November 2003
Page 1 - Nobody Ever Told Me by Jack Deere
Page 2 - A Tale of Three Countries by Paul Anderson
Page 3 - Stewardship Strategies For Effective Christian Giving by Orlando Logelin
Page 4 - The Not-So-Perfect Storm by Paul Anderson
The Not-So-Perfect Storm
by Paul AndersonAll those who will be used by God will encounter storms. They threaten our physical, emotional, or spiritual well-being, because they are more powerful than we are. Storms are a fact of life; they come unannounced, and they are as sure as they are unpredictable. Life isn't the smooth ride I thought it was going to be. So enjoy the calm weather, but anticipate storms.
Jesus had plans to use His disciples powerfully, so He gave them tests. Two of them took place on the center of the lake that many of them knew so well. One was an endurance test (Matt.14, Mk.6, Jn.6); the other was a storm of life-threatening proportion (Matt.8, Mk.4, Lk.8). Jesus was praying for them in the mountains above the lake in one and was asleep in the boat for the other.
Some storms find their source in God, some in the enemy. Some are the result of my own decisions, and others come simply from being in the human family. Regardless of the source, God can use storms to take us from security to insecurity so that we might find new security in Him. The greatest place of rest is found when our ultimate support system is God Himself. He removes secondary crutches so that we are thrown upon Him in times of weakness.
Because of the intensity of storms, they have the power to change us and to bring us to a new level of faith. But they also have the power to disrupt and defeat us. The storms the disciples encountered on the Sea of Galilee caused them first to panic, then to see the Lord in a deeper way. Storms force us into making decisions, like "Shall I trust in the Lord here?" I must decide, "Who is greater, the storm or God?"
Peter had a moment when he was walking on top of the storm. He had a glimpse at victory before he gave in to fear. When Peter looked back on the event, he could say, "Hey, I walked on water. It worked, at least for a while." We need the courage to get out of the boat, not to play it safe. This storm was a defining event for all of the disciples but especially for Peter because of his willingness to step out. Learn to take appropriate risks in the middle of the storm. As Winston Churchill said, "Failure is not final; courage is what counts." If we think that we can avoid storms, we will cease to lead-and eventually cease to live. We must learn to fear God more than we fear the storm. The disciples first panicked. Then when they discovered that Jesus was in control over the waves, they relocated their fear.
The greater the leader, the greater the storm. Paul wrote, "Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked." He was often "in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea" (2 Cor.11:25,26). And the greater the storm, the greater the potential for influence. As is the storm, so is the grace of God to endure it and grow from it.
When confronted by a storm, we might want to ask some questions, like, "Did I bring this on?" If so, repentance would be the quickest way to dispel the storm. The reluctant prophet Jonah knew that the storm on his ship was the result of his own doing. Like Jesus years later, Jonah was asleep, but not for the same reason; he was running, not resting. Throwing cargo overboard didn't solve the problem; tossing the prophet over did. The sad truth is that our disobedience brings storms into the lives of those who are close to us. Ask the children of an alcoholic or the parents of a teenage rebel. Jonah acknowledged, "I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you"(v.12).
Other questions: Is God sending the storm to guide me? Is He using it to change my direction? Or is He adjusting something internal, like my faith quotient? Is God answering my prayer to grow in reliance upon Him? Is He allowing me to be threatened so that I see His power in the midst of the tempest? Perhaps I won't be able to sort out such questions in the middle of a battle, but it is always appropriate to trust in God regardless of the source.
Some storms happen because we have made a series of wrong decisions and have opened the door for Satan to influence our situation. If we give the enemy room, he will take it every time. Jesus said on the evening before the crucifixion, the stormiest time in His life, that "the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me" (Jn.14:30).
Paul was caught in a storm that was the result of a bad decision by the ship's pilot. He had misjudged a calm sea as an indication to leave port. God spoke in the middle of the storm and said, "Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar" (Acts 27:24). It is often difficult to hear from God when the waves are pounding, but when we can, it will diminish our anxiety. And the courage that came to Paul was transmitted to those traveling with him. God will sometimes allow us to go through storms so that we can bring hope to others.
