Storm: December 20, 2012

TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 2012.

STORM

DEFINITION:

A tumultuous condition; a disturbance of normal atmosphere; a commotion; to rage or complain with violence or fury; to rush angrily; a violent assault or attack.

SCRIPTURE:

He calms the storm so the waves are still. Psalm 107:29.

For you have been strength to the poor and a refuge from the storm. Isaiah 25:4.

KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING:

Even though we as believers have our trust in the Lord, we all have many storms in our life.  We have storms in our personal life, in our marriage, with our children, in our jobs, in our church and with our neighbors.

Recently we have had several close friends have serious storms in their lives, relating to health issues. Sometimes we wonder why God allows this to happen. It is important for us to realize that God does not cause these storms but He allows them for several reasons. Today let us take a few minutes and look at those reasons and apply them to our lives.

First of all God, allows storms to come into our lives to get our attention. We get so busy with the “THINGS” in our lives that we get caught up in just doing what we want to do and forget God. When we act this way and forget God we then rely on our own abilities and think we can handle every situation ourselves. When this happens to believers, God will allow a storm to happen in our lives just to get our attention and help us refocus on what is important.

Secondly, He allows storms to get some sin out of our lives. God wants us to live a pure and clean life and since we are sinners we often fail to meet the standards that God wants from us. Then sin creeps into our lives and we pass it off and do not consider a little sin to be a problem. God will allow a storm to enter our lives to act as a warning. But the longer you hold that sin the stronger the storm will be. God does not want us as believers to live with sin in our lives.

He also allows a storm in your life because He wants you to surrender something. It is so easy in life to let evil and even material things get between our lives and God. For example, one can begin to forget God when your business becomes successful. Success often separates us from God, but more so just “THINGS” can separate us from God. When He wants us to surrender something in our lives, He will make it clear to us and if we do not respond He will allow a storm to come and wake us up to the fact that we are not self-sufficient.

We are not in control, God is. If we are willing to surrender all to God, He will not only go through the storm with us but He will reward us with His blessing. We need to understand that when we do the things that get us through these storms that God always rewards us with something better.

God will allow storms to come into our lives because He wants us to conform to His image. In Romans 12:1-2, Paul tells us God wants us to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice which is Holy and acceptable to God; and that we are not to be conformed to this world but rather we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind so that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God for our lives.” He will allow a storm to come into our life in order to bring us back to doing what His will is for us.

Finally, He will allow a storm to come into our lives in order to equip us to serve Him better. We are prone to refuse to do what God is calling us to do because it is hard and we feel incapable. We use our inadequacy as an excuse to avoid doing what God desires us to do. God can use a storm to make us willing and able to serve Him, just as He did when Jonah refused to serve God as God told him to do.

In the midst of the storm we may think God has lost control and forgotten us. God controls all things and He is in control of what happens to us in the storms of life as well as in the good times. 

The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 89:9 that “God rules the mighty seas and calms the stormy waves.” We need to acknowledge that God is the one who is in control and that He has the power to control any storm in our lives. All we need to do is to put our complete trust in Him, call upon Him and then be open to His direction and respond in faith believing.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 16:3.

Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.

PRAYER

Thank You Almighty God for bringing storms into my life to wake me up from my tendency to neglect to serve You as You desire. Give me the spiritual strength and wisdom to lead my family as together we step out in faith to reach our neighbors and friends for You.