A tale of two acorns:
Two acorns fell on the earth. One was in open ground; the other in the middle of a dense forest. The acorn in the open ground produced a sapling as its roots began to grow. For a while the growth was held back as the root system developed going deep into the soil and round hidden rocks. The oak then grew upward into eventually, a majestic strong tree. The winter gales howled through its upper branches each year, but these served only to make the bark and the timber stronger. The acorn in the forest produced a sapling, but stifled by the sunless, windless airless environment, it remained just that- a sapling which eventually withered away.
This is a kind of parable, if you will, of how God designs things to grow. We do not reach our full potential if we remain in an over-protected, over-sheltered environment. We grow into a strong person as we have freedom; as we are exposed to the trials and storms of life-provided always that we have a well-developed root.
So it was that Jesus saw to it that his disciples grew as disciples by letting them grow in freedom and exposed to life’s storms. Today’s gospel reading from Mark tells of an instance when he allowed them to be exposed to a particularly violent and literally physical storm. The Sea of Galilee is particularly renowned for the violent storms which from time to time descend on it from the surrounding mountains- and anyone with any experience of mountains will know just how suddenly mountain weather can change. American Bible commentator Warren Wiersbe in dealing with this incident tells of how he once asked an Israeli tour guide if he had ever been in such a storm. The guide threw his hands up, shook his head and said, “I never want to be in one like it again”. The psalmist describes a storm at sea particularly vividly:
Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on mighty waters.
They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep.
For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted up the waves.
They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits’ end
(Psalm 107:23-27)
So it was with the disciples. Trouble had struck; disaster was at hand- and Jesus is fast asleep. Didn’t he even care? “Help, master”. And of course he helped; he stilled the storm with his command and then said “Why did you have so little faith?”. True they had heard his teaching, they had seen him cure the sick and cast out demons. Yet this- well this was different! And he was fast asleep! I suspect we probably feel a touch of sympathy for those disciples! Wasn’t it a bit hard?
But: What about us? What about you? What about me? How do we react when trouble strikes? Where do we turn? Or don’t we know where to turn. Trouble has the knack of coming out of the blue; like a lightning-bolt out of a clear, blue sky. If life’s running smoothly at the moment- will it be in a year’s time; in a month’s time; even tomorrow? If I can hearken back to the oak trees: Jesus wants us to have learned from the storms of life we’ve already experienced. And he wants us to have roots firmly in him. You see, those disciples had heard his teaching. They had seen him heal the sick. They had seen him cast out demons. Yet were these faith-lessons just a kind of academic lesson? They were about to get the first real-life test. Their faith was to be tested where the rubber hit the road- to mix the analogy! And we do need those lessons and to learn from them, so that when trouble strikes we don’t immediately press the panic button. There are other reactions we can make which can equally expose our lack of faith.
-”Why has this happened to me?”
-”It’s fate. It’s just my luck for this sort of thing to happen”
-”Where is God in all this?”
-”What on earth is God up to in all this?”
And it’s these two latter ones which actually may mask a dormant faith, or a panic-overridden faith. But do we know? Do we know; will we know that God is in the midst of all this- and if we don’t, then don’t let’s chastise ourselves and heap trouble upon trouble- but let’s look for some answers. Now I’m not here this morning to answers your personal problem if you’re in the midst of one of life’s storms, but to offer one or two pointers.
I want to look, mainly, at two biblical characters:
Firstly, Joseph
It’s not so much Joseph’s reaction to his situation that I want to note. When trouble struck for Joseph, it was often in situations where he couldn’t do much about it. He was the youngest of a large family; he was Daddy’s favourite and because of the special treatment he received, the special favours he was not exactly popular with his brothers, who were out to get at him. Even more so when he had these dreams that one day they would bow down and worship him. So they seize on this idea of first of killing him whilst he was tending his father’s flocks and then of selling him to one of the passing Egyptian caravans and convincing Jacob that Joseph was dead; killed buy a wild animal. Disaster number one. Then he’s sold to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officers and his good conduct earns him honour in the household. Until that is that Potiphar’s wife falsely accuses him of attempted rape, and he’s throne into prison. Disaster number two. From thereon it’s all upward, till eventually he is appointed Pharaoh’s food-czar, by which he is eventually reunited with his family
The point I would want to make is that Joseph’s life is a perfect example of the outworking of Romans 8:28:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose
Joseph was a man who loved his God; he led a life that honoured God in all aspects. As one who was beloved of his father, whom his brethren tried to do away with; who was exalted to the place of honour; as by whose apparent death God’s people were brought a stage further on, he is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was truly one called according to (God’s) purpose.
