Weathering the Storm
- Details
- Created on Sunday, 29 January 2012 10:52
- Written by Karen van der Merwe
Watching the news the past few months, you will know about the events of the Rena, the cargo vessel that has run aground in Mt Maunganiu.
In October last year, at a night service I shared with the congregation that just like the cargo vessel, the Rena, our lives as Christians are to be vessels for Christ.
2 Timothy 2:21 King James Bible
‘If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be …..
…..a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.”
I shared that there are many similarities between us & the Rena - both are vessels, both created for a purpose.
The Rena is a cargo vessel COMMISSIONED by the Greeks to carry cargo over the open seas. We have been COMMISSIONED by God, to go into the world & preach the gospel. The most precious cargo we are to carry is the Holy Spirit.
The Rena had its journey mapped out, used maritime maps, infact might have sailed that journey/route a few times already. It knew where it was going, its final destination known. We also know our final destination, heaven & we know how we need to get there as we have the bible - our map, our guidance system, our instruction manual.
The Rena went off track, went off course & it struck a reef. A known reef/danger. Sometimes as Christian vessels, more likely than not, we also hit obstacle, might go off track – taken off course by a known danger.
The whole world is watching the recovery effort, the government reaction times – everything about it is under scrutiny. And the world is also watching – how are we as so called Christians going to react when trouble comes; things start to get out of hand & the next thing you know we are faced with a storm.
As we all know the Rena faced many storms. As the Rena started to spew oil & drop it cargo, the surrounding area & environment is being affected & contaminated. We might not be spewing oil but we can be just as toxic – gossip, profanities, words of death, despair, express our anger, our hurt. And of course, us spewing what ever we are spewing will affect our environment – our families, our church family, our friends & work colleagues.
The opposite is also true – we could hit storm and with the world watching we can react in the way God would want us to react & not take the destructive route.
With a great cost, the consequences the event of the Rena grounding will result in RESTORATION of the environment, REPARATION of parties involved & hopefully REPENTANCE from the caption &the crew . We need to realise that there is also a cost and consequences to our actions – we might need to repent, ask for forgiveness so that the restoration process can begin.
The price the Rena has to pay is being reviewed, discussed & the cost is still being counted. Blame is being allocated – We need to always keep in mind though, no matter storm we are facing,
the price Jesus paid remains the same, no negotiating, it is sorted, and no insurance review.
How many times over the past few months did we get updates on the Rena about to split in 2 – almost like delaying the inevitable. Holding our breath, knowing it was going to happen but when? How many storms, rough seas did the Rena have to face before it split. How many storms did it have to weather?
Stormy weather is going to come to all of us in some form or another. Some of you might already be facing a storm or be seeing one brewing on the horizon.
How are you weathering your storms? Are you fighting against the inevitable? Do you want to do it your way, not Gods way? Do in your strength, not with God’s strength?
The big question today is how much strain are you willing to take before you give up, surrender, and submit to God? Are you going to resist & end up broken like the Rena?
Change
With the Rena running around, everyone is calling for change – maritime maps, rescue operation ECT. Change often brings about improvement.
But change can be rough. Maybe someone we've known is diagnosed with an illness or we've had a death of a loved one. - Stormy Weather Can Cause Change
Sometimes we bring change upon ourselves, like Haines & I did. We’ve moved across the country and left all of our friends and family behind. Change Can Cause Stormy Weather.
Was it a change for the good – absolutely. Change is not always bad.
Stormy Weather Can Cause Change or Change Can Cause Stormy Weather.
We are now 1 month into 2012 – many of us might have made New Year resolutions – some we might keep & even accomplish and other might have been just a little bit ambitious & might fall along the wayside.
Either way we realise that there are a few things we want to change – only constant thing we have is change.
1 New Years resolution I pray we all have is to grow closer to God this year. To be the vessel - remember opening verse :
2 Timothy 2:21 King James Bible …..‘If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.”
It is my prayer that this year, each & every one of us will be coming to the house of God, especially on a day like today, a Sunday morning service, looking for change. We don’t come to church on a Sunday to warm a seat, say I am a good Christian for attending, show our face as such & leave unchanged. Yes, it is always great to see but sole purpose is to come with a teachable heart, to hear what God has to say to us & to be pruned [ouch] & to grow spiritually – TO CHANGE. Hearing Gods word, being taught what is good from bad must have a impact on your lifestyle - your lifestyle has to be different.
We should evaluate ourselves, our choices, our decisions, our thoughts, and our actions to see how they align with the truth of God’s Word the bible is an accurate measurement tool of what is right and what is not.
As I said before, Stormy Weather Can Cause Change or Change Can Cause Stormy Weather. Are you going to initiate change & weather the storm OR are you going to wait for storm & see if you can weather the change?
So if there is something that is not right in your life you can be sure you are not aligned with Gods word there stormy weather is on its way.
