Storms Blog #7

Storms August 10th 2008
Category: Religion and Philosophy
Storms another Sunday :) ( My Notes and thoughts on today's sermon by Pastor Steve Mansour http://www.creeksidemac.com/ )

Again another much anticipated Sunday with Church, Worship, Friends, family, Basketball, and now the Olympics too. The sweetness of Sundays Carries me alot lately (thank you Creekside family). I wish I could fall asleep Sunday night and not wake up until the next Sunday. I am truly blessed to be planted into a Church family that exemplifies the Love and Grace that I need.
Storms and Jonah. Today at Church we took a look at the book of Jonah. Many of us have heard of the Story of Jonah and The Whale. And how he was swallowed by a Whale only to be spit up on shore by the Grace of God. What I did not understand was the Storm. You see Jonah was called by God. He was called to travel to a far away place. He was called God. He refused his calling. He instead ran away.

Jonah 1:1-2
1 The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are."
Jonah was called to travel to the city of Neneveh, which is in present day Iraq. He was called to serve. He was called to go and minister to the people of a lost city. Jonah was a Old Testament professional prophet and at the time that he was called to go to Nineveh he was in Israel. He understood that he was called but instead made a periless choice. He chose to run.

Jonah 1:3 3
But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish.

He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish. Instead of heeding the calling God had for Jonah he ran. He not only ran but he went in the complete opposite direction to Joppa which is present day Spain. He Ran. He thought he could hide from the Lord. He was terribly wrong. God is infinite he is everywhere.

Jonah 1:4 4
But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. 5 Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.

So Jonah is on the ship headed to Spain, on a vacation of sorts instead of doing the works that God had called him to do. He heads down to the Cargo hold and goes to sleep. God Hurled a great wind over the sea. God brought a storm into Jonahs life, a real storm. The seas were about to break the ship apart and the others in the boat began praying to their Gods. They eventually cast lots to determine whom is responsible for this storm. Jonah flat tells them he is responsible.

Jonah 1:7-12 7
Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. 8 "Why has this awful storm come down on us?" they demanded. "Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?" 9 Jonah answered, "I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." 10 The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. "Oh, why did you do it?" they groaned. 11 And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, "What should we do to you to stop this storm?" 12 "Throw me into the sea," Jonah said, "and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault."

Jonah recognizes that the storm that is upon them is a result of his running from God. He immediately declares I am a Hebrew, and I worship the God of heaven who made the sea and the land. See Jonah knew all the words. Jonah knew whom God was. Jonah knew what was right and what was wrong. Instead he had chosen to run and bring possible peril on all those around him.
Jonah is an example to me, an example of what happens when we know what is right but decide to do whats wrong anyway. It goes clear back to the very beginning when Adam & Eve sinned. They immediately ran to hide. They felt naked and ashamed. Jonah feels ashamed enough to say Just throw me overboard. He was ready to die for his wrongs.

Jonah 1:13-17
13 Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn't make it. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah's God. "O Lord," they pleaded, "don't make us die for this man's sin. And don't hold us responsible for his death. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons." 15 Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! 16 The sailors were awestruck by the Lord's great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him. 17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

So now these sailors began to row even harder in an attempt to get the ship to land and to avoid throwing Jonah over (Gods Mercy). They even begin to call out to Jonahs Lord, the true God. They had earlier been crying out to their Gods. Now they see that the God of Jonah is the Heavenly God in control of all the land the sea and the world. They cry out. The sailors eventually realize that there is no other choice but to throw Jonah over. They do so as a sacrifice to God and Vow to serve the true God. (notice how the Storm is used to affect everyone in the storm not just the person whom was responsible for the storm even bringing the sailors in the boat to God). They were in awe of Gods awesome power. They saw what God could do. Our God is a Just God. He is inescapable. He is infinite. So then God sends a Big fish to swallow Jonah up. As the story goes this nightmare turns into a blessing and later the fish spits Jonah up on shore delivering him to safety.

