Read Matthew 14:22-23.
I'm sure the disciples preferred that there wasn't a storm. Only Jesus can take something so threatening and make it so beneficial.
If there was no storm . . .
1. The disciples would've missed Jesus' coming to them in a most unusual way.
2. The disciples would've missed hearing Jesus' comforting words.
3. Peter would've missed a wonderful opportunity (walking on water at Jesus' invitation).
4. The disciples might have missed the revelation about Jesus (Mt. 14:33).
There is benefit in the "storm" you're in. Trust that God knows what He's doing. While that's always profitable, it's rarely easy. Anyone can "trust" Him when circumstances are sunny. Will you trust Him when it looks as if you're under a stubborn, black cloud?
Showing posts with label Affliction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Affliction. Show all posts
Monday, December 19, 2016
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Lu. 3:5-6 (Part 4)
JESUS, THE LORD, IS COMING ON A PREPARED WAY INTO YOUR WILDERNESS.
Jesus doesn't want to come to every area of your life except the "wilderness" place. He wants to come there too!
Admit that you need His help and presence. Without Him, your "wilderness" remains a brutal taskmaster! Why do you tarry before finally "caving in" and crying out to Jesus in desperation? Away with dependence on self-help! That hasn't been a successful strategy.
Jesus specializes in ministering to the beaten, bruised, burned, battered, belittled and burdened. (I think that adequately describes someone's state during a "wilderness" experience.) Oh, you might not say such things as those, but the tears in silence and solitude betray you.
"My Lord knows the way through the wilderness; all I have to do is follow." (Sidney E. Cox)
Jesus doesn't want to come to every area of your life except the "wilderness" place. He wants to come there too!
Admit that you need His help and presence. Without Him, your "wilderness" remains a brutal taskmaster! Why do you tarry before finally "caving in" and crying out to Jesus in desperation? Away with dependence on self-help! That hasn't been a successful strategy.
Jesus specializes in ministering to the beaten, bruised, burned, battered, belittled and burdened. (I think that adequately describes someone's state during a "wilderness" experience.) Oh, you might not say such things as those, but the tears in silence and solitude betray you.
"My Lord knows the way through the wilderness; all I have to do is follow." (Sidney E. Cox)
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Multiplication in Affliction (Ex. 1:12)
Four times in Exodus chapter one the words "multiply" or "multiplied" occur. I call this chapter "The Multiplication Chapter." One motif is multiplication in affliction.
Psalm 34:19 says the afflictions of a righteous person will be many, but to cheer up -- God delivers from them all. However, there is more to affliction than its end. What about its duration? God can bless you in and through your afflictions. Until it ends, your affliction can be advantageous. God multiplied the Israelites in proportion to their increased level of slavery and forced work. Don't view your affliction as something just to get past (hard as that is). View it as an opportunity for God to increase you, to extend you, to set you up. Go ahead -- say it aloud -- "I'm being set up for good!"
Psalm 34:19 says the afflictions of a righteous person will be many, but to cheer up -- God delivers from them all. However, there is more to affliction than its end. What about its duration? God can bless you in and through your afflictions. Until it ends, your affliction can be advantageous. God multiplied the Israelites in proportion to their increased level of slavery and forced work. Don't view your affliction as something just to get past (hard as that is). View it as an opportunity for God to increase you, to extend you, to set you up. Go ahead -- say it aloud -- "I'm being set up for good!"
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