Faith to Wait IN the Storm

“And immediately, He made the disciples get into the boat, and go ahead of Him to the other side…” (Matt. 14:22)

It was the end of a wonderful day. The Master had just performed an amazing miracle, creating a feast for a multitude from a few morsels of a boy’s lunch. Imagine, watching the Teacher, taking the bread (as He always did) blessing it, breaking it, and passing it to His disciples to give to the people…but this time, He kept breaking it, and breaking it, and breaking it, and it continued to multiply until everyone present was fed and satisfied! What a glorious day! Talk about a spiritual high! Those disciples must have felt so “close to God,” especially after witnessing and participating in such an incredible event. And they were this Man’s CLOSE companions! They were His “right hand guys”! Now, the sun was setting, the crowds were leaving, and so, it was time for a new task – the Master said, “Go to the other side of the lake; I’ll catch up with you.” No problem!

Or so they thought…but as night fell, and the boat went further and further away from the shore, a storm emerged; the winds raged “against them” (vs.24)…and the Master was nowhere in sight…

We all enjoy those spiritual highs, don’t we? You remember that glorious feeling inside right after the conference? Summer camp? The church retreat? Or right after you were baptized? Oh! The world was such a beautiful place! Life was everywhere! God was in everything! The sun shone brighter; the colors of the trees and sky were more brilliant; everything seemed so fresh and clean! From now on, life was going to be different! You had just been in the presence of Jesus, and He changed your life! You and He are unstoppable! What can the enemy throw at you that you and God can’t handle?! And when He asks you to take another step of faith, you gladly accept His request and quickly obey! After all, He only has good in mind for you, right?

So you step out in obedience, and suddenly…storms. You leave your old job, but the new company doesn’t hire you, and your bills start to pile higher and higher; you place membership at the new church, but no one speaks to you; you ask the elders to pray over your illness, but your condition continues to decline; you seek counseling for your marriage, but your spouse insists on a divorce; you release your rebelling teen to the Lord, but his behavior goes from bad to worse.

What do you do when you obey God in full faith, and instead of things getting better they get worse? What happened?! You were so close to God! You just had a wonderful experience with Him! Everything was going to be different! He told you to step out in faith and expect Him to intervene in your situation, and so you do…and life’s messes become nightmarish! “Did I hear God right? Was I supposed to do this? What am I going to do? They’re going to turn off my electricity? Travis was arrested! The doctor says I have 3 months to live!!!”

Is this fair? Is this right? Your obedience “rewarded” with the “winds of life” turning against you? This is what the disciples were thinking when they were in the middle of the lake. They had just witnessed one of Christ’s most famous miracles, and actually participated in it, having been asked to distribute the miraculous food to the masses and pick up the leftovers. They were on “Cloud 9;” nothing could stop them now! And Jesus told them to cross the lake and He would catch up with them, no problem! “But wait a minute! He didn’t tell us about the storm? He didn’t tell us that the winds would be so harsh, the waves would climb so high, the thunder would boom so loud! Did we hear Him right? Did He want us to cross the lake? We’re not going to make it! This storm is too strong!!!”

No, Jesus didn’t tell them about the storm; He did tell them to “cross the lake.” That was all they needed to know…and guess what? He did what He promised. He “caught up with them,” and they crossed to the other side.

“And in the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea…and when (He) got into the boat, the wind stopped...and when they had crossed over, they came to the land…” (vs. 25, 32, 34)

When we step out in faith and obedience, we are not always ensured that we are going to have “smooth sailing” in the beginning. In fact, it is arguable to say that, more often times than not, we are going to experience “contrary winds” in our circumstances initially. Leaving one job to go to another requires a lot of transitions in finances, time, and effort; joining a new church means that you have to exert extra effort to “get plugged in.” And don’t forget the spiritual aspect of it:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood…but against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12)

Do you think the enemy is going to stand idly by and let you gain more ground of his territory? Absolutely not! If God wants you in this new church fellowship, the enemy will attempt to make it clear that “you don’t belong.” If the Lord wants to heal your body, the enemy will do everything he can to get you to believe He doesn’t. If God wants to deliver your son from his wayward life, the enemy will do everything possible to thwart His plans of deliverance by tempting you to act out in your emotions and not in obedience. We mustn’t forget that we have an enemy, whose plan is to destroy our faith and our relationship with the Father.

God is faithful. What He says He will do, He will do; what He says will happen, will happen. Jesus told His disciples to cross the lake, and though a storm emerged, His disciples did cross that lake. Whatever it is the Lord has promised you, He will do it. The storm may be raging, the winds may be contrary, but know that Christ will come and meet you, like He said He would.

You had the faith to get in the boat to cross the lake; do you have the faith to wait in the storm until you do?

The Coffin

"Death has been swallowed up in victory." (1 Cor. 15:54)

Trapped. You know the feeling. It’s a suffocating place. Though the sun may be shining outside, you feel the dark all around you – it’s not visible, but it’s very real. It’s as if the walls around you are caving in, whether you’re inside or out in an open field. You can’t escape the feeling…you tell yourself that it IS just a feeling, right? There’s no reason for the emotional panic that is threatening to clench your throat. You’re ok. You’ll be fine. The sun is bright, the wind is fresh, the day is young…but still…you just can’t seem to shake it…that feeling…trapped.

What I’ve described is a desperate place, a dire place, a horrid place that none of us ever wish to come to – but we do. It happens in the times when everything in your life is out of control, caving in around you, going wrong, and there’s NOTHING you can do about it. Your job is a dead end; your kids insist on their rebellion; your wife refuses to meet you halfway; your illness grows steadily worse despite everything you do. There’s no escaping the seemingly inevitable. You are trapped in a sinking pool of hardship and there’s no way out.

