9.07.2008.Sermon.Hurricanes
By William Akehurst, HSWC
PRAISE HIM IN THE STORM
Yesterday we were in the middle of the storm.
Hurricane Hanna came up the coast and devastated portions of our coastline.
We dodged most of the bullet, but ...
On Friday morning, we were put in a state of alert. And told to take provisions by our Governor.
We were given fair warning.
We knew something bad was about to happen.
What did we do?
What was our first defense?
Some of us did whatever it was we knew we needed to do. Toilet paper, Milk, Eggs, Bottled Water, etc.
Sounds more like a winter event doesn’t it?
Psalm 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
Luke 8
22Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.
23But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.
24And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
25And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.
STORMS OF LIFE
We all have times in our lives where we felt the winds of change begin to blow. Then, that sinking feeling in the pit of our stomachs, where you can’t eat, and you can’t sleep. There is no rest. We feel like the whole world is crashing down on us.
How many times do we allow the storms to consume us. To take us down. Many more times than we desire to remember, I must say.
And when we allow these things, these troubled times to eat at us, we find ourselves deeper and deeper in despair.
Perhaps even to the point of bringing on ourselves depression, anxiety. We feel closed in, perhaps, or we take refuge in a hole so to speak. Cutting ourselves off from our surroundings.
This is exactly where Satan wants you. He desires to tantalize us until we break. Even desiring us to do something unthinkable.
But we must be strong, and courageous. We are given the power through the blood of Jesus Christ to overcome these things.
STRONG AND COURAGEOUS
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
OVERCOMERS
John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Romans 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
1John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
PRAY
Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Matthew 9:38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
HURRICANE SEASON
From a recent email I had received
* * * * *
With the impending Hurricanes, many of the governors and religious groups told their citizens to pray that God would spare their cities.
Fox-hole and Storm Shelter "Saints" at prayer.
Something to pray about! Or is it "Something to PRAISE about --- to be thankful for and to verbalize!"
Praying Before A Hurricane Hits
You probably noticed the amazing number of references to the problems predicted by Hurricane Gustave followed by the sound bite admonitions about praying that the tragedy be averted or at least minimal.
Pray! Pray! Pray! ... Pray that God will spare us. We heard it from national leaders, news reporters, and even the mayor of New Orleans! "Pray!”
Twenty-fours later the report: "WE DODGED THE BULLET!" Or "Aren’t we lucky!"
Where is today’s headline: " GOD ANSWERED A NATION AT PRAYER?"
Where is the Praise?
* * * * *
When Psalm 50:15 says " And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee..."
it doesn’t end there. It ends with ..."and thou shalt glorify me."
WE SHALL GLORIFY HIM. WE SHALL PRAISE HIM.
WHERE IS YOUR FAITH? WHERE IS YOUR PRAISE?
Where is the PRAISE!!?!!
If we ask, and we receive. Where’s the THANKS?
PRAISE HIM IN THE STORM!
Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
PRAISE HIM IN THE STORM!
HE has lightened our load by taking it upon HIMSELF to bear the burdens of us all.
When Christ hung on that cross, it is said in scripture that the sky’s darkened as if night. The Storms approached as our savior hung there for us. HE took our place in the STORM of eternity. And HE did it for you and me and the entire earth, forever.
HE made it through the storm. HE lived, HE died, HE rose again, so that we might not have to experience THAT Storm.
WE GLORIFY AND PRAISE HIM
PRAISE HIM IN THE STORM!
We need to praise HIM in the storm...
We need to thank HIM for who HE is and what HE did for us.
When we are hit by the storms of life, we must keep our focus on the LORD. Call out to HIM. Put our faith and trust in HIM. And HE will be our defense, our refuge, our strength.
When we do this, we will feel the weight of the world lifted from off our chest, off our shoulders.
And with that, doesn’t if give you a reason to sing.
PRAISE HIM IN THE STORM!
Psalm 59:16 But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.
SING IT OUT, SING OUT LOUD!
And when that happens, let us not forget the give thanks. Let us not forget to give praise. We are to SING, as it says in Psalm 59:16, Sing of HIS power. SING out loud of his mercy. SING it OUT.
SONG and PRAYER
THAT’S WHY WE PRAISE HIM, THAT’S WHY WE SING
