Weather the Storms of Life

God with you - A Series from the Psalms

Psalm 46 

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2046&version=NIV;NLT

 

The saying, “weather the storm” can refer to the actual weather outside, but often it is used to refer to real life struggles. Struggles like having a still born baby; the unexpected loss of a job; your fiancé breaking up with you; the death of a loved one; dealing with an addiction.

 

The possibilities of storms in your life are endless. So how do you deal with them? What do you place your confidence in when storms come into your life? Because one thing is for sure; they will come.

 

Some people put their confidence in a relationship. Some prefer to face things on their own, trusting in their own ability to manipulate, intimidate or problem solve. Some trust in their material things; their bank account or portfolio; the car they drive or the neighborhood they live in.

 

David had this to say about how to weather the storms of life when you feel like your world is falling apart.

 

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
    always ready to help in times of trouble.
² So we will not fear when earthquakes come
    and the mountains crumble into the sea.
³ Let the oceans roar and foam.
    Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! NLT

 

Maybe your life isn’t falling apart, but the stress and struggle of daily living can begin to feel like that. Regardless of whether you are facing a crisis event or daily struggles, David suggests an answer that will help.

 

⁷ The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
    the God of Israel is our fortress.

¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God! NLT

 

Spending time in the presence of the Lord sounds so easy and makes so much sense. And yet, it’s so hard to do in our modern world of business. However, in order to weather the storms of life, no matter how acute they are, we must spend quiet time, alone with the Lord.

 

¹¹ The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
    the God of Israel is our fortress. NLT

 

Some Things Never Change

Matthew 4:1-11

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%204%3A1-11&version=NIV;TLB

  

Have you ever had a face to face confrontation with the devil? Neither have I. But Jesus did, and he won! There are a lot of lessons to be learned from this passage in Matthew.

First though, let’s take a look at the back story. Let’s dig deeper to see what else was going on.

 

Jesus quoted several verses from the book of Deuteronomy. The lessons of Deuteronomy occurred as the nation of Israel finished wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. They were at the Jordan River as Moses gave them his final words of instruction to prepare them before they entered the Promised Land.

 

Here are just a few of the lessons that Moses passed along to them:

 

¹³ Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his

name.            Deuteronomy 6
 

¹⁶ Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.  Deuteronomy 6

 

³ He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.    Deuteronomy 8

 

Do these verses sound familiar to you? They are the same words that Jesus used to defend himself against the devil. Spoken 1400 years before, they were still powerful!  Some things never change.

 

I would bet that while Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness, that he was meditating on Deuteronomy because he was getting ready to lead the people of Israel to the Promised Land. Not a physical land, like Moses lead them to, but a spiritual home, inhabited by those who have faith in Jesus.

 

In light of this, as we wander in the wilderness, doesn’t it make sense for us to meditate on God’s word to prepare us for battle? Some things never change.

 

⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home

and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.                Deuteronomy 6

 

 

 

(If God has spoken to you through this blog, please feel free to share the link with others.)

http://lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com/

 

SIDEBAR:

Before leading the people to the Promised Land, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River and then wandered in the wilderness for 40 days. This is the reverse order for Moses and the people of Israel who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before crossing the Jordan to the Promised Land.

Some things do change, but the purpose doesn’t.

 

Today's message through images.

 

 

Teachable Moments

Psalm 25:1-9

(All verses are from the New King James Version.)

  

Teachable Moments… We all have them, but do we always learn from them? For me it usually takes a 2x4 upside the head before I say, “Oh yeah!” The Israelites were like that. They learned the same lesson over and over and over again. Kind of makes you wonder if they actually ever learned it at all.

 

David’s prayer in Psalm 25 is about teachable moments during the crucible of life.

² O my God, I trust in You;
Let me not be ashamed;
Let not my enemies triumph over me.  

