I came across a message by Jon Courson and thought, given
Hurricane Irene, I’d pass it on to you
with a few editorial changes. The Lord promised everyone on board would survive
the storm - Acts 27:1-13. In the rest of
the chapter we see four types of storms that blow into our lives:
Storms of correction. Jonah is a good example of this. When a storm arose he was
tossed overboard and swallowed by a great fish, because he was rebelling
against the Lord (Jonah 1:10). So, too, sometimes when we rebel and disobey the
Lord, He will allow a storm to get us back on track again.
Storms of perfection. Jesus fed the five thousand and then sent His disciples
across the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14). Midway through their journey, a storm
arose around them for their perfection. You see, Jesus knew it wouldn’t be too
many months before these same disciples would see another multitude of five
thousand—not fed, but saved (Acts 4:4)—followed by another storm—not on the
sea, but of persecution within the church (Acts 8:1). Thus, Jesus was training
His boys to endure the storms of persecution that inevitably follow the seasons
of blessing. Faith is not a pill we
take, folks. It’s a muscle we work (e.g. 1 Peter 1:6-9). Therefore, the Lord
will send us storms from time to time not for correction, but for perfection
because the way I respond to storms internally will tell me where I’m at
spiritually. Storms provide a unique opportunity for us to see where we are in
our walk with the Lord and to grow in our understanding that the Lord will come
through at the right time, saying, “Be of good cheer. We’re going to make it.”
Storms of protection. “Noah found grace in
the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). And we see that grace as God sent a storm
to drown out all of the carnality, sin, and iniquity that surrounded him. The
storm raged for forty days and nights, but Noah and his family were not only
protected in the storm—they were
protected by the storm. “Oh no!” we
cry. “My TV blew up,” or, "My phone . . . iPad . . . iPod . . . computer .
. . etc. broke. What a storm I’m in.” But, as in Noah’s case, it might be a
storm of protection—protecting us from the distractions of life, the carnality
and iniquity that surround us continually.
Storms of direction. Knowing there was a group of
people on the island of Malta in need of ministry, the Lord said, “Before you
go to Rome, Paul, I’m going to allow you to be blown off course because there
is something I want you to do for Me—something you never would have thought of
on your own, something that wasn’t part of your agenda. I have some people to
whom I want you to minister, so I’ll allow a storm to arise, which, although it
looks like it’s blowing you off course, will put you in the very place I want to
use you.” “How come I got canned?” “Why did she dump me?” “How come it’s not
working out?” you ask. Don’t be blown away. Realize that the Lord is changing
your direction because there’s something He wants to do that will ultimately be
a blessing. Look at such things not as rejection,
but as redirection.
Storms of correction and perfection, storms of protection
and direction—how can you know which one you might be in? Talk to the Father: “Why
am I in this storm, Lord? Is it correction—or are You perfecting me for what
You see is coming my way? Is there a new direction for my life—or are You
protecting me from something that would be very damaging?”
(Courson, J. (2003). Jon
Courson's Application Commentary (851). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.)
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