WEATHERING THE STORM
Romans 8: 31-39
Nahum 1: 2-6
What comes to mind when you hear the word “storm”? My hunch is that most of us begin to think of something weather-related—a hurricane, a tornado, or a summer thunderstorm.
A storm can also be something completely unrelated to the weather. A simple definition of a storm is “a disturbed or agitated state”—a time when things just don’t feel right or out of balance, it can be a time of chaos and also confusion. To give you fair warning…I’m going to be asking lots of questions today! Here’s my first question: Given this definition of “storm”, what storms are you facing in life, right now? I want to bring those to the forefront of your mind. Often when we are out in public, we like to put on happy faces and show everything is okay and try to suppress what might be going on. Be that as it may, today I want us to let those storms be acknowledged. Here is my second question: How do you weather those storms? How do you cope with those times when everything seems out of whack? Each of us has these coping mechanisms, whether we realize it or not.
Scripture provides us with some reminders to carry with us as we go through these storms;
some words that just might be some comfort when the storms of life rage.
One of those passages of comfort comes from the book of Nahum. Nahum is one of the shortest books in the Bible—it is only three chapters. It is a beautifully written book of poetry, but it is sometimes difficult to understand. In fact, read by itself,
Nahum can be downright scary. The central message of the book tells of God’s destruction of the city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. Nineveh had a reputation as a corrupt and wicked city; it was God’s calling to Nineveh that led Jonah to run away and get caught up in the belly of the fish. Assyria was the dominant empire of that time, constantly going to war and conquering the smaller, weaker nations and tribes in the area. This threat from Assyria became one of the biggest “storms” Israel was facing. Put yourself in Israel’s position…a bloodthirsty empire was just to your west and was mounting its armies to attack you. Can you see how things might be just a little agitated in Israel? With that being said, I’m not going to spend much time going through the ins and outs of Nahum—the first verses provides a good summary. Instead, I want to ask you three more questions today;
questions that I hope will help us understand Nahum a little better and help us to weather the storms of life.
Question #1—Where is God at work in your world? What is God doing in your world? In the passage we read, Nahum mentions three things God was doing at that time—taking vengeance on God’s adversaries, rebuking the sea, and protecting those seeking refuge.
While God may not be doing these specific things in our world today, I promise you that God is still working in this world. The burden is on us to see it. It takes some work and some concentration to see where God is working, though. Our culture and society has become so secularized that we don’t hear much “God-talk” in the world. When you go back to work this week, I want you to see how many times God gets mentioned in a typical work day. My guess is not many. That is one reason why our praise time on Sunday morning is vitally important; it gives us a chance to tell what God is doing in our lives and hear what God is doing in the lives of those around us. Think about it...we hear about physical healings when doctors say it can’t happen, we hear about healing of relationships, we hear about how prayers have been answered; the list goes on and on. We are able to hear so much that God is doing! Many times,
there is so much “background noise” going on—distractions that cause us to lose focus—that we miss what God is doing.
My purpose for asking this question is quite simple. Many times, in the midst of the storm, we want to throw our hands up and ask of God, “WHERE ARE YOU?” In the middle of the storm, it might be difficult to see God at work. It is, however, comforting to know that even when the clouds are so thick and the rain is pouring down,
God is still present and is working in your world…even when we can’t see it.
Question #2—How have you felt God’s compassion and comfort? It is interesting that, in Hebrew, the name Nahum means “compassion”.
How ironic is it, then, that a book essentially titled “compassion” would be all about doom and destruction? While Nahum’s message is one of destruction, it is also a message of God’s compassion. This compassion, I believe, is not just for Israel; God wants to have compassion upon Nineveh as well. It was that fact that angered Jonah. This storm that Israel was feeling in the form of the Assyrian threat, though, was a way for God to show compassion upon Israel. There are times when our storms, too, become channels through which we experience compassion from God. Has anyone, when going through a rough time, had someone hold their hand and comfort them, give them a hug and let the tears flow down, or simply offered an encouraging word or a prayer? This is God’s compassion at work! We are vessels of God’s compassion to and for one another! Think about it…it doesn’t take a whole lot to offer an encouraging word or a prayer.
It doesn’t take a whole lot to acknowledge that someone else is going through a rough time in life.
I absolutely love the passage from Romans 8 we read—that reminder that there is nothing in all of creation that can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ. How comforting to hear those words! How comforting to know that in the midst of the storm, we are not separated from God!
Question #3—Who is ultimately in charge? The answer quite simply is God. So often, the storms we face are beyond our control. However, NOTHING is beyond the control of God! Our storms are not beyond God’s power! I know I referenced it few weeks ago, but Psalm 46:10 rings so true in the middle of the storm, “be still, and know that I am God”. Be still, be calm and at peace, and know that your storm doesn’t have the last word! Be at peace and know that you don’t have to be God and face this all by yourself! Be calm and know that I am God, and I am in control. How comforting to know that God is control of the situation, even when it seems that God is nowhere to be found. I am convinced that these moments of storm are when we find ourselves praying the most. Next week, just as a little teaser,
we are going to be looking at what is going on when it feels our prayers go unanswered or unheard.
We have all experienced storms in this life; some maybe more than others. We are all going to face other storms in life as well. In the midst of those storms, though, God is still working, comforting, and is in charge of the situation. As I close, I want to quote a song for you that I heard on a Christian radio station a few weeks ago, as I was beginning to think about this sermon. The song says, “sometimes God calms the storm, other times, God calms the child.”
May God’s peace be with each of you amid the storms you face.
AMEN.
Praise "You Are My Hiding Place" 2055
Hymn "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah" 127
Hymn "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" 133
|| Home
|| Welcome
|| Pictures
|| Sermons
|| Maps
|| Special Sprouts
|| Opportunity
|| Missions
|| Newsletter in pdf
|| VBS
|| Women of Promise
|| Easter
|| Links
||