Hearing God Speak In The Storms
*Prayer, reverence and honor
* Matt. 7: 21-27
* 3 expectant fathers
* God uses unusual things to get our attention:
1. God used a rooster to preach to Peter
2. God used the whale with Jonah
3. God used a donkey to speak to Balaam ( Num: 22)
4. God uses a burning bush to speak to Moses.
* Joke about Moses and Bush
* In Job 38:1, God speaks to Job from a whirlwind. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Some of us are familiar with the whirlwinds that devastated Job and his family. Let it be known that Strong’s Dictionary defines a whirlwind as a small hurricane. In this particular whirlwind, Job lost all of his children and all of his material possessions. And to make matters worse, the friends who came to comfort him said that the storms came as a result of sins in his life. This verse assures us of a couple of things. 1. (That God is in the storm and that he is aware of all that is transpired. He is with us in our storm, whether spiritual or physical). 2. (God speaks from the storms).
The other day the tv was turned to the news and the were Still showing some of the devastation from hurricane Ivan. I forget how many people lost their lives. I have heard many people say that they have never seen so many hurricane and storms. Is there a logical explanation? Perhaps! Let me give you this…. Maybe God is trying to get our attention, trying to tell us something. God can speak through the storms!
How do we avoid this type of destruction? How can we heat God in the storms? How can we deal with life’s storms, as well as those of mother nature? God has showed me 4 things we must do to hear Him in the storms.
**1. Be sure of Your Foundation- In our text, Jesus tells the story of 2 men that built houses. Storms came after they were completed. Rains fell, wind blew, and the houses flooded. The house that was destroyed had sand as it’s foundation, while the home that stood and survived the storms was built upon a rock. Foundations made all the difference when the storms came! In hurricane Ivan, did a million dollar house have a better chance of survival than my $30,000 home? Not necessarily, it all depends on where they were established. You see, when storms come, God may be saying ‘be sure you are building on the right foundation”. To show us the importance of where we build, some people can’t even get homeowner’s insurance because their house in a flood plain. Where you build is important! Even more important is the foundation that we build our lives, our marriages, and our families on! Whether or not you survive or fail during the storms of life is dependent on the foundation of your life.
In the story that Jesus tells of the wise man and where they built their homes, the point He is driving home is the importance of being obedient to the will of God. See, both men heard the instructions, but only one did as he was told to do. In Gulf Shores, people were told to evacuate, but not everyone did! You see, hearing the word of God id the foundation that our lives should be built on. It should be the foundation for our marriages, for our children, and for every aspect of our lives. The foundation that we are talking about is nothing more than a relationship with the Lord!
**2. Be Strong in Your Fortitude… Let’s look at Matthew 14: 22-32. We get the sense that the disciples weren’t too eager to get into a boat and go to the other side. Was it because they were weary? Maybe they wanted to stay with Jesus, or maybe the gathering storm clouds made them hesitant. For whatever reason, Jesus had to be firm in getting them to do what He asked. After getting them in the boat, Jesus went upon a mountain and began to pray. Shortly after, Jesus came walking to them on the water. They couldn’t believe their eyes, and they were afraid. Maybe even the darkness from the storm hindered them from seeing it was Jesus. Sometimes when darkness comes into our life, and winds of trouble start to blow, it gets hard for us to see the Lord. However, verse 27 tells us to ”be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.” What is Jesus saying? He is telling us to be courageous. To be comforted, because he will see us through whatever we are going through! We must remember that God has power over these storms.
**3. Be Steady In Your Focus.. Many sermons have been preached about Peter sinking in his attempt to walk on water to Christ. However, we have to admire him for his willingness to even get out of the boat. How many of us would have gotten out of that boat? The lesson in Peter’s experience is that when the storms come, we must remain focused. This also reminds me a joke, which another man had experienced. There was a man who had just came to the United States, and was amazed at how everything was so readily available. While on his first trip to the grocery store, he came upon powdered milk. The label said “just add water” to make milk. He thought this was amazing. He went on to find powdered orange juice, but when he got to the next aisle and found “baby powder,” he thought, “what a country.” Back to the subject .The moment peter took his eyes off of Christ, he began to sink. So when trouble comes our way, we must stay focused and keep our eyes on Christ!
**4. Be Steadfast In Your Faith.. If you live in the sunshine, you might have faith. However, if you live in shadows, you MUST have faith. No matter what the storm is, we must keep our faith. No one can say why God sent Charley to Florida. No one can say why God sent Frances to Florida, nor Ivan, nor Jeanne. What we can say is that God knows all things, and does all things for a purpose. Although we may not always understand His reasoning, we should not allow any type of storm to cause us to stray away from Christ! We may face many different storms in life.
• Economic storms may take our jobs.
• Marital storms may threaten the vows we have made to each other.
• Parenting storms may blow our children off the values we have installed in them.
• Health storms may put us on our sick bed.*
• Storms may blow the church off course.
• In all of life’s storms, we must…..Be sure of our foundation, Be strong in our fortitude, Be steady in our focus and be steadfast in our faith!
*Jesus had storms throughout his life. If I’m not mistaken, storms clouds gathered as Jesus hung on the cross. How hard were the winds of trouble blowing as He hung there dying for you & I? And now we don’t even wanna come to church when it’s raining. How heavy was it raining when Jesus breathed His last breath? After my Jesus died, that we all might live, what kind of damage and destruction was there? Just as with any storm, this passed. And on that 3rd day morning, how bright was the sun shining when He rose from that tomb?........Some of you have storms in your life right now. And if you don’t, you’re probably just in the calm before the storm. Jesus Christ can calm the wind and make the rain stop. He can rebuild anything that has been broken down or blown over. Hurricane victims have federal-aid and American Red Cross. We have Jesus Christ. Won’t you let God help you through the storms. Won’t you let Him help you rebuild? The doors of the church are open!
