Thar she blows!
Rough Seas for Believers
As Jonah made his ill fated voyage to run away from God he found himself at the mercy of a storm tossed sea. For those of us who have been at sea in a mighty storm we know that the power of God's wrath can easily be expressed in the descriptions found in Jonah.
The Savior could sleep through these storms because He knew something we can only take by faith. He knew that He wasn't going down with the ship. So He got up and "rebuked" the storm. Now, sailors, I've seen men rail at storms but it was always to no avail. But the Shephard spoke once and the seas subsided!
Jonah finally figured out that he was the cause of the storm and asked to be thrown overboard. If you've ever been in a storm for several days - surrounded by seasick sailors and never able to rest - you will understand why Jonah was so eager to get off the boat. Only the Savior can calm the storms that toss us about in life.
In Acts 27 Paul is caught in a terrible storm - a Noreaster - that threatens to take all of them down while tearing the ship apart. Yet Paul stands in front of cold, hungry, wet, frightened men and says the most remarkable thing:
ACTS 27:21 After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. [22] But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.
This is the way we need to live our lives -- knowing that we will be spared and only the vessel we lived in will be destroyed. The very Man who stood to rebuke the waves waits to welcome us home. Jonah's journey was supposed to take him away from God yet it failed. Our journey is to take us closer to God and, as such, it cannot fail!
An anchor is designed to hold you safely. Christ is our anchor - protection against being thrown overboard by the storms of life.
Wilkie Nunn
Pastor, Downsville Church of the Brethren
As Jonah made his ill fated voyage to run away from God he found himself at the mercy of a storm tossed sea. For those of us who have been at sea in a mighty storm we know that the power of God's wrath can easily be expressed in the descriptions found in Jonah.
The Savior could sleep through these storms because He knew something we can only take by faith. He knew that He wasn't going down with the ship. So He got up and "rebuked" the storm. Now, sailors, I've seen men rail at storms but it was always to no avail. But the Shephard spoke once and the seas subsided!
Jonah finally figured out that he was the cause of the storm and asked to be thrown overboard. If you've ever been in a storm for several days - surrounded by seasick sailors and never able to rest - you will understand why Jonah was so eager to get off the boat. Only the Savior can calm the storms that toss us about in life.
In Acts 27 Paul is caught in a terrible storm - a Noreaster - that threatens to take all of them down while tearing the ship apart. Yet Paul stands in front of cold, hungry, wet, frightened men and says the most remarkable thing:
ACTS 27:21 After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. [22] But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.
This is the way we need to live our lives -- knowing that we will be spared and only the vessel we lived in will be destroyed. The very Man who stood to rebuke the waves waits to welcome us home. Jonah's journey was supposed to take him away from God yet it failed. Our journey is to take us closer to God and, as such, it cannot fail!
An anchor is designed to hold you safely. Christ is our anchor - protection against being thrown overboard by the storms of life.
Wilkie Nunn
Pastor, Downsville Church of the Brethren
posted by Wilk | 6:36 PM
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