FAITH – WHEN THE STORM COMES – PART 1

In Max Lucado’s book, In the Eye of the Storm, he tells the story of Chippie the parakeet. Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second, he was peacefully perched in his cage and the next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over. The problems began when Chippie’s owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang and she turned to pick it up. She’d barely said hello, when sssswoopp, Chippie got sucked in. The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie, still alive but stunned. Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do… she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air. Poor Chippie never knew what hit him. A few days after the trauma, the reporter who’d initially written about the event contacted Chippie’s owner to see how the bird was recovering. Well, she replied, Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore, he just sits and stares. Sucked in, washed up, and blown over! How many of you can relate to Chippie today? The fact of the matter is that each and every one of us is going to have some struggles in this life, some storms that are going to come. - In John 16:33 Yeshua gave His followers a strange promise, -- Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:12, -- everyone who wants to live a godly life in Moshiach Yeshua, will suffer persecution. As the disciples preached in Antioch, Acts 14:22 tells us, -- They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that they must enter into the Kingdom of YHVH through many tribulations. Believers in Moshiach have found this message of Yeshua and Apostles to be true. I know that some of you are facing different storms in your life right now or have been through some only recently. Some of you parents feel your teenagers are putting you through a storm. Some of you teenagers feel your parents are putting you through a storm. Some of you face the storm of not having any parents or ones who don't care. Some of you have faced deadly disease or sickness. Some of you have had some terrible tragedy in your family. Some of you have recently had a loved one that passed away. Each of us is either going through a storm right now or we will face one or more in the future. So, the question before us is not if we will face the storm, but when we do face it how should we, as believers, react?

James gives us several suggestions:

1 -- LET YHVH USE THEM

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers’ temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. -- James 1:2-4. Now this goes completely against the grain! The last thing most of us think of, when storms come into our life is how to use them in a positive manner. But of course, YHVH often goes against the grain. James gives us three ways that YHVH can use the storms of our lives to benefit us.

A -- To Test Us

The storms of life give us a chance to reveal the genuineness of our faith. James refers to trials as the testing of our faith. The word [tested] refers to ore which was put into a fire to burn away impurities. If our faith is real, like gold, it will stand the test of fire and be proved as genuine. Faith comes in two varieties: The IF kind of faith and the NEVERTHELESS kind of faith. One kind of faith says; if all goes well, if life is prosperous and happy, then I will believe in YHVH. The other kind of faith says, nevertheless, though the forces of evil triumph, though everything else goes wrong, and Gethsemane comes and the cross looms, nevertheless I will believe in YHVH. The IF kind of faith was once demonstrated by a young man who asked YHVH to help him pass his exam to be certified in his profession. When he failed the test, he checked out on YHVH. His approach to YHVH was, -- IF You will bless me, then I will serve you. The other kind of faith was demonstrated by a lady whose son was critically injured in a motorcycle accident and whose husband had a heart attack from the shock. At the hospital, where both husband and son were in the ICU, she said to her pastor, -- I'm not going to draw any conclusions from this experience until YHVH gets through with it Anybody can have faith when things are going our way. We show what kind of faith we really have when the troubles come and the lights go out.

B -- To Correct Us

I can still remember a number of times when my dad was about to give me a hiding and he’d give the standard line: -- this is going to hurt me more than it does you. Well, if that’s the case Dad, I’d be glad to switch places! The fact is; my father’s discipline really was for my own good. What I viewed as a trial, helped to shape me for the future. No, I’m not implying that every storm in your life is caused by YHVH, but I am saying that YHVH can use whatever problem you’re going through to help you to reach out to Him and get your life going in the right direction if it is going off course. It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy Statutes. -- Psalm 119:71. The times that most of us reach out for YHVH is not when things are going great, but when our lives are going off track. The storms of life often lead us into a deeper and more intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father. They give us an opportunity to recognize how much we need Him and grant us security when we realize how willing YHVH is to help.

C -- To Build Us

Facing storms produces endurance in us. Endurance in turn, makes us mature, complete and lacking in nothing. Our trials mould us into fit instruments for YHVH to use. They help our faith to develop and mature. Helen Keller [1880-1968] never knew the beauties of sound or sight. Yet she said of her blindness and deafness, -- I thank YHVH for my handicaps for through them I have found myself, my work and my Elohim. Nature teaches us this same principle. Free a butterfly from its chrysalis and from the struggle of liberating itself and you destroy its life, for it will never develop the strength to soar as it should. When fortitude is lacking in one of YHVH's children, He has a time-tested remedy: -- the testing of our faith. What are our handicaps? What are our unpleasant circumstances? What is it that binds our lives? What causes us to suffer? Don't bemoan these things, James says, rejoice in them. For YHVH may be using these things to mould us into the person he wants us to be. Every experience of suffering is a crossroads in our lives. We can respond in anger and become bitter or we can accept the storm as the chisel YHVH uses to sculpt us into a saint and become better – It's our choice.

Shabbat shalom! Thank you for joining us this whole wonderful week!

For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of YHWH has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.
Jeremiah 20:8

The words deeds of the righteous should feel like violent blows to the wicked conscience. Don't be surprised when they react poorly when they see you following and hear you speaking God's commands.

My life just got better. I have to confess, I'm a height-enabled-American. I come in at a towering 6'1". And today, after decades of stooping, dropping a knee, and even having to sit cross-legged on the floor, we got a refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom as a drawer. I can now see all the food in the fridge at while standing erect! Praise Yahweh!

We'd love to have you join us for service tomorrow morning at 11 AM CT. (See comments for link.)

Our worship team will lead us into the throne room with powerful music and Pastor Daniel will share biblical truth about "The Ten Commandments" (Part 19).

Moreover, I will give all the wealth of the city, all its gains, all its prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them and seize them and carry them to Babylon.
Jeremiah 20:5

Everything we have was loaned to us by God. Why shouldn't He give it to another if we abuse it? How many nations have come and gone in history? We're not special in that respect.

It’s Prep day! Happy prepping for Shabbat!