Storms Revisited

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Weather and storms are an important part of how Father God deals with His world and its people.  Part of knowing God is knowing that He uses His natural world to interact with us and to make His power and glory known to us.  I like Nahum 1:3 where it says, “His ways are in the whirlwind and the storm and clouds are the dust of His feet (NIV).

Weather, storms, in particular, are where hot and cold air mix creating winds and clouds.  Hot air rises and cooler moves in to take its place.  Air flows from high-pressure areas (mountains of air) to low-pressure areas (valleys of air).  Solar energy drives all of this by heating the earth.

God uses storms to meet with His people like in Job 38.  Thunder, hail, and whirlwinds have been used to create confusion and to defeat the enemies of His people. Examples of these uses are in Proverbs 10:25, Zechariah 7:14 and 1 Samuel 7:10.  But also in Proverbs 10:25 is a promise that the righteous will be standing when the storm has gone by. (see Storms part 2)

The storms in the New Testament are just as powerful and have the same potential for destruction as their Old Testament counterparts, however, they seem to have a different function in God’s plan for man.  The disciples were beaten and battered about by the winds and the waves but Jesus used them as training tools.  The storms in the Gospel of Mark and the one that Paul finds himself in Acts 27 (see Attacks part 3) come in advance of a time of miracles.  Another element that shows its self is that Jesus is present with the people in the storm.

These are thoughts that I have collected through the years about storms.

1. Are the storms of life for God to learn about us or for us to learn about us?

2. It is hard to recognize Jesus in a storm. (T.D. Jakes)

3. A thought on Peter(see Rock or Chip) – A wet water-walker is better than a dry boat-talker.(Pastor Perez)

4. You may see Jesus in the daytime but it is hard to see Him at night in the rain.                (Joel Osteen)

Muses and preachers will always find inspiration in storms both spiritual and physical. But knowing that Jesus will be with us in and through the storm and that we will come out of them better than when we went in I hope eases the discomfort of going through them.

Final thought – Did it happen to me or did it happen for me!  All things work for good, not all things are good. (see Fight)

Jesus as the Master Teacher

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As the master teacher, Jesus used a variety of methods and presentation styles but His course content was consistent; whether by parable, teaching, or preaching His message was the Kingdom of God.

Jesus knew who He was speaking to and used examples that were at His audience’s level. With the crowds, He spoke parables using examples that they saw every day. Yeast in flour, marriage feasts, and sowing crops are examples of things He used in parables to illustrate the Kingdom of God. His parables could be taken on multiple levels of understanding but I think the meanings were always hidden because Jesus wanted people to ask questions. Isaiah had talked about this fact when he said that they would be “ever hearing but never understanding”; just because you enjoy a story does not mean that you understand the symbolism and metaphors that are written into it by the author.  With the leaders, His meanings were still veiled but they knew when he was talking about them; the example here is the Good Shepherd vs. the hired help.

He used current events as part of His teaching like when he talked about the tower that fell or when Pilate mixed pigs’ blood into the sacrifice.

Jesus used various strategies for where He was and whom He wanted to reach. He talked to massive crowds, small groups, and even one-on-one when the people or persons needed that in order for His message of the Kingdom to be gotten out and understood.  He would launch a discussion question like, “Who do the people say I am” or He would ask a question and patiently wait for an answer like when the woman was about to be stoned for adultery. (Of course, that could be Him as a Master Judge also.)

He had chosen the disciples they got special treatment. He would explain parables to them but He knew that He would have to send the Holy Spirit (re-teach) because they were not progressing fast enough. They got quantity and quality time with Jesus and I think He even gave them tests. If I may, the teaching that God can provide was the feeding of the five thousand and their test was the feeding of the four thousand. (see Test Revisited)

The picture was taken at Houston Baptist University.

Test Revisited

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Spiritual test like tests in school are tools that are used by the Master Teacher for our good.  Now, most students are fearful of tests.  So here are some thoughts about testing that may help rearrange our thinking.

1. A test show what we know.

2. A test show what we don’t know.

3. A test show what we need to learn. (It really is different than #2)

I think we associate grades or our worth with a number instead of viewing test, especially spiritual test, as a learning experience and not a symbol of failure and stress.  Jesus being the Master Teacher knows that if you cannot pass the test we should not move on but when we do pass He starts us on a whole new course of study.  So retesting is part of spiritual training. Ex. – John 21 when Jesus asked Peter three times about his love. (see Rock or Chip) So remember passing test are needed to move you to the next grade/level. (see Test, Attacks, and Storms part 1)

Depending on the translation of the Bible you read the word for a test is rendered in several ways: try, prove, examine, tempt, assay, investigate, know, challenge, etc.  I think there are four major groupings of the ideas prove/test or search /know.

