SEEKERS IN THE STORM?

SEEKERS IN THE STORM?

Growing up in Church, and a good one at that, I used to always hear that usually Christians don't tend to be motivated to seek the Lord during times of ease, but they do during times of trouble because those are times that reveal our deep need for God. While I think this can be true, and have seen it at times in my own life and in the lives of others, there are also times when storms and trials seem to be the very thing that threaten to derail our faith and drive us away from God, because the ease we long for isn't found while seeking Christ in those times. Far from motivating us to seek Christ, storms and trials often seem to motivate us in the quickest direction away from someone who is asking us to take up our cross, to die daily, and to trust Him in the midst of trials that sense and reason cannot make head nor tail of. Specifically, there are some storms so outwardly wild, chaotic and grievous, that the leadings of the Spirit seem to have to contend with maelstroms of emotions that constantly cause great distress, and an inability to keep our focus firmly fixed on a spiritual reality that just seems so removed from the reality we have to contend with in the present, a reality that seeks to defy any other truth through the screaming voice of awful feelings. That is why preparation in the way of spiritual truth is necessary for the coming time, so that we will be armed against the feelings that will arise and attack us from within when faced with such severe circumstances (Gal 5v17).

In Luke 8 we have a great example of just how deadly sudden great trial and the feelings that bring can be:

Luke 8v22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”


In just ONE quick instance of a great swelling of storm and trial, instantly it appeared that the disciples' emotions and emotional response had suddenly taken away all of their faith; "Where is your faith?". This is what it will seem like for a lot of us in the future. Because many don't believe that the winds that are now blowing signal a coming storm, what is coming in the future will completely rock them, or 'rock their boat' so to speak. All many will think is, 'we're going to drown!' Without an acceptance of what the Lord is speaking about prophetically at the moment, Christians in general will have no knowledge of the context of such things, no knowledge of the reasons for such things, no understanding of the signs of the times they're in or what the Lord is doing, and so will just react out of overwhelming emotion, being convinced that even the life of the Lord within them will be subject to being defeated by the storm around them. Therein will we see that much of our faith has in fact just been, itself, emotion. Without a firm fixation on Christ when the storm hits, all we will hear is the inner turmoil of our own fleshly nature, and that is the real storm that we will need to face. At the end of the day no outward storm can affect us inwardly if we keep our eyes on Jesus.

After the storm the disciples realised a spiritual truth that many now would rather ignored: "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him." Yes! Jesus does direct the wind! He does create tornados and storms to do his bidding, He does create calamity for His purposes (Is 45v7) (+not all of which are revealed to us!), He does judge the world and His people (1 Peter 4v17 + Rom 1v18), He does disciple those He loves (Heb 12v6), He does bring disaster on cities (Amos 3v6)- HE does all these things! The Lord is even now judging His people in many ways, to discipline them, to change them, to warn them, and to ensure they remain abiding in Him. The Lord is even now judging the world in righteousness; giving over many to their sin and it's effects, and pouring out His wrath as He sees fit (even while grace and mercy abound as well!). It is time to get prepared doctrinally, and get ourselves firmly rooted in the truth of these things in the Word, because if we don't, we will have no boat of truth to comfort and steady us in the days to come. We will have no boat to guide us through the maelstrom of emotions that will rise up to attack and overthrow us, and only God's goodness will be that which keeps us.

Many have in their boats of faith, doctrines for grace, doctrines for peace and mercy, doctrines for blessing and doctrines for provision. But how many of these doctrines, when the storm REALLY STARTS TO BLOW, will be able to hoist such things to use as their sails to guide and direct them? When all such doctrines stand stunned in the sight of other aspects of our God's nature, what shall be our reaction? What shall be our response? It is probably safe to say that most of us will respond in the same way that those in the book of Job did. Only Job himself realised what many of us probably want nothing to do with knowing or dwelling on:
Job 2:10 "Should we accept only good from God and not adversity?"

This time Church, God will be coming to speak to us out of the whirlwind and out of the storm, because He is and He will be in such things, whether we choose to recognise them as being from His hand or not. When God spoke to Job out of a whirlwind He showed His people one very important truth. He showed us that there are truths in the Word that appear exactly like a whirlwind: chaotic, violent, illogical, irreconcilable, unfriendly and contrary to all those other things about God that we naturally love and embrace. And yet He showed us that though they appear and always will appear to us like that (this side of eternity), they are nevertheless TRUE, and GOOD, and RIGHT, and in the midst of such things, God has his perfect way. He doesn't expect that we will fully be able to grasp everything about His ways, His nature and His truth (for we see in part and know in part), but He does expect us to fully trust that He is, in every way and in all times, trials and storms, still God.

While prosperity continues, few will believe that a great storm is on its way. But remember that before Job faced what was likely to be one of the worst trials that man has ever faced, He was one of the most blessed and contented man to have ever lived. No doubt he thought that because his prosperity and ease had endured for so long, that it would've continued to his dying day, but that obviously wasn't the case. Make no mistake, a day of great trial is on its way, prosperity and ease will end, and then only the ship made of true faith and truth, and the faithfulness, good and grace of our God will keep us till its end. Today may be the day of ease, but its already starting to blow a gale, and the maelstrom is on its way. Today may be a day of blessing and prosperity, but store up and prepare for what is on its way.