God has the right to expect His children, who have an understanding confidence in Him, to be the reliable ones, when the storms of life hit! We are to be established, rooted and built up in Him, grounded in Truth. (Truth is a Person, Jesus Christ)
When a storm blew up on Christ's disciples in the boat, that was being tossed on the raging sea, their circumstances caused them to fear they would perish. But the truth of their circumstances, was (Christ) who is Truth was in the boat! Jesus was with them and Jesus stood and calmed the storm! He asked them, "Do you still have no faith?" The truth of their circumstances wasn't as it appeared to be!
A crisis will reveal, quickly, what we rely on! If we've been practicing worship and trusting in God in our day to day smaller struggles, a crisis may shatter our life and even take us to the breaking point, but not break us. If we have found God to be our Sustaining Power in our smaller difficulties, a Refuge, and a source of Strength; then like children practicing for a fire drill, when the "Big Fire Burns" (the crisis) then we know where to go! We've got a practiced response; we know who to turn to and have come to trust Him to hold us fast!
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:7-8,
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God, not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."
In this passage above, Paul speaks of this extremely valuable message of salvation by grace, through faith, in Jesus Christ that has been entrusted, by God, to His children who are weak and fallible human beings, ("jars of clay"). Paul's emphasis, though, is not on the perishable container (us), but it's priceless contents, which is God Himself dwelling in us, the believer. Though we are frail, God intends to and can use us right in the middle of the storms of life, a crisis, to be a living testament to others of the power of His Spirit in us. He doesn't give us strength, He is our Strength! He sustains us! He doesn't give us rest, He is our Rest! Paul's every intention was to for this message to be proclaimed, at all costs!
Knowing this power is not of ourselves, should keep us humble and motivate us to abide, daily, in His Presence; to come to Him for that needed spiritual renewal. God is our source of power; it's our responsibility to allow others to see God through us, by how we live. The question is: What does our life say, in this moment, about who He is? What do our actions say, to others, about what we really believe about God?
Paul goes on to encourage us in verse 16, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though, outwardly, we are wasting away (our physical bodies are dying), yet, inwardly, we are being renewed day by day." (This is the Spirit's power working in the believer to renew us spiritually). He continues in verse 17, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (Though we may feel we are at a breaking point, at the end of our rope, we are not at the end of our Hope! Though our mortal bodies are subject to sin and suffering, God will not abandon or forsake us.) Verse 18: "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (Christ's victory over death has given us eternal life. All of our trials and humiliation are only opportunities for Christ to demonstrate His power and Presence in us and through us, even more so, in our frailty and weakness!) The real truth of our situation lies in Christ. It may appear all is lost, but with Christ in the equation, all things are possible!
When a crisis knocks on the door of God's children, our first response should be to find shelter in the shadow of His wings. We can run to Him! He can bring peace and praise, to His children, who place their confidence in Him, right in the middle of the most difficult of trials!
Like Paul and Silas, though having been severely flogged and put in prison with their feet in stocks, our first response in crisis can be to be a sacrifice of praise (they could sing praises of His steadfast love), we can too! They were confident that they would not be forsaken and had no fear of death; for they knew, with all their hearts, for them to live was Christ and to die was only to gain! Their songs of praise rang through the prison walls and their faith unleashed God's Sovereign Grace in all it's power! The unimaginable, that which God takes great pleasure on bestowing on those that love and trust in Him took place! He showed them the power of His Presence, a spiritual marker to never be forgotten! An earthquake shook the foundations of the prison and all the prison doors fell open and the chains fell off of all who were inside! The jailer fell at their feet and was begging to know how he could be saved that day and God was glorified!
Throughout all history, from creation to the present, Old Testament and New, God's redemptive plan to save a lost world has been His theme! What overwhelming love, for Him to give His only Son to die in our place, to save us, who were in that moment, still His enemy, who really wanted no part of Him. Unimaginable really! For those who turn to trust in Him, He places His Spirit within us! Our calling, (now, having been bought with a price, the blood of His only Son), even in "these jars of clay" is to carry His message of salvation, in the power of His Spirit (in the midst of our weakness) and yes, even in crisis, to a lost world!
Crisis? A storm of life? Crisis comes from a word that means "decision."Every crisis, every storm will bring us to turning point, a point of decision: Who or what will we rely on and put our trust in? For the child of God, let Him be our every confidence! Abiding in the Vine, who is our every source of strength, will bring daily spiritual renewal and rest. It is Him who will carry us through to the other side!
If you are enduring a storm or crisis today, may God bless you and keep you and may you know, with all confidence, Him as your very present Help in trouble and as your Rest! May your first response be to run into His loving arms! And though crushed, may you only be moved to worship the One you've come to know, by experience, loves you so completely!
No comments:
Post a Comment