His hands and feet, He even showed Thomas the place where the spear had pierced His side.
And what about the disciples in the storm? Mark 4:37-41 says, “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"” In the middle of what I am sure was a seriously dangerous situation, the disciples were scared. But they weren't alone. Jesus was in the boat. And with Him in our boat, the storms we face may still make things shaky but we won't sink.
We all tend to think we wouldn't be going through a storm if God was really there. But I can assure you this isn't it. When we have Jesus in our boat, the storms will most assuredly rock your boat. The job, you may lose it. Health, it is one bad report away from catastrophe. We are all one car wreck or a phone call away from our ship getting rocked. God is with us during the calm times when things seem to come easily and He is still with us when we face the worst of the worst storms we could ever imagine.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 ESV
And not only is He with us, He is for us as well. And as scripture tells me, if He is for us, what can be against us? I implore you to trust God with whatever it is that you are currently holding back. Not married? Trust Him to pick your spouse. Want kids? Trust Him to provide them in His perfect time. Have a big decision to make at work? Trust Him with your career. We need only trust Him. In ALL things. Without reservation.
“"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:25-33 ESV
We need to trust God with where we start and stop. We need to trust Him with where we stay and where we go. We need to trust Him enough to give our lives to Him and serve those He places in our lives. Every single storm we face has purpose. When we allow God to direct us during these times, our faith will grow in leaps and bounds and we will be strengthened.
Joshua 1:9 ESV
I can think back a few years and we experienced one of the worst tornadoes that I can recall when a large one hit in Tuscaloosa and went all the way across the state leaving in it's path death and destruction. When daylight came the day after we were all shocked by the path of utter destruction this storm left in its wake. Property was damaged and lives were lost.
The same thing can happen in our lives. A "storm" can blow up out of nowhere and leave behind it a path of death and destruction.
I was fortunate to have a conversation with someone recently and they shared with me how they had felt close to God years ago and were pretty active in their church but then he experienced a significant loss in his life and questioned why God would allow this to happen to someone that was so faithful. He fought back the tears and shared with me a question that has frankly speaking, haunted me.
"How can I worship a God that I can't trust?"
The question above is one that I have asked myself on more than one occasion and it hits at the heart of one of life's biggest decisions. Will we trust God is good even when life isn't? The response to pain and challenges in life will determine so much about our future.
As I study, I have learned that faith in anything requires some form of trust in something or someone. And neither is predictable by human standards. If I am honest, I would say I want irrefutable proof of God's presence in my life and I would say that most of those that read this would say the same thing.
“Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe." Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."” John 20:24-29 ESV
Folks, this isn't a new thing. Remember Thomas? After Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, Thomas said he wouldn't believe it unless he saw it for himself. Jesus could have got mad and told Thomas to hit the bricks for his evident lack of faith but He didn't. He did the opposite. He took Thomas by the hand and showed him the places where the nails had pierced His hands and feet, He even showed Thomas the place where the spear had pierced His side.
And what about the disciples in the storm? Mark 4:37-41 says, “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"” In the middle of what I am sure was a seriously dangerous situation, the disciples were scared. But they weren't alone. Jesus was in the boat. And with Him in our boat, the storms we face may still make things shaky but we won't sink.
We all tend to think we wouldn't be going through a storm if God was really there. But I can assure you this isn't it. When we have Jesus in our boat, the storms will most assuredly rock your boat. The job, you may lose it. Health, it is one bad report away from catastrophe. We are all one car wreck or a phone call away from our ship getting rocked. God is with us during the calm times when things seem to come easily and He is still with us when we face the worst of the worst storms we could ever imagine.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 ESV
And not only is He with us, He is for us as well. And as scripture tells me, if He is for us, what can be against us? I implore you to trust God with whatever it is that you are currently holding back. Not married? Trust Him to pick your spouse. Want kids? Trust Him to provide them in His perfect time. Have a big decision to make at work? Trust Him with your career. We need only trust Him. In ALL things. Without reservation.
“"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:25-33 ESV
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