This is the last installment of the three part series about how to deal with storms in our lives. It is interesting because right now I am sitting in the airport writing this and thinking to myself how is this applicable to me. I am reminded of the continuous struggle that we all go through. A little something called spiritual war fare. Recently I had a couple of very weird dreams. Thinking about it they all had to do with spiritual war fare. The last dream woke me up and I felt a need to pray and rebuke the dreams, the images and the thoughts. I know I was half asleep but while I was praying I felt this sensation of heat around my forehead. It was like when you have something real warm next to your skin. You don't get burn but you feel the warmth emanating from it. It was real strange. I know that we all are in the midst of a spiritual war fare. I also know that we have the victory already.It was won by Jesus on the cross. With this I will end the series.
In the book of Mathew Chapter 8 verses 23 – 27 we see the disciples going into an unexpected storm. We can read how unprepared, anxious, scared and insignificant they felt. I can also image what a relief they felt when Jesus came out and spoke to the wind and the waves and they subsided. I can just imaging their faces going from a frown and haggard from worrying to a relaxed look. In one of my new songs I have a line that goes
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"Is not about the struggles or how you getting there, is all about the travel and the lessons that appear and what you learn from them will help you persevere building character up every single year"
I wrote this thinking about the verse in Romans 5 that says we should rejoice in times of suffering because suffering produces perseverance and perseverance produces character, and character hope. Hope will never disappoint us. I believe that Jesus wants us to persevere. I believe He allows trails to come to our lives so that we can learn to persevere and thus build character. With this new found character there is hope. Hope that He will be there during our most trying times, hope that He will not abandon ship when the waves are pounding and the wind is tossing us around. Hope that no matter what is going on outside He has everything under control. I also believe that with this hope we will be able to see the promises of God come to past. With this hope you will be able to see dry land. With this hope you will be able to know that there is a rainbow at the end of the storm.
One clear example that comes to mind is Noah. Can you believe the ridicule he and his family suffer because of the ark? Can you image the difficult times he endured? It was not for a week or for a month or even for a couple of months. He was under scrutiny for a long time. He literary saw the storm coming, lived through the storm and saw the promises of God fulfilled after the storm. He held fast to God and his promises, no matter how ridiculous it must of sound. He was faithful to his calling no matter the situation. He concentrated on the task at hand and the voice of God rather than what he thought was reasonable. He lived through it the best way he could and at the end he saw that rainbow. He was able to set foot on dry land. He was able to see and enjoy God's promises at the end.
I believe that after every storm you should ask yourself a couple of questions.
What did God want me to learn from this?
How am I different after this storm?
What can I do different next time?
and How can I help some one else who might go through the same storm?
Believe it or not there is a rainbow at the end of the storm.
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