"Master, Master, We are Perishing!"

“One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?’ Luke 8:22-25 ESV

There is not anything in this life that we go through that God does not know about and that he did not know about in advance. And sometimes he chooses to take us through what he knows are going to be challenging situations for us to have to endure, but he has something to teach us through these difficult times. For look at what it says here. Jesus got into the boat with his disciples and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” Did he not know what was coming? He did most certainly!

So, our Lord is not unaware of our circumstances. And then ponder this with me, if you will. We read in Psalms 139 that he knit us together in the wombs of our mothers, and that all the days ordained for us were written in his book before one of them came into being. Wow! So, whether you had good parents or bad parents, or good upbringings or bad upbringings, God put you there in the womb of your mother even knowing in advance what was going to happen to you, even if you were abused, as I was.

So, why would a loving God do that to us? Because he is a loving God, and he wants us to follow him with our lives and to live for him and to not end up in hell. So he allows difficult circumstances in our lives to draw us to him, and to teach us to rely on him so that we hunger after him, and so we are not content with status quo. He even allowed Satan to do all sorts of evil against Job, and Job was a righteous man. But Job grew stronger in his faith and he learned about the sovereignty of God through what he suffered.

And what did Joseph tell his brothers who had sold him into slavery because they were jealous of him? And this was many years later. He told them that what they did to him they meant it for evil in his life but that God intended it for good for the salvation of human lives (see Genesis 50:15-21). For, because of what his brothers did to him, eventually Joseph got placed in a powerful position in the land of Egypt to where he was able to come up with a plan to save people’s lives during a time of great famine on the earth.

And I get that personally. For not only did the Lord put me in a family where he knew I was going to be severely abused and emotionally neglected, but he allowed other people in my life to do evil and after evil to me, and not because I was sinning. And I am not saying that I never sinned. I did! But it wasn’t when I was sinning that these people did evil after evil to me. But it was while I was walking in purity of devotion to the Lord. And those who did the evil all professed faith in Jesus Christ, many of whom were pastors.

So, why would a loving God do that to me? Because, like Joseph, he was preparing me in advance for this ministry to which he later called me, which is for the salvation of human lives from hell and out of their lives of sin so that they can now live for God and for his righteousness, giving glory and honor to God with their lives. But he knew I was going to face much rejection, so he allowed me to suffer much to make me strong and very determined to keep going despite all turning against me, if it should be.

So, back to the story… So Jesus got into the boat with his disciples, meaning he was on this journey with them and they were not alone. And then he led them right into a storm while he fell asleep. And here I picture us going along through life and then all of a sudden a storm hits us big time, i.e. a difficult circumstance of some sort comes into our lives that really just knocks us to the floor. And so many of us might then say to God, “Where are you? Do you not see what I am going through?” Have you been there??

But Jesus, who is God, was still in control. He was resting because he had no need to be afraid. He was in his Father’s hands always. And he knew what was coming, and he already knew what was going to happen and what he was going to do about it. And we can be at peace like that, too, and rest in our heavenly Father, knowing that difficult things are going to happen to us, because the Bible says they will, and because we are flesh and blood and we live on this earth. And we can be at peace even in the midst of storms.

For if we have the kind of faith that Jesus talked about then we know these things are going to come into our lives. Now I am not saying that we won’t feel these circumstances or that we won’t cry in pain and suffering. I do! But we can be at peace with God even in the worst of the worst because our trust is in him and we know that he is in control. Now this doesn’t mean that we don’t pray about our circumstances or for other people. We do! For when we pray in faith God strengthens our faith through these times.

And we are warned in the Scriptures that, as followers of Christ, we are going to be hated and persecuted and spoken against and falsely accused of wrongdoing. And some of us will be severely persecuted and even put to death because of our walks of faith in Jesus Christ, and because of our testimonies for him. And we are warned of the rising of a beast, an antichrist, who is going to deceive many and who is going to persecute Christians and put them to death, so please know this is happening, and it is only going to get much worse. But keep trusting the Lord through it all!

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

‘Til The Storm Passes By

By Thomas Mosie Lister

In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face

While the storm howls above me, and there's no hiding place

'Mid the crash of the thunder, Precious Lord, hear my cry

Keep me safe till the storm passes by

Many times Satan whispered

There is no use to try

For there's no end of sorrow, there's no hope by and by

But I know Thou art with me, and tomorrow I'll rise

Where the storms never darken the skies

Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more

Till the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe till the storm passes by

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_obOSQoOpQ

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