Alternatively, when you faced with God’s truth you have to change, Change Can Cause Stormy Weather.
The question is - when you hit a storm in your live, who are you going to turn to for help?
If for example When you faced with God’s truth and you realise you are not conducting your marriage the way God intends & you want to improve it, remember "Change Can Cause Stormy Weather" - do you turn to a friend that has a few divorces under their belt – no, look at who around is doing marriage well, Godly marriages, & seek out their advise.
If there is something that is not right in your life eg drinking problem, you are not aligned with Gods word, it could be causing storms in your live, work, home, marriage "Stormy Weather Can Cause Change" and you realise you need to change - not wise to turn to your drinking buddy!
Yes, first & foremost, we need to turn to God. But there a many others right here in Gods house that you can turn to, for just an ear to hear you out & put stuff into perspective or some Godly advise
Our pastors – put here to shepherd us, guide us and point us in the right direction.
In Matthew 14:22-33 we see the story of the disciples been caught in a storm. To set the scene, a storm came up and the disciples were afraid when they saw Jesus walking on the water toward them. Jesus told them Who He was and then Peter walked on the water too. When Peter looked around and saw the storm, he was afraid. Stormy Weather Can Cause Fear.
In Matthew 14:31 (NIV) after Peter began to sink and called out to Christ.
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
Have you ever been caught in a storm? Who did you call out to? Are you in the middle of a storm? Who are you calling out to?
If we focused on the first part of the verse - Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught Peter. When we call on Jesus, He's there for us - immediately.
Next verse in the chapter (vs. 32) (NIV) says.
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
Jesus caught Peter and was with him until they were come to the boat. It doesn't say that Jesus stopped the storm and then they went to the boat.
It says that when they reached the boat, that the wind died down.
Sometimes we are going to have to go through the storm. Sometimes the Lord will take the storm away, but other times we have to weather it out.
When we go back up to verse 22 (NIV). Of that chapter.
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.
We see that Jesus knew His disciples were going to be in that boat when the storm came up. He sent them there.
Often we question why the Lord tells us to do something or where He has sent us, or even the things that we know we have to deal with because it may not be smooth sailing.
We may question why the Lord is causing storms in our lives when all we want to do is to serve Him and obey Him.
This story shows us that sometimes we can be right where God wants us--right where He told us to go--right in the centre of His will and we can still have some storms come up. But we also need to remember that the Lord knows all about those storms and He's there with us through them.
Worry
In Mark 4:35-41, the disciples were out on the water in a boat again. This time Jesus was with them. Jesus was sleeping. A storm comes up on the water, and the disciples began to worry that they were going to die. The wind was blowing. The ship they were in was full of water and they were worried about their safety. The disciples went to Jesus and woke Him up and basically asked Him if He cared if they died or not.
Mark 4:38 (NIV).
38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
Stormy Weather Can Cause Worry
In the middle of a storm, it's so easy to question if God cares when we have that water rushing in on us and we feel like we can't keep our head up above it. Need to remember we can give our worries to the Lord because He's the one that is capable of calming our waters and our storm. We can have that faith in Him because He is always in control whether we can see it from our view or not.
Are you taking our fears & worries to God when faced with a change?
Often rain falls on our lives and storms come up and rages for a time and after a while the storm quiets down or comes to a standstill.
After the rains, smells the wet ground – everything is washed clean, sparkly, knew rain brings growth.What aroma are you leaving behind while you are weathering your storm??
What aroma has the Rena left on this world? Rotting cargo, bad smell – still needs to be cleaned up.
As I said earlier, when you faced with God’s truth you have to change. Things in your life that does not align with Gods word will be exposed. Remember
2 Timothy 2:21 King James Bible …..‘If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.”
You have to be submitted to God. If we want Christ to use us, we are going to have to empty ourselves / purge ourselves. Rena started losing its cargo – stank, some caused destruction but it all had to be dealt with.
With the Rena they called in the specialists - salvors, environment specialist, bird specialist ECT. Rotting cargo, bad smell.
2 Corinthians 2:15 (NIV)
15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
Example –drinking; cutting grass; working out in gym – busy with the work of God [that is extending his Kingdom] that is the aroma we will leave behind.
Just like the world is watching how the Rena is weathering in the storm, the world is watching how we are Christians are weathering our storms - who are we looking at to take us through the storm?
How long you going to allow the storm you are facing to smash you around? Break you in 2?
When faced with stormy weather, as Christians we should welcome it as an opportunity to be strengthened us and improves our lives grow closer to God, but that isn't to say that it's always easy for us to go through.
God has a plan & a purpose for us. Right now you are being battered by your storm & broken. But you need to deal with it and sort it out so that you don’t have to weather the same storm again or even prolong the current storm you are facing.
You need to get on with what God intended you to do. Be the vessel He created you to be.