 

We know that David had many enemies. Some of them were those closest to him. Saul, his mentor, hunted him down like an animal. His own son, Absalom, rebelled against David declaring himself king. Indeed, David knew what it was like to have mortal enemies, but he also knew what it meant to struggle with enemies within.

⁷ Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;
According to Your mercy remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.           

 

David’s sins are well documented. He seduced Bathsheba with his power, and then had her husband, who was a courageous warrior for David, killed in battle; quite a resume of failure. But in this Psalm, David cries out to the Lord and asks him to use his failures, his struggles and his enemies to teach him.

⁴ Show me Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
⁵ Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
 

No matter what kind of struggles you face, how big your

demons are, how overpowering your temptations, how shameful your past sins; God can teach you, change you and use you for His Kingdom.

 

 

 

Just cry out to Him like David.

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
² O my God, I trust in You… On You I wait all the day.        

 

 

 

 

 

And the Lord will answer.

⁸ Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.

⁹ The humble He guides in justice,
And the humble He teaches His way.

 

 

 

 

Struggles and Doubt

Jude 17-25

  

Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you struggled and were filled with doubts? Maybe it was a broken relationship; or your job was downsized; or a family member died suddenly or was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Life has a way of bringing struggles and doubts to all of us.

 

Mark tells the story of the man who asked Jesus to heal his son because his disciples weren’t able to. Both the disciples and the father doubted Jesus.

 

^21-22 “Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been going on?” “Ever since he was a little boy. Many times it pitches him into the fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!” ²³ Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.” ²⁴ No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, “Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”       MSG

 

We live in a culture that is filled with values and beliefs that are not Christian – pride,

materialism and lust to name a few. God has called us to live in this culture; not to conform to it, but to transform it. If we are not careful, we can adopt those same values and beliefs of the world around us.

 

In his letter, Jude is writing to Christians who are struggling and doubting because of some false teaching about grace and sin. 

 

^22 “Try to help those who argue against you. Be merciful to those who doubt. ²³ Save some by snatching them as from the very flames of hell itself. And as for others, help them to find the Lord by being kind to them, but be careful that you yourselves aren’t pulled along into their sins. Hate every trace of their sin while being merciful to them as sinners.”        TLB

 

Whatever struggles you face in life; whatever doubts you may have; God is always with you. God is always at work in your life to draw you closer to Him. God has given you grace so that you may share His grace and love with others.

 

 

 

^16 “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”         NIV

 

 

 

Here are some other pictures on this topic that you may enjoy.

 
 

It’s All Good

Revelation 22:1-5

 

“It’s all good”, is a popular response nowadays that means, nothing is bad. But the irony is that some things are bad, painful, irreversible and even life-changing. Is it all good after having a still born baby or when a family member dies unexpectedly? Is it all good when you get fired from your job of 30 years? Is it all good when a relationship is irreconcilable? Is it all good when life feels like there’s no hope?

 

At the time when John wrote the book of Revelation, the believers in Asia Minor were on the verge of suffering sever persecution for being a follower of Jesus. The Roman authorities were beginning to enforce emperor worship which would be unacceptable for a Christian.  What could this persecution mean for an individual?

 

“Nero was quite insane, and is reported to have tortured Christians with great cruelties for his own enjoyment. According to the Roman historian Tacitus:

Besides being put to death they [the Christians] were made to serve as objects of amusement; they were clad in the hides of beast and torn to death by dogs; others were crucified, others set on fire to serve to illuminate the night when daylight failed.”

 

“It’s all good”, would seem like a hollow response at best.

 

In the Book of Revelation, John gave the persecuted church a future with eternal hope through these words:

 

“And he pointed out to me a river of pure Water of Life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb, ² coursing down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew Trees of Life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month; the leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. ³ There shall be nothing in the city that is evil; for the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.”          TLB

 

For the first century believers, as well as for us, these words bring great hope. It’s not that “it’s all good”, but we can have faith in a loving sovereign God that He has a future for us without pain and suffering. In other words, evil and pain do not have the last word… God does.

 

 

 

Now THAT IS all good.