God is Working in Your Storm

God is Working in Your Storm

 

 

Mark 4: 37-38 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 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?"

 

One second you are floating comfortably along through your life. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and everything seems right with the world. The next thing you know, a furious squall comes out of nowhere. A storm you never saw coming and you were not prepared for. The waves are crashing down around your life to the point that you are sure you will drown in them. Can anyone relate?

 

This is how our lives can be at times. The boat in this story can be representative of our lives and into our lives, some storms will come. What we often forget as we are in awe of the waves is that Jesus is in our lives, just as He was in the boat that day with the disciples. But here is the rub. The fact that Jesus was in the boat should have provided the disciples with the peace and assurance they needed to weather the storm but it did not. I am not suggesting that they, or us, become like robots. We of course will react to the waves but when we fix our eyes on Jesus in our boat we should be calmed. Forget the storm, WE should be calmed.

 

We talk about the wilderness experience all the time as Christians. Maybe we call it the valley or the desert, but it all means the same thing. It is during these stormy times that God tests us and refines us:

For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison
and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. Psalm 66: 10-12

Unfortunately, we can spend so much time trying to figure out how to get out of our wilderness, or lamenting why we are in it, that we lose the purpose God has for us in it. God always has a purpose and a plan. There are plans He has for you that you are not ready for yet and that can be specifically why the storms come. Let's take a look at the life of Joseph. God would eventually use Joseph to deliver the nation of Israel from a deadly famine and he would be the second in charge over all Egypt. But he had to be refined first. He had to go through the fire. At the age of 17, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, who initially wanted to kill him. So being sold into slavery was the better option for Joseph. He had to assimilate into a new culture and learn a new language at 17. In chapter 39 of Genesis we see two different scenarios play out for Joseph but with striking similarities. In the first story, Joseph is a slave in the house of Potiphar, who is possibly the chief executioner in all of Egypt. Joseph is soon promoted and prospered in Potiphar's house. After being faithful to Potiphar, Joseph is thrown into prison after being falsely accused of rape by Potiphar's wife; even though he did the right thing by refusing her attempts to sleep with him. At the end of chapter 39 we see Joseph find favor again, this time with the prison warden and he is again promoted. The experience in Potiphar's house and the prison are two very different situations yet watch how God operates in both situations. Here are the similarities:

 

A)     God was with Joseph - Verses 39: 2 and 21:

 

39:2 - The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.