1. Malachi/Meribah

2. Testing of Metal

3. Search and Know (the heart/mind)

4. Miscellaneous

Malachi/Meribah may seem like a strange pairing of verses but the same word for test/challenge is what ties them together.  The famous verse about testing God and open windows are in Malachi 3:10 but most of miss 3:15 where it talks about people who test God because they believe it is futile to serve Him.  But the intensity of that testing is reflected in Psalm 81:7, 95:9 and refers to Exodus 17 and Numbers 20 where the people wanted water and Moses was to speak or strike the rocks.

The comparison of us being tested as metals is used in a number of passages.  This was done with great heat and air.  The picture is that something pure is going to come from this type of testing. (see What Type of Metals Are You Part 1)

Psalm 11:4, 139:23 and 17:3 are verses that refer to God searching, knowing and testing us. (see Fight)

Other examples of testing are when Joseph tested his brothers in Genesis 42: 15,16 and God testing Levi in Deuteronomy 33:8.  (see Timeline)

I guess if there is a thought I want you to take away from this it would be; God tests us for our good so that He can promote us to better things and that tests are not attacks, storms or trials. (see Test, Attacks, and Storms part 2, part 3)

Test, Attacks and Storms – O My! Part 3

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Attacks, test, and storms.  In this part, I am looking at spiritual attacks and trials.

A trial is like a test only it is not for your good. (See Part 1)  To me, a trial is something that just always seems to hang around causing problems.  It exposes a weak area and always seems to work on your nerves.

An attack, on the other hand, is just that an attack.  They come at you without warning they seem to serve no useful purpose and are frequently very costly.  The verse that sums up attacks is John 10:10 – the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy.

Let us use Paul the Apostle as an example.  His tests are in Acts 20:22+23, 21:10-14.  He knew God’s ways and voice so these test of people telling him that he was about to be jailed was something he needed to pass.  He could have run but he embraced (and passed) the test and went on to the next mission in his life.

The attack is seen in Acts21: 26-36 where the crowd tries to kill him and he was arrested.

The trial(s) (literally) started in Acts 23:23 and continues through Acts 26.  The jail, dishonest officials and continued lies were meant to wear him down but he overcame them to testify to rulers and kings.

His storm started in Acts 27:13.  He knew it was coming and Jesus showed him how it would end.  And as with most storms in the New Testament, it was followed by miracles (on Malta) to validate the victory he had in Jesus.  And it opened bigger doors of ministry to him. (see Fight)

Test, Attacks and Storms – O My! Part 2

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Storms, attacks, and tests.  We have all been through them and the great news is we are still here.  In continuing the series this week we will look at storms (See part 1). In the New Testament, the word storm can mean anything from winds to rain or the violent storms that would sweep down from the mountains and plague the Sea of Galilee that could be compared to earthquakes.  By the way, I hope that you never get in an argument about what you are in – a storm, a test, or an attack!

Hurricanes by the coast, a tornado in the central part of the country, and threats of floods with every passing front have raised our consciousness of storms.  The Weather Channel, weather apps, local TV, radio programs, and websites now can give some advance warning of approaching storms.  Even in Jesus’ day, they could read the signs of approaching weather (Matthew 16:2).  Many natural storms may give us a warning that they are coming; sometimes they may not because they form right on top of you.

I think spiritual storms also can give us advance warning that they are coming.  Not always, but sometimes, we can see what is coming and prepare for it, or we can always be at some level of preparedness.  Storms can be very violent and many times you cannot see that in the advance forecast but storms are only going to last for a given period of time.  After a storm, there may be a lot of things that may need to be repaired and fixed but like tests, they are not going to continue “forever.”  Maybe you are going through a windstorm where things are knocked down all around you.  Maybe it is a rainstorm where things are being covered with water and washed away from your life.  Or it could be a very violent storm equal to a tornado or hurricane where you make it through but everything in your life is changed or gone.

I find it important to realize that wind and rain are symbols of the Holy Spirit but the devil will come against us with violent forms of the symbols to cause grief and destruction.

No matter what it is you are going through storms, attacks, or tests, Jesus is and wants to be your shelter in the storm.