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Riding Out the Storms of
Life
If you're in the middle of a decision, wait on
God. If you feel something pushing you, it's not the Holy Spirit - He leads and He guides, but He doesn't shove. Seek a
godly counselor — one that bases their counsel on the Word of God. Sometimes,
we're called upon to endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Don't
get the idea that if everybody says it, then it's right - frequently, the
majority is simply a lot of people pooling their ignorance. We serve a mighty
God! You may fail, flounder, and sin - but God is ultimately in control
Adrian Rogers
Love Worth Finding
Sometimes the sea is calm and the wind blows
softly.
But other times the wind rises, the sky
darkens, and we find ourselves in the midst of a terrible storm.
He had been arrested for preaching the gospel
of Christ and was now being taken to Rome to be adjudicated when they
encountered a huge storm.
Perhaps you're even in the midst of a terrible
storm yourself, and all hope has seemed to vanish.
First, we need to realize there are many
different types of storms we all encounter.
Then we're going to see what Paul did in his
storm and what we can do.
o
There
are normal storms. The Bible says God makes it rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).
We
simply live in a world that has storms as a natural part of life.
o
Then
there are some storms we engineer by our own foolishness and disobedience.
That's
the kind of storm Jonah got into to when he tried to flee from the presence of
God (Jonah 1:1-4).
o
There
are also storms God sends us for growth.
Jesus
commanded His disciples to get into a boat and go to the other side of the sea (Matthew 14:22-24).
He knew
a storm was brewing but was teaching them a lesson for their development.
o
And
then there are storms we're dragged into by other people. That's where we find
the apostle Paul.
He was
a prisoner who had tried to warn them! But they wouldn't listen so he was
dragged into his storm by others.
Sinking the Ship
The sailors on Paul's ship took some actions that made things worse.
We tend to do some of these same things when
we find ourselves in a storm.
Let's look at some of the ways we sink the ship.
Make decisions in haste. Verse nine says much time had past, and
they felt they had to do something.
Have you heard some say "Let's do something even if it's
wrong!"
If you're in the middle of a decision, wait on God.
If you feel something pushing you, I can assure you it's not the
Holy Spirit. He leads and He guides, but He doesn't shove.
Depend upon worldly wisdom
rather than godly wisdom. The
captain and owner of the ship believed each other instead of Paul (verse 11).
Don't go to the people of this world and ask them what to do. Seek
a godly counselor — one that bases their counsel on the Word of God.
Take the easy way out. Because the harbor wasn't up to their
standards, they decided to depart hastily (Acts 27:12).
Sometimes, we're called upon to endure hardness as good soldiers
of Jesus Christ.
Follow the crowd. There was a crowd on that boat. When
they took a vote, Paul was outvoted (verse 12).
They said, "Let's sail." But if you think about
it, often the majority is wrong.
Don't get the idea that if everybody says it, then it's right.
You may go from person to person trying to get permission to do
what you already decided to do, but frequently, the majority is simply a lot of
people pooling their ignorance.
Depend upon circumstances. In Acts 27:13 they said, "The sun is shining, the sea is calm,
and the wind is blowing in our direction; it must be the right thing."
There are a lot of people who are led by circumstances and say, "Lord,
it must be Your will. It looks good."
But that soothing south wind may turn into a horrible, ferocious
storm.
When they found themselves in the teeth of this torrential rainstorm, the
ungodly on this ship reacted in some curious ways.
o
In
verse 15, they saw dashed dreams as
the floundering vessel began to sink.
o
And they
also saw desperate efforts as described in verse 16. They
desperately tried to get the tackle of the ship back together.
o
Subsequently
in verses 18-19, they experienced wasted resources.
They started dumping what they thought were precious things into the ocean.
What a waste!
o
Then in
verse 20, they lost hope. The stars, sun and moon
has disappeared and they were in complete darkness.
o
And
finally, in verse 30, we see their foolish actions almost
caused their demise as they tried to escape by lifeboats.
In our
lives today, we often see escapism in the form of alcohol, divorce, desertion,
or even suicide.
These
are all foolish reactions to the storms of our lives.
In contrast to the ungodly responses, Paul
said "be of good cheer" (verses 22 and 25).
Can you imagine saying that in the midst of
these problems?
But the same One Who gave him songs in the
night in a dungeon at Philippi gave him peace in the midst of this storm — His
name is Jesus.
We serve a mighty God!
You may fail, flounder, and sin; but God is
ultimately in control.
Paul believed in God and
could say, "Be of good cheer," even in the midst of his storm.
And you can too by relying on the same God Who brought him through the storm.
About Adrian Rogers
Known for his evangelistic
zeal and uncompromising commitment to the Word of God, Adrian Rogers was one of
the greatest preachers, respected Bible teachers, and Christian leaders of our
time. For over fifty years, he consistently presented the Good News of Jesus
Christ with strong conviction, compassion,and integrity.
He was a devoted family man — husband to his childhood sweetheart Joyce, father
to four children, grandfather to nine, and great-grandfather to six. Of all his
accomplishments, Dr. Rogers often said his greatest joy centered in his
relationship to Jesus Christ, his wife and family, and the church he pastored.
The recipient of many honors and awards, the trophy he treasured most was one
presented to him by his children one Father’s Day in which he was proclaimed
The World’s Greatest Dad.
Under his pastoral leadership, Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee,
grew from 9,000 members in 1972 to more than 29,000 at his retirement in 2005.
And Adrian Rogers was a leader in his denomination, serving three terms as
president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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