God Is Not In The Wind He Is In The Boat!

1Corinthians 15: 58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. (NLT)

There he sat in a lonely jail cell. Not a jail cell like today mind you, with a bed and cable television. There was no gym to work out his frustrations or access to higher education to pursue a college degree. And while everyone will tell you in prison they are innocent, he actually was. He did not do what he was accused of. In fact, he did the opposite! He took a righteous stand and was imprisoned falsely for it! Where was the justice in that? Days passed into weeks. Weeks into months. Months into blinding years. Somewhere behind this tapestry of misery, God was still writing Joseph's story.

We all can find ourselves in Joseph situations. Where we feel like we have had enough. Where we sense that we are nearing the end of our rope and that maybe it is time to give in. Where we can no longer even see where God is in the middle of our valley. But God is still writing your story too beloved. It may not have the plot we envisioned. It may not even have the supporting characters we had hoped for. The ending we may never have even seen coming. But He is the author and finisher:

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12: 2 (NKJV)

The Prophet Elijah had his own Joseph moment. Elijah had seen the mighty move of God in his life. He had seen God provide supernaturally, raise the dead, and just recently, defeat the 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. But then he heard that Jezebel vowed to cut off his head and he ran away. He ran away as fast as possible. The Bible says he actually walked into his wilderness; something we can also do too easily. After God sustains Elijah, He asks him what he is doing and here is where his head was at:

Elijah replied, "I have zealously served the L ord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too." 1Kings 19: 10 (NLT)

There is a lot of "woe is me" in this assessment. Isn't that how we can get too when we feel like we have had enough? We tell God how zealously we have served Him not because it was the right thing to do but so that we can make a point of saying we should not be going through what we are. It's like we say to God we shouldn't suffer any trial because we have done so much for Him. The second thing we do is we start to compare ourselves to others. That is what Elijah is doing here, no? First we tell God how much we have done for Him and then as a point of comparison we remind Him how horrible everyone else is! And finally, we wrap it up in some self pity.

That is what the enemy wants when he whispers in our ears. He wants us discouraged. He wants us thinking that somehow we deserve better than the story God is already writing. He wants us thinking that somehow God has erred in where we are. As if he has fallen asleep at the wheel of our life and we should take over the driving. A friend once told me if God is your co-pilot then you are in the wrong seat!

But hallelujah God does not give us according to what we deserve. He understands our feelings. Here was His response to Elijah:

"Go out and stand before me on the mountain," the L ord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the L ord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the L ord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the L ord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the L ord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. 1Kings 19: 11-13 (NLT)

When we are at our end we can feel as if our life is being torn apart by a violent windstorm. We can look into that storm and wonder where God is. God is not in the wind beloved. We can experience such dramatic shifts in our lives that it can feel as if we are going through a 10.0 earthquake. We can look into the tectonic plates of our existence and wonder where God is in it. God is not in the earthquake beloved. Sometimes the pain in our life is like a raging fire that no one can control. I am sure Joseph felt that way for 12 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. I am sure Elijah felt that way here in this story. I am sure that we all have felt this way as well and we look into the flames and cry out for God but God is not in the fire beloved. What is God saying to us today?

The extent of our negative feelings is directly proportional to how much we focus on the problems instead of the problem solver. Every day that Joseph spent wondering why he was in jail was another day he moved further away from God. If you look at the wind you will not see God because He is not in the wind He is above it! Peter learned that when he walked on water. As long as he looked to Jesus he was conquering whatever was around him. But then he took his eyes off of his problem solver:

But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted. Matthew 14: 30 (NLT)

When he saw the strong wind. If we choose to have a horizontal focus that concentrates on our problems then we too shall sink in them. Elijah was sinking in them. Joseph must have during the 12 years in prison. We all sink in our own problems from time to time. Another time the disciples were on a boat crossing a lake when a violent storm hit.

But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Mark 4: 37 (NLT)

Maybe that fierce storm has arisen in your world today. Maybe the high waves are breaking into your boat; into your life. Maybe you feel as if your life has started to take on water and it is only a matter of time before you drown in your own circumstances. The question for you is the same the disciples faced that day. Where is Jesus in your life? Where is He in your boat?

Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?" When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Silence! Be still!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" The disciples were absolutely terrified. "Who is this man?" they asked each other. "Even the wind and waves obey him!" Mark 4: 38-41 (NLT)

God may not be in the wind but He still can command it! God may not be in the earthquake or fire, but He still can command them! If you are a born again believer then you need to remember that Jesus is in your boat! The disciples were so busy looking at the waves they forgot that God was in their boat. The waves caused fear and fear is the lack of faith. The same principle applies to Elijah. As long as he focused on Jezebel he forgot who he served. He forgot about Mount Carmel. As long as he was looking into the wind he forgot who commands it. His fear of his circumstances resulted in a lack of faith in his God. The same happens to us as well.

I know that may sound harsh but look at what Jesus says to the disciples "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" I know sometimes in the world of super-spirituality we fancy ourselves as never losing faith. Let me pop that bubble right now. If you find yourself so afraid of your circumstances that you feel like Elijah did or as Joseph must have felt, it is not a fear issue it is a faith issue. We limit ourselves so much by our finite thinking. Faith is all we need beloved. Jesus is in our boat but the truth is that we do not even need the boat! Peter proved that the day he walked on water! As long as he kept his focus on his God, Peter defied the very laws of nature. Why? Because God is above the laws He created! But do not think for a minute it is anything but a matter of faith. Here is what Jesus said to Peter when he began to sink:

Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. "You have so little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?" Matthew 14: 31 (NLT)

When we look into the problems we face and feel like giving up God is asking us why do you doubt me? When we look for God in the wind and in the fire, God is asking us why do you doubt me? When the earthquake is tearing our lives apart to the point that we want to give up, God is asking us why do you doubt me?

You see, God is writing the story beloved. He needed Elijah to reconstitute his faith before He would move him on in his story. God needed Joseph to work out his bitterness and anger towards his brothers and Potiphar's wife before the next chapter can be written. You see the next chapter for Joseph had him becoming Prime Minister over all of Egypt, solving a seven year famine crisis, and preserving the nation of Israel. God knew he could not do that if he was looking into the fire instead of the boat.

That is what God is saying to us today. Stop looking where I am not. Stop concentrating on how serious the waves look and focus instead on how powerful your God is! Fear is the opposite of faith. Fear is actually the lack of faith. God does not want you cowering over the earthquake. He does not want you cringing from the fire. Look instead inside of you to where God is. He still is in your boat. Storm? He doesn't want you afraid of the storm He wants you walking above it!

And that brings us to the key verse for today. Our lives are supposed to be devoted to Christ. We are not supposed to fit God into our lives but rather make our lives be about God. As long as we do that, we are assured here that NOTHING we do for Him is ever useless. Another translation says that nothing we do will be in vain. All parts of the story matter. Those 12 years Joseph spent in prison mattered in who he became. Realize that when he got out God took him from the prison to the palace in ONE day. Joseph would spend the next 90 years in prosperity. It would take 400 years for the blessings for Israel in Egypt to end.

Our key verse gives three instructions to us today. One, we must work enthusiastically for the Lord. The Bible says the Lord loves a cheerful giver and that means more than just money. There should never be the sense of entitlement that Elijah was dealing with. Where we start to hold our service to God against Him. Enthusiastically also means that we do not do our service half way. Sometimes we can get into a rut where we start to "go through the motions." It is in the rut where the devil finds a willing ear. Don't give him one.

Lastly, the key verse also says that we need to be strong and immovable. Nothing should ever come between us and the God we serve. No fire. No earthquake. No wind storm. No threats from the Jezebels in our lives. No twelve years in prison. I am amazed sometimes at how little things can throw us off track. Something will happen politically or culturally and Christians will act like it is the end of the world. Is God still not on the throne? As long as He who commands the wind, the earth and the fire lives in my boat, it doesn't matter what tries to move me I am not moving! I will stand strong!

That is the word for someone today. You feel as if you are at the end. Like Elijah, you want to give up. God is telling you that it is a matter of faith. Do not look into the heart of your problems and ask where God is. He is still in your boat and if the problems are not enough to wake the Master, why in the world should you be worried about them?

Hallelujah!

Reverend Anthony Wade November 10, 2011