Though Joseph probably didn’t realise it at the time, his God was there, working all things out according to his good and perfect will. And we can be sure that if we are those whom God has chosen, those who love him, then whatever may come our way in life, it is all within God’s permitted will. For God will not suffer anything to happen to us that he cannot turn to his perfect will. And that point we see in our next biblical character.
So, secondly, Job.
Job is introduced to us in the very first verse of the book that bears his name.
In the land of Uz, there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.
We are told he was a prosperous man, who owned 7 000 sheep, 3 000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys and his large household included seven sons and three daughters
Now we learn in verse 7 that Satan had an audience with God, and God says to him “Have you considered my servant Job?”. Satan’s reply is “Does Job fear God for nothing?...stretch out your hand and strike everything he has and he will surely curse you to your face.” The blows fall; trouble strikes. No sooner has he heard that he has lost his children than one servant after another informs of loss after loss. His wife’s advice: “Curse God and die”. More trouble comes; he loses his wife and his health: his body becomes covered with stinking sores.
Much of the rest of Job is taken up with his struggling with his suffering. Firstly, with his three friends: his ’comforters’. In the middle of this Job cries out: “If only I knew where to find him..I would state my case before him” (23:3) Eventually, God does speak to Job and chapters 38 to 41 are full of God showing Job his greatness in creation; his power and his majesty. If you want an insight into God’s majesty (and I feel many of us do, then read these chapters. And what does Job do at the end; what does he say:
My ears had heard of you, but now my ears have seen you. Therefore I despise
self and repent in dust and ashes
Then at the conclusion, we read that Job is restored and lives to see his great-grandchildren.
I would want to draw two lessons from Job.
1. God does sometimes allow trouble to strike; he allows calamity to strike. It is with a purpose of refinement. In Isaiah 45:3, God says:
I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that
you may know that I am God
And indeed, God did just this with Job, for
2. Job was brought to a place of repentance; a place where he humbled himself before his God. God wants, in our suffering, to bring us to the place of growth, through bringing us to the place of repentance; the place where we acknowledge his greatness.
God wants for us to grow in faith; he wants for us to mature in faith. And he allows and uses troubles to come to us in that purpose. 1 Peter 1:7 says:
These (sufferings) have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold...may be proved genuine and may result in praise, honour and glory when Jesus Christ is revealed.
God wants our faith to mature. he wants us to abide deeply rooted in his Son, our Lord and Saviour., so that we could give a testimony such as that of Paul that we heard in the first reading this morning. He wants a faith such as Priscilla Owens wrote of:
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
steadfast and sure while the billows roll;
fastened to the rock that cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love.
A brief look at one other Old Testament character: We aren’t told his name, other than that he is the servant of the prophet Elisha. We read in 2 King 6 of the time when the army of the King of Aram attacks the place where Elisha is. Trouble has struck! The servant wakes up in the morning and sees there enemy army encamped on the surrounding hills. He presses the panic button! He calls out to Elisha, “Oh my Lord, what shall we do?”
What does Elisha do? He prays. O Lord, open his eyes so that he may see. And God opens the servant’s eyes and he sees also the hills full of God’s army.
I quoted from Psalm 107 earlier: trouble comes at sea, the storms arise until the sailors are ’at their wits’ end’ We read on there that they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper
God was there and when they cried out, he ‘stilled the storm to a whisper’ Note- he didn’t remove it, but God took away their distress
There may be time when trouble strikes and we don’t know what to do. We’re at our wits’ end. Cry out to the Lord! He will bring relief: He may not remove the storm; he will enable us to find the calm at the eye of the storm These may be times, when like Elisha’s servant, we need to rest on the faith of others. They aren’t caught up in the maelstrom of trouble and distress. They can pray for us. So what lessons do we learn?
1. God always is there when trouble strikes. W may be at our wits’ end; we may want to press the panic button. Let’s not get in a guilt trip over this!
2. It is part of his good and perfect will. He can indeed bring treasure out of the place of darkness.
3. He desires that humble ourselves before him and his majesty
4. We can learn for others to pray. There is a regular ministry of prayer in this church. So few use it. It’s there for all in times of trouble. If we would but use it, he will answer.
Are you at your wits’ end. Then you have need to cry out to the Lord.
