1, It is Well with My Soul
"It Is Well with My Soul" is a very influential hymn penned by hymnist Horatio Spafford and composed by Philip Bliss.
This hymn was written after several traumatic events in Spafford¡¯s life. The first was the death of his only son in 1871, shortly followed by the great Chicago Fire which ruined him financially (he had been a successful lawyer). Then in 1873, he had planned to travel to Europe with his family on the S.S. Ville du Havre, but sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and all four of Spafford's daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone." Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
2. Another day of infamous storms ¨C 5.3.99 ¨C now 5.20.13
a. What things went through your mind?
b. ¡°Why?¡± would be the big question of the hour;
c. Also ¨C WHO?; What Now?
1) Donations
2. Deliveries
3. Some Lessons to take away
I. The Power of the Storm
[F-4?
A. Some Storms in the Bible:
1. Yeshua (Jesus) in the Boat ¨C ASLEEP in the storm
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ¡°Let us go across to the other side.¡± 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, ¡°Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?¡± 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ¡°Peace! Be still!¡± And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, ¡°Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?¡± 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ¡°Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?¡± Mark 4.35-41
2. Yeshua (Jesus) Walking on Water in a storm ¨C Matthew 14.22-27
22 Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, ¡°It is a ghost!¡± and they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately he spoke to them, saying, ¡°Take heart, it is I; have no fear.¡±
3. Job¡¯s Losses ¨C Job 1.13-19
4. Elijah¡¯s storm with the still small voice and then his whirlwind
11 And he said, ¡°Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD.¡± And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him, and said, ¡°What are you doing here, Elijah?¡± 1 Kings 19.11-13
11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Eli¡äjah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, ¡°My father, my father! the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!¡± And he saw him no more. 2 Kings 2.11-12
5. Babylonian ¡°Storm¡± ¨C 5 Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. 6 For lo, I am rousing the Chalde¡äans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize habitations not their own. Habakkuk 1.5-6
B. Significant Reminders to Our Place before God
1. Storms are greater than we
2. God is greater than the storms
II. The Peace Through the Storm
[Picture of Dove in Storm
Sleeping in the Storm: A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When the farmer asked for his qualifications, he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows."
This puzzled the farmer. But he liked the young man, and hired him.
A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things out to see if all was secure. They found that the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace. The young man slept soundly.
The farmer and his wife then inspected their property. They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements.
The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn was properly locked. Even the animals were calm. All was well.
The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man's words, "I can sleep when the wind blows." Because the farmhand did his work loyally and faithfully when the skies were clear, he was prepared for the storm.
A. Peace Comes by Trusting God ¨C Habakkuk 2.20
But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.
1. Job lost nearly all
2. Wife ¨C Curse God and die.
3. Job¡¯s response ¨C Worship ¨C Then Job arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell upon the ground, and worshiped. Job 1.20
4. Look to God
B. Peace Comes by Prayer
6 Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4.6
Praying is a key in tragedy, just as it was to two men did on September 11, 2001. Two men were on the 81st floor of tower #2 of the World Trade Center, desperately trying to avoid the fate that was claiming so many that day.
Stanley Praimnath, an assistant vice president for Fuji Bank Limited, found himself trapped after the United Airlines plane crashed into his building. He was buried up to his neck in debris, isolated behind collapsed walls, while a wing of the airliner burned nearby.
Knowing the desperation of his situation, he began to pray to the Lord, asking him to please send someone to help. While praying, he saw a beam from a flashlight and heard someone on the other side of the debris. Praimnath yelled to draw his attention, but the other person could not get through to him.
Parimnath then cried out to the person on the other side and asked him if he knew Jesus, and if the could pray together for God to help. The two men joined in prayer still separated from each other amid the wreckage.
After they prayed, Praimnath was gripped with the knowledge that he could kick through the wall separating them. As he began to break a small hole through the wall, Brain Clark reached through and pulled Stanley to freedom, and together they began the long descent to the street, escaping the building just minutes before it collapsed.
1. Praters for Divine Assistance
a. Needs
b. Comfort [FB Friends ¨C Praying for OK
2. Prayer for Divine Message ¨C tragedies soften us for God¡¯s message
C. Peace Comes by Putting Faith into Practice
1. Call to Action ¨C Matthew 25.34-46
2. Faith MUST ACT ¨C
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1.22
22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, 23 and the scripture was fulfilled which says, ¡°Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness¡±; and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 2.22-24
1. Blame is not the issue ¨C God is an easy target
2. We do not always understand WHY; some things are a mystery and belong only to God
3. There are worse things than tornadoes ¨C not knowing God is the worst tragedy
4. The presence of God gets us through the tragedies ¨C 17 Though the fig tree do not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like hinds¡¯ feet, he makes me tread upon my high places. Habakkuk 3.17-19
a. New feet
b. Not a new path