Storms. We all face storms in life. I faced a huge storm in my life recently and I realize now that I had been spending my life running from Gods calling. I had been running from whats right. I knew what was right & what was wrong. I attended church and walked the walk, only to keep certain parts of my life from him. Early on in my life I had the calling to be a Pastor. To be a leader and to go to school to be a pastor. At one time I was on that path I even made it to Bible school at Northwest College in Kirkland Washington. I later veered from the path. I went astray. I went through storm after storm in my life. God hurled great winds at me over and over and at times I surrendered but again never completely. I left some things for myself.
Now in recent months I faced the storm of all storms in my life the type that makes you cry out to God for mercy. Today I am thankful for this storm as I finally began my surrender. A Surrender that has to happen over and over. Life is just too much in general not to surrender it to God. He is faithful and like he did for Jonah he delivered me to a freedom and peace that I just can't even put into words. In the midst of the storm I cried and cried. I did not understand the why of the storm. I understand now that this storm I thought was a stumbling block was a detour to head me straight to my king.

I had spent the better time of my life running. Running from pain. Running from guilt and ultimately running from my God. He put the storm in my life to make me run straight back into him .. For that I am eternally grateful. I would have never known that it would take such a massive storm. A category five hurricane so to speak. I was stubborn and unaware, lost and not even knowing how far away I had run from God. The change in me now is apparent to everyone around me. So apparent that it takes only one look into my eyes and they see the light. I hear it all the time. I am transformed. Renewed in the mind body and spirit. Filled with the Holy Spirit to be exact.

Are you in the middle of a storm? Are the circumstances of your life out of control? Maybe it is possible that this storm you are in has been hurled at you from God. We can't run from God he will bring us a storm. He will bring us to our knees. It just happens that way. He loves us enough to bring us back to him. He wants us to serve no one above him. In my life I served Drugs and Music. Drugs were may slave master. I was a slave to them. They were my God. They consumed my time my money and my soul. They left me with guilt that I could never out run. I ran further and further trying to get away from guilt. I ran using more and more weed to hide my pain and guilt. Always to return to reality, a reality that progressively got worse and worse as I tried to ignore it. I ran into the arms of music. Using my gift for self edification, and for my own glory. God almost took my Music away. He gives us gifts to be used for Him and His Kingdom, if we do not use them for him well, he is God and most certainly can take them away. An injury, self inflicted left me almost unable to play. Today he has given it back, now I play for worship I play for peace.

What is it that you covet, what is it that eats up your mind, your spare time, and your money? What are these things?
Chances are the answers to those questions will reveal to you whom you serve. Be ready. be ready for God to take those things from you. He will. He wants all of you, mind body and spirit. He is a jealous God. For me weed, my significant other, and music were all things that I put before God. He brought me to my knees and now believe it or not I am free. I am free from addiction, free from the co dependency of an ill relationship. I stopped the weed and alcohol. By taking the first few steps towards God He free'd me from the desire to escape (drugs and alcohol). I have no desire for the comforts of this world. The comforts of this world are fleeting at best and only temporary.

I am blessed now. God wants us to live a life of freedom in Him. Freedom from bondage, guilt, fear, and hurt. He wants this for us so much. He wants this for you. Are you willing to take a look, are you willing to get on your knees now? Or are you going to wait for the category five hurricane in your life? I suggest not. The truth is no matter how fast or far you can run God is faster and He is everywhere. Eventually you will be caught. You will find yourself in a storm that is uniquely your own, with your own unique challenges, presented to you as an opportunity to choose grace, to choose Him, to choose surrender. Why not surrender it all now? He only wants your life to be victorious, full of peace and love. The blessings of an eternal peace that will never leave you. Eventually the drugs wear off, eventually he or she will fail you, eventually the TV won't comfort you, eventually the video games won't occupy your mind enough to escape, eventually you will be alone with God in the middle of the storm... The things of this world will all pass, settle now for something eternal, surrender everything in your life to God... Surrender all of it leave nothing unsurrendered. God Loves you, but he is a Just God he is a jealous God. Is your storm warning here now? There is peace in the eye of the storm, its there for the taking. It is a choice you can make today, right now.
I hope I haven't been to preachy here ..... I just can't even begin to tell you how much I wished I would have surrendered before the storm. It would have cost me less hurt and pain, If I had surrendered earlier in life the wreckage of my life would have been less....... The end result is the same whether you surrender now or wait for your storm... We end up with God.

I love you truly, this is out of love. I pray that God would make himself real to you, that He would show you the way to peace. I pray that you seek him before he sends the storm....
Much Love to you, By Grace

In Him,
sMitty