The two storms the disciples encountered were not the result of disobedience. They were part of God's training program to equip them for storms down the road. In that case, we should ask if God has spoken anything to us about the storm. Jesus had sent the disciples away in the boat. He had told them to cross over to the other side, so they were following orders. It was a test of endurance and faith, not a result of disobedience. It might help us if God said, "This is a test; this is only a test."
Jesus had tested the disciples moments before when He fed the five thousand. He knew what He was going to do. He wanted to see if they knew, which they didn't. They took His test and calculated how they would solve the dilemma with human resources. They discovered that they were pitifully short of supplies, but it led them to frustration, not faith. God frustrates us so we will say, "I can't-but You can?" Often we only say, "I can't."
So how can we ride out a storm?
Don't make life decisions in the midst of a storm. Some pastors decide to leave a church during a fight. They should at least stick it out and see if matters settle. Every church goes through storms. The will of God should drive us, not the weather. Some couples decide to divorce following family trials, such as the loss of a child. At a time when they need peace the most, they prolong the storm through poor decisions.
Hang on. Storms build endurance. The disciples had been rowing against the wind for most of the night. Sometimes that is all we can do-just ride out the storm with whatever strength we have-and keep on rowing. Panic causes us to change our strategy or our direction or to make presumptuous decisions or to lose our focus. Sometimes what we need is not progress but patience.
Let the storm address your inadequacy. Some people are too insecure to admit the power of the storm. Jesus told His disciples in the garden about the intensity of the battle He was facing and acknowledged, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (Matt. 26:38). They had learned to insulate themselves from the impact of conflict through positive self-talk. The purpose of some storms is simply to help us declare our inadequacy so we can turn to God in dependence and faith. Underestimating the power of a tornado may look godly, but in effect it is religious flesh at work, not true faith, and the damage of the storm will be greater because of our unwillingness to be transparent in the face of it. Vulnerability releases grace, because we acknowledge our need for one another and for God.
Jesus expects us to trust Him regardless of the storm. The disciples were experienced fishermen who knew the sea. And yet they thought they were going under. Jesus didn't; He would have slept through it if the disciples had not awakened Him. When He got up, He first rebuked the wind; then He rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith. It is possible to trust in the Lord while going through life-threatening storms, and that is God's expectation for us and, therefore, His grace-provision to us.
Storms often cause people to lose faith rather than to grow in it. They blame God for the loss brought on by the storm rather than trusting God to make it up to them. Storms often bring loss, but even storms can help us to focus more on God Himself. And yet when the loss is someone rather than something, it is especially difficult.
When Karalee lost her husband at forty-five, it was an unexpected and unanticipated loss. He was crushed by a truck in a freak accident at work, and their solid marriage was suddenly over. And yet the peace of God swept over her moments after the loss. The loss would be horrendous, but she would go through this terrible storm with God, not without Him. And she did. Now she is training to be a chaplain. She is a courageous woman who found that God was with her in the storm.
Try picturing Jesus praying for you during your next storm as He did for the disciples from the nearby mountain. Mark writes that "He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them" (6:48). When you are tossing and turning, not making headway, when the problem is not yielding a solution, imagine Jesus nearby in prayer. It might get you through. He knows how to pray. It might not be "the perfect storm," but God can use it to perfect you!
Realizing that storms will come keep us from getting surprised by trials. It wouldn't hurt to ask ourselves, "What if I lost my job? What if I failed rather than succeeded? What if my health deteriorated?" Habakkuk tried this out and decided that the sovereign was greater than all his "what ifs" (3:17-19). We don't pray for storms-but we do prepare for them.
You might want to pray something like this: "Dear Father, I would not have chosen this storm. It is throwing me off balance. It makes me fearful and disoriented. And yet I trust You for the outcome. I know that You are powerful and that You are good. I don't doubt Your love in the midst of this trial. I see You riding over the storm. What is threatening me is not threatening You, so I choose to believe in You. Please comfort and reassure me in my anxiety. Keep me from panicking and making wrong decisions. I would rather be insecure in Your will than secure without You. In Jesus' name. Amen."
