Acts 27:42-44
42 And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
43 But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:
44 And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.
RECENTLY MY CO-WORKER REC’D A CALL FROM HER SISTER WHO LIVES IN MICHIGAN CITY TELLING HER THAT WHEN SHE CAME HOME FROM WORK SHE FOUND THEIR MOTHER LAYING ON THE FLOOR APARENTLY SHE HAD FALLEN AND HIT HER HEAD AND WAS UNCONCIOUS AND SHE WAS RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE SHE WAS IN THE ICU UNIT NOT KNOWING WHAT THE OUT COME WOULD BE SO SHE CALLED ME TO COVER HER ON LAST WEEK AS SHE TRAVELED HOME TO CARE FOR HER MOTHER. THAT’S A STORM!!
I KEPT IN TOUCH WITH HER PRAYING WITH HER AND YESTERDAY MORNING SHE INFORMED ME THAT HER MOTHER CAME THRU AND WITH A LITTLE REHAB SHE IS MOVING HER HERE TO ILLINOIS
OFTEN TIMES YOU WILL HEAR ME MAKING A STATEMENT THAT EACH AND EVERYONE OF US IS EITHER CURRENTLY IN A STORM OR JUST COMING OUT OF A STORM OR GETTING READY TO ENTER A STORM
I wish I could tell you that following Jesus means you will never have to face any storms. I wish I could tell you that following Jesus means that the waters of life will always be calm. I wish I could tell you that following Jesus means life will be rosy and all of your days sweet.
BUT I CAN’T
You can be both in the center of God’s will, and still in a storm.
YOU CAN BE PREACHING IN THE PULPIT IN A STORM, SINGING IN THE CHOIR IN A STORM, DOWN ON YOUR KNEES IN A STORM
TROUBLE DON’T JUST COME FOR THE SINNERS IT COMES FOR GOD’S CHILDRENS TOO
Life comes with troubles, regardless of whether or not you follow Jesus. You get to choose if you want Him to join you in your troubles, or if you’d rather go through them alone.
SOME STORMS COMES AND DESTROY AND OTHERS COMES TO BRING US CLOSER TO GOD EITHER WAY STORMS ARE UNPREDICTIBLE AND WE NEVER KNOW THE OUTCOME UNTIL IT’S OVER. AND SO HERE WE HAVE PAUL IN THE MIDDLE OF A STORM AND THE SHIP DONE GOT STUCK IN A SAND BOX AND THAT JUST HOW IT IS SOMETIMES WE FIND OURSELVES IN STORMS THAT HAS US STUCK IN A PLACE WHERE WE DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW WE GOT THERE, AND THE WAVES STRIKING AGAINST THE BOAT BROKE THE BOAT INTO PIECES AND BEGAN TO WONDER IF ANYONE WOULD BE SAVED, AND THAT’S HOW LIFE IS SOMETIMES WHEN THE WAVES OF LIFE COMES UP AND BEAT AGAINST YOU AND IT SEEMS LIKE THE STORM HAS BEAT AGAINST EVERYTHING YOU ONCE THOUGHT WAS A SAFTY NET NOW THERE NO HUMAN DEFENSE AGAINST IT THAT’S WHEN WE CRY OUT TO GOD FOR HELP. AND THE BIBLE SAYS THAT ONCE THEY REALIZE THE SHIP WAS NOT GONNA MAKE IT THEY BEGAN TO SAY TO THE ONES THAT COULD SWIM TO JUMP OVERBOARD AND SWIM TO SHORE BUT TO THE OTHERS THEY WAS TOLD TO GRAB HOLD OF PIECES OF THE SHIP AND USE THAT AS A MEANS OF SUPPORT UNTIL THEY GET TO LAND
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO JUST ENCOUNTERED A STORM AND CAME OUT OF IT, THANK GOD YOU MADE IT AND YOU LIVED TO TELL THE STORY BUT, SOMEBODY DON’T HAVE THAT TESTIMONY BECAUSE THEY COULDN’T WITHSTAND THE STORM THEY COULDN’T TAKE THE WIND AND THE RAIN THAT KEPT ON FALLING DOWN, TO YOU I SAY STAY ON GUARD FOR THE NEXT ONE BECAUSE THERE WILL ALWAYS BE ANOTHER ONE
