Come forth as gold I have been thinking of what I was going to title this, and for a while I considered to name it “more than I can bear.” There are times in all of our lives when we enter into a season of suffering. A season of trial, a storm, a season of testing. A time when we are passed through the fire. It really encourages me to know that our our God is able. He is able to sustain us, strengthen us. He is able to supply all our needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus! Glory! I want to turn to a story in Matthew 14:22-33. Let’s read it starting from verse 22... 22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. The disciples were with Jesus but they found themselves in the middle of a storm. This time Jesus was not with them in the boat. Again they were in a storm and the ship was being tossed about, the wind was contrary. There are times in our life when the ‘wind’, when our circumstances are ‘contrary’ to us. Sometimes, we are put in a strom because of our own actions, our own disobedience. I can think of Jonah when instead of obeying God and crying out against Nineveh he went in the exact opposite direction! *** But not all storms in our life are necessarily a consequence of our being out of God’s will. Let’s look at verse 22 from Matthew 14. 22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship Jesus “constrained his disciples.” Mark 6:45 is the same passage, and the Amplified Bible says it like this, “he insisted his disciples get into the boat.” The NASB says “he made.” There was no option. It was His will they get into the boat. Jesus new they would enter into a storm. Actually, the disciples had already been through this before. In Mark 4:35-41, they were caught in another storm, with Jesus in the boat with them! They asked “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” Jesus’ answer? “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” I know first hand that it is not easy to be in the midst of a storm. In the midst of suffering. I know what it is like to be at a place where I don’t have enough faith. I don’t have enough patience. I don’t have enough strength. This is a very hard topic, because no words can describe what it feels like at the bottom. In fact every time I have been there I really hated it. The only thing I can say is despite how aweful it feels, how painful it is, how hot the flame... we are in a good place. Yes, it is a good place. We are not supposed to have enough faith, enough patience or enough strength at this time. God in His love has placed us there, or allowed us to be there. He wants to stretch us. Purify us. I want this to be an encouragement to those who are there. We need to know...Jesus is with us! He was with the disciples in the first storm, and he came to them walking on water in the second! In fact, Jesus “maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34) as “he went up into a mountain apart to pray for them while they were in the boat.” Matthew 14:23. While they were going through the storm let me suggest that Jesus was praying for them! The Lord was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego when they were thrown into the blazing fire. They were tied up but look what the King said “Look, I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” Daniel 3:25. He is with us! He is with us! He will never leave us! “Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!” You servants of the Most High God! Come out! We are the servants of the Most High God. That’s why we are in the fire. That’s why we come out of the fire. Untied! Loosed! No burns! When people see you walking around in the midst of a fire will they not know who you are? You are a servant of the MOST HIGH GOD!
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 08:40:09 +0000
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