You’re right. There is no way out – it’s through. Trials come, and they linger, and our society tries to engrave in our brains that you can escape their discomfort. But in all honesty, you can’t escape them. In fact, you may not really want to, if you knew the consequences of going through…through gets you to the other side, stronger, wiser. It’s through the fire that gold is made brighter; it’s through the cocoon that the butterfly's wings are enabled to carry it’s weight in flight. Did you know that a chick will die if it is not forced to peck its way through the shell that encases it at hatching time? Did you know that silver would have little to no value if it was not heated to an intolerable temperature that carries its impurities out of its matter?

What scares us about the "through" part of hardship is what causes the trapped feeling: it’s the coffin. Yes, the coffins in life are the places where you utterly die to your old life and become something new. The caterpillar dies in the coffin of the cocoon and is liquefied during the metamorphic process. The hard stone and metal die from their previous form in the fire, completely dissolved in its heat. The egg yolk and shell die as the tiny little bird completely engulfs them as it grows within.

Before new life, before resurrection, death must happen. Jesus knew this. Oh the trapped feeling He must have felt, crying out in utter despair to His Father the night before His crucifixion, “Father if You are willing!...”(ref. Lk. 22:42) His face dampened by His sweat; His forehead stained with His blood bursting through His pores. He was trapped. There was no way out; there was just...through.

But without that through, you and I would not have hope. Without His through, you and I would not have peace. Without His through, you and I would be lost to our coffins; there would be no other side to them; there would be no life after death, literal or metaphorical; no joy after sorrow, or reward after loss. Christ went through His “through,” and as a result, He reigns over all things, and He has seated us with Him over all things (ref. Eph. 1:20; 2:6). As a result, we can look at our coffins as places of opportunity, as the place of strength and fulfillment of our ultimate purposes; the place where you and I become all we were created and meant to be, rather than the pit of hellacious despair and utter horror. We can go through our coffins because Christ went through His.

Whatever trapped place you may find yourself in right now, whatever coffin stands in your way at this moment; don’t try to get out of it. Because of Jesus, you can go through it, and trust me, there is life on the other side. The egg gives way to the chick; the rock and ore give way to the gold, the cocoon gives way to the butterfly; your coffin gives way to the you God intended for you to be. Press on, and press through.

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Cor. 15:58)

Suffering for Righteousness

“But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed"(1 Pet. 3:14)

What does it mean to suffer for righteousness’s sake? What all does that include? Does that only infer enduring persecution for your faith? Walking through the barrage of insults thrown at you from jealous peers, who despise your “holiness” trek? Or is this talking about the more severe persecution: the literal physical beatings, imprisonment, execution even for your faith in Jesus Christ?

Yes, it can mean all of those things. Suffering for righteousness is typically thought of in that light…but I believe there’s more to this phrase than this initial interpretation…

Righteousness – what is that? God called Abraham righteous because “he believed God.” (Rom. 4:3) That’s it! That’s all that righteousness really is…it is believing God. Notice, I did not say, “believe in God” or “believe there is a God.” There’s a difference: for even the demons believe that there is a God and shudder. (ref. Jms 2:19) No: believe God…only believe, as Jesus says (ref. Mk.5:36) So – that seems pretty simple, doesn’t it…too simple in fact. What’s in this “believing” business? Surely there’s a catch, right?

Yes! But it’s not what you think…believing God, simply and only believing Him means…trust. Ouch. Now THAT’S a little word that carries a lot of punch, isn’t it? This little word, that looks so harmless on paper, demands something from us. It means that no matter what happens, no matter what hardships, heartbreaks, disappointments we face, we continue, remain steadfast in our belief in God’s love for us, that He has not changed in His attitude toward us, that no matter what happens, no matter WHAT happens…He still loves us…

Trust God, believe God, this is righteousness.

So, back to the initial question, what does it mean to suffer for righteousness’s sake? Well, this suffering comes in a variety of ways: persecution, sure…but what about the times when life just keeps falling apart? Your wife walks out the door? You find that pink slip on your desk? Your pastor confesses adultery from the pulpit? Your son calls from prison? These are the times when trusting God seems ludicrous. Why continue to trust when He, apparently, lets you down? This, dear friend, is suffering for righteousness…

Trusting God despite all reason and circumstance is never easy. In fact, it can be utterly excruciating and exhausting…it HURTS to continue to trust when everything in you SCREAMS to let it go and forget it. “Why don’t you just curse God and die” as Job’s wife says. (ref Job 2:9) It is sheer AGONY to hang onto faith when your circumstances SHRIEK of God’s displeasure or disdain for you…it would seem only natural to follow Job’s wife’s suggestion, right?

It may be natural, but we are called to the supernatural…we are called to stretch beyond the surface and cling to the deeper things, the spiritual things…the righteous things…and we, being mortal, cannot do this on our own…we need His Spirit.

We are never alone in our pursuit of righteousness; we have a Helper to carry us through those times we so desire to throw away everything we’ve ever believed…our Keeper keeps us when we can’t keep ourselves – He holds our hands tight around our grasp of faith, even though our hands may weaken in their grip. He’s the One, who sustains us in trust…He keeps us in righteousness.

Rejoice, beloved! Though you suffer through life’s trials and tribulations, hold onto faith! For your faith is righteousness, and if you suffer for its sake, you are BLESSED!