Deserts and Storms - God is Still with You

I was watching "Man vs. Wild" the other day and there was Bear Grylls walking through a seemingly endless desert and salt flat.  The sun was intense and the heat brutal. Bear was tired, dehydrated, and he resorted to drinking his own urine which he  had saved in a snake skin.  His eyes were nearly swollen shut as he made his way toward the coast. Then, just like that, it appeared; the ocean.  He ran and dove in.  It was cold and refreshing and led him to rescue.


I know that this doesn't sound much like the makings of a prim and proper Christian blog but then again Christianity doesn't exist in a world of clean, neat, and perfect.  It exists in a fallen and often brutal world where scenes like I just described pale in comparison to some much worse.  A week ago I was hunkered down in a tent high in the San Juan Mountains of SW Colorado as a nasty thunderstorm battered the landscape, lightening struck close to our camp, and fifty mile per hour winds nearly flattened our tent.  In the morning there was snow on the ground and thick fog limited our vision to about fifty yards.  Then just like that the fog lifted, the clouds moved on, and the bright sun shone in the blue sky.  The storm was over.  It was awesome.


Cancer, bankruptcy, infidelity, depression, fear. . . . I don't know what your desert or storm might be.  Maybe you're in a time of bright blue skies and the storms have already blown by.  Either way we need to see the sovereignty of God in both times.  The Bible is packed with examples of God's presence during the desert times and in the midst of raging storms.  Sometimes it was punitive.  He, like a good parent, was chastising his children to lead them back home.  Sometimes it was to reveal the character of those involved and sometimes his plan was completely hidden from man.  But never was God caught off guard or impudent in the situation.  


Moses lead the Israelites through the desert for forty years on the way to the Promised Land.  Joseph spent time at the bottom of a well, was sold into slavery, and spent time in prison before he became Pharaoh's right hand man.  Jonah took a detour into the depths of the ocean and spent a few days in the belly of a great fish before he found his way to the safety of the beach.  The Apostles trembled in fear as the waves battered their boat before the Lord Jesus commanded the wind and the waves to cease their fury. 


I know that my storms don't come close to storms that others have weathered and your storms my be bigger or smaller than mine.  I think that it doesn't really matter how our storms compare to other's because it never really seems to bring us comfort to know others have had more intense storms.  Like if you just went through a divorce and someone says, "Well, you should be thankful because there are children in Africa who haven't eaten in weeks."  There is little comfort in that.


So here are the two points I want you to take with you today:


1) God is in control as much during your desert times and storms as he is in your Promised Land.  His desire is always to draw you nearer to him because there is no better place to be.  I know it can be intensely difficult to cling to faith but call on him and he will be faithful.  Don't be afraid to reach out to brothers and sisters in Christ as well.  I don't know what I would do without those of you who have lent me a shoulder or and ear (you know who you are).  If you are in Christ, God promises that one day there will be a reward that "no eye has seen and no ear has heard"  In other words, nothing we have experienced here on earth can compare to what the Lord has prepared for those that love him.


2) If you are in the position to comfort someone in a storm, remember the words of Ephesians 4:29, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."  


Love you all,


David