BUT I WANNA ENCOURAGE ANYONE THAT’S IN THE MIDDLE OF A STORM RIGHT NOW EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY NOT KNOW WHAT THE OUTCOME MAY BE YOU GOTTA GRAB HOLD OF THE BROKEN PIECES AND LET GOD GUIDE YOU TO A PLACE OF SAFETY, SEE I KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE WHEN THE STORM OF LIFE COMES RADGING AND YOU CAN’T SEE NO WAY OUT AND YOU WONDERING HOW YOU GONNA MAKE IT, HOW LONG THIS WILL IT LAST, AND WILL I SURVIVE. SOMEBODY BEEN WAITING ON GOD FOR A LONG TIME WONDERING WHEN THIS STORM WILL BE OVER
AND THERE ARE SOME STORMS THAT ARE PRIVATE STORM OR QUIET STORMS THAT YOU ARE DEALING WITH THE WAVES THAT KEEPS BEATING UP AGAINST YOUR SPIRIT AND YOU WRESTLING DAY AND NIGHT WONDERING IF THIS WILL BE THE LAST DAY
AND YOU IN A SITUATION WHERE YOU CAN’T SWIM OUT OF IT LIKE SOME PEOPLE AND IT MAY SEEM LIKE OTHERS ARE GOING THRU SOME TO THE SAME STORMS AS YOU IF NOT WORSE THAN YOURS BUT THEY SEEMS TO SWIM TO SHORE BEFORE YOU BUT GOD SAID YOU MAY FINISH LATE BUT I PROMISE YOU’LL FINISH GREAT
SOMEONE MAY BE IN A STORM WITH YOUR HEALTH AND YOU ARE WAITING ON A DIAGNOSIS OR THE OUTCOME
SOMEBODY HAD SOME STORMS IN 2019 THAT BROKE UP HOMES AND DESTROYED MARRIGAGES AND ONLY ONE PERSON IS HOLDING ON TO THE BROKEN PIECES TRYING TO MAKE IT WORK AND THESES ARE THE STORMS THAT’S QUIET ON THE OUTSIDE BUT THEY RADGING ON THE INSIDE AND IN 2019 THE STORM WAS CARRYING YOU TOWARDS DIVORCE COURT BUT YOU CAME INTO 2020 ON BROKEN PIECES BUT YOU MADE IT! SOMEBODY HAS A CHILD OR CHILDREN THAT YOU RAISED THE RIGHT WAY AND THE CHILD WALKED THE WRONG WAY AND YOU MAY SAY GOD WHERE DID I GO WRONG WHAT COULD HAVE I DONE BETTER, WHY MY CHILD HAVE TO BE THIS WAY WHEN I SEE SOME CHILDREN WHO PARENTS ARE NOT SAVED AND DIDN’T BRING THEM UP IN THE FEAR OF THE LORD BUT THEY TURNED OUT TO BE DOCTORS AND LAWYERS AND TEACHERS AND PREACHERS
BUT I HEAR THE LORD SAYING IF YOU TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO EVEN WHEN HE IS OLD IT WILL NOT DEPART FROM HIM, LIKE THE PRODIGAL SON WHO STRAYED AWAY FROM HOME THAT WAS A STORM FOR HIS FATHER BUT WHEN THE WAVES OF LIFE STARTED TO BEAT AGAINST HIS FINANCES AND HE LOST ALL HE HAD HE GRABBED HOLD OF EVERYTHING THAT WAS BROKEN AND MADE IT SAFELY BACK TO HIS FATHERS HOUSE
IN 2019 SOMEBODY THOUGHT THEIR CHILD WAS NOT GONNA MAKE IT BECAUSE IT WENT FROM BAD TO WORST AND IT LOOK LIKE THIS STORM WAS GONNA LEAD TO EITHER JAIL OR THE GRAVE BUT WHEN 11:59 PASSED AND JUST AT MIDNIGHT WHEN THE CLOCK STRUCK 12:00 BY THE TIME YOU WALKED TO YOUR CHILD BEDROOM AND SAW THEM STILL THERE ALIVE AND WELL OR MAYBE YOU PICKED UP THE PHONE AND THE VOICE ON THE OTHER END OF THE PHONE WAS YOUR CHILD HELLO 2020 I MAY HAVE BEEN BROKEN BUT I MADE IT
THE STORM OF DEATH CAME ALONG IN 2019 AND IT LEFT A SORROW THAT IT SEEMS NO ONE CAN UNDERSTAND THE PAIN BUT WAIT BEFORE YOU GIVE IN TO THIS STORM I HEAR THE LORD SAYING EARTH HAS NO SORROW THAT HEAVEN CAN NOT HEAL AND IF YOU HELD ON TO THE BROKEN PIECE AND YOU MADE IT GOD SAYS EVERY DAY I’M GONNA LIGHTEN YOUR HEAVY LOAD IN 2020 IF YOU JUST TRUST ME
LAST BUT NOT LEAST AND I’M THRU
IF YOU’RE NOT CURRENTLY IN A STORM AND YOU HAVEN’T JUST CAME OUT OF A STORM LET ME JUST SERVE YOU THIS CERTIFIED STAMPED NOTICE
THERE IS A STORM OUT ON THE OCEAN AND IT’S MOVING YOUR WAY AND IF YOUR SOUL IS NOT ANCHORED IN JESUS YOU WILL SURLY DRIFT AWAY
