Storms of the Scriptures #2:
June 3, 2001 -- AM
THE WIND IN THE TREASURY
Psalm 135:5-7
INTRODUCTION:
(1) The potency of prayer hath subdued the strength of fire; it has bridled the rage of lions, hushed anarchy to rest, extinguished wars, appeased the elements, expelled demons, burst the chains of death, expanded the gates of heaven, assuaged diseases, repelled frauds, rescued cities from destruction, stayed the sun in its course, and arrested the progress of the thunderbolt. Prayer is an all-efficient panoply, a treasure undiminished, a mine which is never exhausted, a sky unobscured by clouds, a heaven unruffled by the storm. It is the root, the fountain, the mother of a thousand blessings. Saint John Chrysostom (C. 347-407)
(2) Among the spiritual truths the Psalmist declares that he confidently knows are these: first, the Lord is great; second, Our God is above all gods; third, He does what He pleases in heaven, earth, and sea or deep places. This third truth receives elaboration. God raises the vapors, creates the lightning, and draws wind out of His reserves.
The treasure house of the Lord has the winds of His will at His beckon. He uses them as He determines proper. Storms from His storehouse serve His purpose. Why does the Lord bring the storm out of His storehouse? He draws the wind in order to alter conditions to conform to His counsel.
(3) I have never liked thunderstorms. A few weeks ago, as I sat at my kitchen table during a particularly noisy storm, I started to pray in an effort to comfort myself. As lightning and thunder split the night sky on all sides, my prayer unwittingly began, "Dear LOUD Jesus ..." -- Heidi Mittiga, Rochester, N.Y. "Heart to Heart," Today’s Christian Woman – Jesus can speak “loudly” in a storm.
PROPOSITION: GOD READILY HAS A STORM IN RESERVE FOR ACCOMPLISHING HIS WILL.
Here are three winds from the treasury of God.
I. A wind that took away adversity (Exodus 10:1-20).
A. God sent this windstorm to remove the plague of locusts that had infested Egypt. Pharaoh had promised to let the Israelites go into the wilderness to worship if the locusts were sent away. God sent the wind to take away the adversity. In granting Pharaoh’s request, the Lord offered a means for Pharaoh to repent. However, Pharaoh did not keep His end of the bargain. The nature of God had a hardening effect on the heart of the Egyptian ruler. He could not humble himself enough to embrace the command of the Lord.
B. In Exodus 10:13, the LORD used an east wind to bring locusts into Egypt. With the morning chill came a chilling sight: a destructive horde of foliage-devouring insects. They were very severe (14) and covered the entire ground so that the Land was darkened (15). Pharaoh falsely repented and yet the Lord sent a “very strong” west wind to blow the locusts into the Red Sea (Exodus 10:19).
1. This wind came because of Moses’ prayer (an entreating prayer, an intercessory prayer, a purifying prayer, a responsive prayer, a willing prayer, a needed prayer) .
2. It was a wind that removed adversity.
3. It was a strong wind and hence a windstorm.
4. It was a valuable wind.
5. It was a thorough wind.
C. Moses’ wind was valuable because it removed adversity.
II. A wind that brought showers of blessing (1 Kings 18:41-45).
A. God sent this windstorm to carry the rains that would end the 3-½ year drought that had plagued the land of Judah inn Elijah’s day. Weak King Ahab and his wicked Queen Jezebel combined their wickedness and weakness in a marriage that corrupted the nation. One of the consequences was a physical drought that illustrated the spiritual dryness that was turning the nation into a moral wasteland. After his victory over the prophets of Baal, Elijah prayed for the sending of the rain and God sent it by means of wind that He pulled from His treasury. This storm showed Ahab that God was in control.
B. Dryness creates needs. Few things can survive prolonged drought. Yet, faith is one thing that can. God waters faith that grows in drought. Elijah heard, with ears of faith, the “sound” of abundant rain. He put himself in the humble position of prayer to see God follow through on His promise. Elijah knew the rain was coming, but he also knew that God would send it in relation to his prayer. Therefore chose to fast and pray. James 5:16-18 and the Pulpit Commentary tell us what kind of prayer this was.
1. It was the prayer of a righteous man.
2. It was the prayer of a normal man.
3. It was a fervent prayer.
4. It was a persevering prayer.
5. It was an availing prayer.
6. It was a needed prayer.
C. Elijah searched for the rain. This search was initiated by faith. Elijah’s servant had to look seven times. This search tested faith. The rain eventually came on the winds from God’s treasury. This search rewarded faith.
D. I believe that if we are to be and to do for others what God means us to be and to do, we must not let Adoration and Worship slip into second place, "For it is the central service asked by God of human souls; and its neglect is responsible for much lack of spiritual depth and power."
Perhaps we may find here the reason why we so often run dry. We do not give time enough to what makes for depth, and so we are shallow; a wind, quite a little wind, can ruffle our surface; a little hot sun, and all the moisture in us evaporates. It should not be so. -- Amy Carmichael in Edges of His Ways. Christianity Today, Vol. 39, no. 13.
III. A wind that came for the correction of direction (Jonah 1:4-16).
A. As we all know, Jonah had chosen to disobey God by going the opposite direction from where the Lord had sent him. Rather than go preach judgment to the despicable Assyrian Ninevites and risk their merciful deliverance through repentance, Jonah preferred to allow them to go into destruction without warning. To avoid his calling, he went toward Tarshish by ship. God sent this storm, with wind from His treasury, to get a witness to Nineveh.
B. Jonah prayed from the whale’s belly (Jonah 2). It was a pragmatic prayer. It was a pleading prayer. It was a personal prayer. It was a desperate prayer. It was a direct prayer. It was a committed prayer. It was a needed prayer.
C. God cares that his people be His witnesses. Jonah’s wind was valuable because it produced the correction of direction.
CONCLUSION:
(1) Moses’ wind was valuable because it removed adversity. Elijah’s wind was valuable because it brought showers of blessing. Jonah’s wind was valuable because it produced the correction of direction.
(2) I once read, though I cannot remeber where, that standing at the South Pole is like being in the eye of a hurricane -- it’s deceivingly calm. The quietness seems inconsistent with the fact that mighty winds originate there. How is this possible? As warm air from the equator flows in over the polar region, it descends, becomes cold and dense, and sinks to the frigid surface. Since the ice-covered plateau tapers off toward the oceans, and no mountains of other obstacles stand in the way, gravity pulls the heavy, cold air down the smooth slopes. The wind picks up tremendous speed as it moves northward toward the equator. Gradually it is heated by the sun and begins to rise, creating a circular pattern to drive the earth’s weather machine that is so vital to our existence.
For Christians, quiet times of prayer and worship also give rise to great power. They might seem non-productive because nothing appears to be happening.
Our urge is almost compulsive: move, do, work, worry, struggle. Yet at the heart of accomplishing things for God must be that regular experience of calm followed by an unobstructed flow of energy.
